Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
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| Johann Ludwig ("Lutz") Graf Schwerin von Krosigk | |
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| In office May 1 – May 23, 1945 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Goebbels |
| Succeeded by | Allied military occupation 1945-1949 Konrad Adenauer (West Germany) Otto Grotewohl (East Germany) (as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (GDR)) |
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| Born | August 22, 1887 |
| Died | March 4, 1977 (aged 89) |
| Political party | none |
| Alma mater | University of Halle University of Lausanne University of Oxford |
| Occupation | Soldier (Officer), Nobleman |
Johann Ludwig (Lutz) Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, (August 22, 1887 – March 4, 1977) was a German Nazi politician.
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[edit] Early life
Born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk in Rathmannsdorf, in Saxony Anhalt, of a father from an old noble family of Anhalt and a mother who was a daughter of a Count ("Graf") von Schwerin, he studied law and political science in Halle, in Lausanne and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. During World War I, he served in the German Army, finally as a First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Iron Cross. In 1918, Krosigk married Baroness Ehrengard von Plettenberg, with whom he had four sons and five daughters.
[edit] Nazi years
[edit] Pre-World War II
A non-partisan conservative, Schwerin von Krosigk was appointed Minister of Finance by Franz von Papen in 1932, and continued in that office at the request of President Paul von Hindenburg under Kurt von Schleicher and throughout the period of Nazi Party rule. Several members of his family took part in assassination attempts against German dictator Adolf Hitler. Schwerin von Krosigk was rarely seen in public appearances and Hitler did not have regular Cabinet meetings.
[edit] World War II
On 1 May 1945, Schwerin von Krosigk was asked to be the Chancellor (Reichskanzler) of the Acting Government by President (Reichspräsident) Karl Dönitz.
The rapidly advancing Allied forces limited the jurisdiction of the new German government to an area around Flensburg near the Danish border, where Dönitz's headquarters were located, along with Mürwik. Accordingly this administration was referred to as the Flensburg government. Dönitz and Schwerin von Krosigk attempted to negotiate an armistice with the Western allies while continuing to resist the Soviet Army. On 7 May, 1945, Dönitz authorized the signature of the German Instrument of Surrender to the Allies, that took place in Rheims before General Eisenhower. He would later authorize the German military to sign another instrument of surrender in Berlin, in a ceremony presided over by the Soviets. The speech by Winston Churchill announcing victory to the British people is evidence of a de facto recognition of the Flensburg Government's authority, since Churchill mentioned that the surrender was authorized by "Grand Admiral Dönitz the designated Head of State". However, after the unconditional surrender, the Flensburg government was not recognised by the Allies and was dissolved when its members were captured by British forces on 23 May 1945, at Flensburg.
Schwerin von Krosigk was tried at Nuremberg along with other leading members of the Nazi Government. Found guilty in the Ministries Trial, Schwerin von Krosigk was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment but was released during an amnesty in 1951.
[edit] After World War II
In later years Schwerin von Krosigk wrote several books on economic policy, as well as two versions of his memoirs. He was one of the first to refer to an "Iron Curtain" coming down across Europe, in a broadcast to the German people on May 2, 1945, a phrase which he had picked up from an article by Joseph Goebbels ('Das Jahr 2000,' Das Reich, February 25, 1945, pp. 1-2), and later used by Winston Churchill in a speech that made the phrase famous. Schwerin von Krosigk died in 1977 in the town of Essen, West Germany, aged 89.
[edit] Works
- Es geschah in Deutschland, 1951
- Die große Zeit des Feuers - Der Weg der deutschen Industrie, 3 volumes, 1959
- Alles auf Wagnis - der Kaufmann gestern, heute und morgen, 1963
- Persönliche Erinnerungen, memoirs, 3 volumes, 1974
- Staatsbankrott (Studie über die deutsche Finanzpolitik von 1920 bis 1945), 1975
- Memoiren (short version of Persönliche Erinnerungen), 1977
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Hermann R. Dietrich |
Minister of Finance 1932–1945 |
Succeeded by Fritz Schäffer (West Germany) Hans Loch (East Germany) |
| Preceded by Joseph Goebbels |
Chancellor of Germany (Flensburg government) May 1–23, 1945 |
Succeeded by Allied military occupation 1945-1949 Konrad Adenauer (West Germany) Otto Grotewohl (East Germany) |
| Preceded by Arthur Seyss-Inquart |
Minister of Foreign Affairs May 1–23, 1945 |
Succeeded by Konrad Adenauer (West Germany) George Dertinger (East Germany) |
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