Constantin Fehrenbach
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In office 14 February 1919 – 21 June 1920 | |
President | Friedrich Ebert |
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Chancellor | Philipp Scheidemann |
Preceded by | Eduard David |
Succeeded by | Paul Löbe (as President of the Reichstag) |
In office June 1918 – November 1918 | |
Monarch | Wilhelm II |
Chancellor | Georg von Hertling Prince Maximilian of Baden |
Preceded by | Johannes Kaempf |
Succeeded by | Eduard David (as President of the Weimar National Assembly) |
Member of the Reichstag | |
In office 24 June 1920 – 26 March 1926 | |
Constituency | Baden |
Member of the Weimar National Assembly | |
In office 6 February 1919 – 21 May 1920 | |
Constituency | Baden |
Personal details | |
Born | Wellendingen, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire | 11 January 1852
Died | 26 March 1926 Freiburg im Breisgau | (aged 74)
Political party | Centre Party |
Signature | |
This article is part of a series on |
Conservatism in Germany |
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Constantin Fehrenbach, sometimes erroneously,
Early life
Constantin Fehrenbach was born on 11 January 1852 in Wellendingen near
From 1871 to 1878, Fehrenbach studied theology, then law at Freiburg im Breisgau and in 1882 began to practise law there, soon becoming a successful criminal lawyer. In 1879, Fehrenbach married Maria (1855–1921), née Hossner at Freiburg. They had one daughter.[2][3]
Political career
Empire
In 1884, Fehrenbach started his political career by becoming a member of the Freiburg city council (parliament). The next year, Fehrenbach became a member of the Landtag (diet) of Baden for the Catholic
Weimar Republic
After the German Revolution of 1918–1919, Fehrenbach once again became president of the parliament, the Weimar National Assembly in February 1919. In that office, he succeeded due to a talent for achieving compromise and a quiet and self-controlled nature. Within the Zentrum, he was a member of the party's right wing.[2]
In June 1920, Fehrenbach formed the first Weimar Republic cabinet without participation of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). The SPD remained the largest party in the newly elected Reichstag, which succeeded the National Assembly. As Chancellor, Fehrenbach represented Germany at the Spa Conference of 1920 and the London Conference (1921) . He tried in vain to get the US government to work as a mediator.[2][3] In social policy, unemployment benefits were improved during Fehrenbach's time as chancellor, with the maximum benefit for single males over the age of 21 increased in November 1920 from 7 to 10 marks.[4]
Fehrenbach resigned in May 1921, as the DVP had withdrawn its support for the government's foreign policy of trying to cooperate with the Allies on the issue of reparations. In particular, Fehrenbach had failed to get the Reichstag's approval for a fixing of German reparation payments at 132 billion gold mark. Although he officially resigned on 4 May, he remained in charge of the caretaker government until his replacement by Joseph Wirth on 10 May.[2][3][5]
In 1922, Fehrenbach became a judge on the Staatsgerichtshof , the legal guardian of the Weimar Constitution. In late 1923, Fehrenbach was elected head of the Zentrum fraction in the Reichstag. He remained in that office until his death in 1926. He also became vice-chairman of the Verein zur Abwehr des Antisemitismus , an organization fighting antisemitism.[2][3]
Later life and death
Fehrenbach died on 26 March 1926 in Freiburg im Breisgau.[2]
References
- ^ Bernd Braun: Constantin Fehrenbach (1852–1926), in: Reinhold Weber, Ines Mayer: Politische Köpfe aus Südwestdeutschland, Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2005, p. 106.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Biografie Konstantin Fehrenbach (German)". Bayerische Nationalbibliothek. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Konstantin Fehrenbach (German)". Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ISBN 9780199880195. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Der Rücktritt des Kabinetts (German)". Bundesarchiv. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
External links
- The Fehrenbach cabinet at Akten der Reichskanzlei (German)
- Newspaper clippings about Constantin Fehrenbach in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW