Walther Rathenau (* 29 September 1867, Berlin; "† 24 June 1922, in Berlin murders), German Industrieller, politician (a German democratic party) and author, son of Emil Rathenau.

As concise personality of sephardisch Jewish origin, successful entrepreneur, politician and an author he came to anti-Semitic rights in the Weimar Republic fast into the focus. As an external politician it wanted the German Reich after the defeat in the 1. World war again a factor of the European and international policy make. It is considered as yielding plate of GermanRussian reconciliation politics, which found a sudden end with its murder for many decades.

Despite its desire for economic and political approximation Rathenau of the Soviet Union faced critically. In its criticism of the three-way revolution he noted:

Of" Russia methods we cannot need, because it proves them only and at best that the economy of an agricultural country can be gradened up to the soil; Of Russia thoughts are not our thoughts. They are, like it in the nature of Russian urban intelligence lie, unphilosophisch and most dialectically; they are passionate logic due to unchecked conditions. They presuppose that only one property, which counterbalances destruction of the capitalistic class, all other goods that if necessary in purchase must be taken to poverty, hunger emergency, dictatorship, fright rule, fall of the civilization, in order to secure this property. If ten million must die, in order to release ten million of the Bourgeoisie, then one regards as hard, but necessary consequence. The Russian thought is in the same sense and with same logic as the introduction by force of the Christianity and the Inquisition. "(P. 345 f.)

Life

As a son of Emil Rathenau, the founder of the AEG, and attained a doctorate physicists took over Walther Rathenau 1892 the line of the electro-chemical works bitter field. it occurred 1899 the executive committee of the AEG. From 1902 to 1907 Rathenau was business owner of the citizens of Berlin commercial company.

After outbreak of the First World War Rathenau was involved 1914 in the structure of the German war supply of raw materials in the war Ministry, after he had initiated the creation of the war raw material department, which he led until 1915 with the Prussian war Ministry. In this year he became a president and/or supervisory board chairman of the AEG.

In its book "of the share nature" Rathenau actually formulated the idea of "the enterprise", the which late German law governing share transactions and/or the German Corporate Governance should coin/shape.

After the war it participated as an expert for politico-economic questions 1919 for Germany in the negotiations to the Versailler contract, likewise 1920 in the conference of Spa and 1921 in the conferences of London.

Walther Rathenau was one the joint founder of the left liberals German democratic Partei.1920 became it member of the socialization commission and participated in the conference in Spa.

One year later he than Minister for the reconstruction negotiated with France about the German reparations, for which he obtained a partial delay in January 1922 to the conference of Cannes.

On 1 February 1922 Rathenau was appointed the realm minister of foreign affairs. As German representatives locked it at the edge of the Reparationskonferenz of Genova under the influence Maltzans against-striving with the Soviet Union the contract from Rapallo to the mutual acknowledgment and co-operation and to the renouncement of reparations, against what the western allied ones protest violently.

Walther Rathenau was murdered on 24 June 1922 by the officers Ernst Werner Techow (driver), Erwin core and Hermann Fischer, which belonged to the right-wing extremist "organization Consul" (degrees), from a driving car with a submachine gun and a hand grenade. Two the murderer died on 17 July 1922 in the ruins of the castle hall-hit a corner, which armed core became with the arrest by the police in self-defence shot, Fischer committed suicide. In run the determinations arose serious referring to the organization Consul, however neither the realm lawyer nor the judge dealt seriously with these references. Of the murder Rathenaus, which of the writer Gustav Frenssen "the most distinguished head of Europe had been called", reminds Gedenkstein in the king avenue in Berlin Grunewald.

The inscription on the bronze plate reads: The liberal-democratic party DeutschlandsDem memory RATHENAUReichsaussenminister of the German RepublikEr fell here people-come by 24 June 1922Die health one only from its internal life from the life its soul and its spirit October 1946

Few hundred meters lying large place and traffic junction between king avenue, Hubertusallee, cure prince dam and resounding maritime route removes is called for it in honours Rathenau Platz.Am 29 September 1990 a U-Bahnhof in Nuremberg, designated after Walther Rathenau, was opened.

Of a friendship between Walther Rathenau and Alfred Kerr tells the 2003 published Ullsteinroman (page 213-216) of Sten Nadolny. Also with in its time the secondarymost important journalist Maximilian Harden stood for Rathenau in close (letter) contact.

Characteristics

As a sephardischer German Jew Rathenau of time life the east Jew felt superior and expressed clearly his abhorrence hordes/hurdles asiatic before an infiltrating through "". The following text passage is characteristic:

Strange vision! In the midst of German life a seperately strange people trunk, shining and remarkably staffiert, from mobile behavior. On sand an asiatic horde/hurdle.

Source: Walther Rathenau, hears Israel! , 1897, here quote after the version "of the Impressionen" (2.Aufl., Leipzig 1902)

The moreover one an utterance walter Rathenaus is delivered from the time before the First World War, which was torn by German national extremists always the connection and used against it: "There is a committee of 300 people, which govern the world, and of whose identity only their-same admits is."

Works

• 1908 reflections
• 1912 for the criticism of the time
• 1913 to the mechanics of the spirit
• 1917 of the share nature. A business view
• 1917 of coming things
• 1918 at of Germany youth
• 1919 the new society
• 1919 the new state
• 1919 the emperor
• 1919 criticism of the three-way revolution
• Collected writings in 6 volumes
• 1924 collected speeches
• 1926 letters, 2 volumes
• 1927 new letters
• 1929 political letters
• Total expenditure of its works starting from 1977, hrsg. D. D. Hellige in our opinion Schulin
• Writings and speeches, selection and epilog of Hans's Werner judge, S. Fischer publishing house, 1964, Frankfurt Main, ISBN 3-10-062904-3, contents: Political writings, speeches, philosophy, Aphorismen, Talmudi stories

Literature

• Harry count Kessler: Walther Rathenau, 1928.
• D. Felix: Walther Rathenau and the Weimar Republic. The Politics OF Reparations, 1971.
• Ernst Schulin: Walther Rathenau, 1979.
• Martin Sabrow: "The displaced conspiracy - the Rathenau murder and the German Gegenrevolution", 2001. Investigated in detail background the murder at Rathenau and the following legal proceedings.
• Ernst von Salomon: The questionnaire, 1951
• Alfred Neumann: The hero, 1930
• Robert Musil: The man without characteristics - the figure Paul Arnheim is Walther Rathenau shared.
• Christian count von Krockow: of famous German men - of Martin Luther up to the present, Munich 2001 (cunning publishing house), P. 289-336 (ISBN 3-548-60447-1)
• Wolfgang burner: Walther Rathenau - Germans and Jew, Munich 2005 (Piper publishing house)

Related links

• More biographic
• Report for murder Rathenaus
• Walther Rathenau society registered association.
• Gedenkstein and Gedenktafel for Walther Rathenau in Berlin
• Over Walther Rathenau (Walther Rathenau school Berlin)

Articles in category "Walther Rathenau"

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