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Jakob Kaiser

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German politician (1888–1961)
Jakob Kaiser
Jakob Kaiser, 1950
Federal Minister of All-German Affairs
In office
20 September 1949 – 29 October 1957
ChancellorKonrad Adenauer
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byErnst Lemmer
Member of the Bundestag
for Essen III
In office
7 September 1949 – 6 October 1957
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byHans Toussaint
Member of the Reichstag
for Düsseldorf East
In office
21 March 1933 – 12 December 1933
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born(1888-02-08)8 February 1888
Died7 May 1961(1961-05-07) (aged 73)
NationalityGerman
Political partyZentrum (before 1945)
CDU (after 1945)

Jakob Kaiser (8 February 1888 – 7 May 1961) was a German politician and resistance leader during World War II. He served in the Reichstag before the war and the Bundestag after. He was also the first Federal Minister of All-German Affairs, serving from 1949 until 1957.

Early life

Kaiser was born in Hammelburg, Lower Franconia, Kingdom of Bavaria. Following in his father's footsteps, Kaiser began a career as a bookbinder. It was during this time that he became politically active as a member of a Catholic trade union, through which he became a leader of the Christian labour movement during the Weimar Republic.

Weimar Republic

Kaiser's official Reichstag portrait, 1933

Kaiser increased his participation in politics by becoming a member of the Centre Party, where he began serving in the role of representative chairman of Rhineland in 1919. He was elected to the Reichstag in 1933.

Resistance

After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Hitler abolished all unions, replacing them with the Nazi controlled German Labour Front. Kaiser opposed National Socialism and he joined the resistance in 1934. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1938 under suspicion of treason, but released shortly thereafter.

Through his participation in the Cologne-resistance circle, Kaiser became a close associate of the former Mayor of Leipzig, Carl Goerdeler. His relationship with Goerdeler allowed him to come into contact with Claus von Stauffenberg. Although he was not directly informed of the 20 July Plot, his knowledge of Stauffenberg's intention to assassinate Hitler as well as his close ties to the resistance group forced him to go into hiding for the remainder of World War II.

Leader of the East German CDU

Kaiser standing at podium
Kaiser at the East German CDU convention, 1947

After the war, Kaiser returned to politics and worked with Andreas Hermes to found the East Berlin division of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was elected president of the Berlin CDU (both the Western and Eastern sections of the party).

Kaiser belonged to a group within the CDU called the Christian Socialists. They called for the nationalisation of some major industries. In 1946, Kaiser helped found the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB). In the same year he was elected co-chairman of the East German CDU (together with Ernst Lemmer). Although his political views were progressive, he was critical of the Communist Party of Germany and its Soviet-supported leaders. His belief that the German Congress was controlled by the Soviets resulted in his refusal to join.

In 1947, during the Ahlen conference, a joint conference of West and East German CDU leaders, Kaiser's plan of nationalisation of key industries and other moderate left-wing ideas were adopted by the party. That same year, the Soviets forced him to resign as party chairman. However, he remained a member of the party's executive committee.

In 1948, Kaiser was forced to leave East Berlin and he went to West Berlin where he joined the West German Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Within the CDU he became a major rival of Konrad Adenauer, the party leader. Kaiser disagreed with Adenauer's social market economy and called for the nationalisation of key industries. Kaiser strongly believed in a neutral, united Germany, and hoped that Germany would be a bridge between the West and the East. In 1950, Kaiser was elected a vice-chairman of the West German CDU. From 1949 until 1957 he was Minister of All-German Affairs in Adenauer's cabinet.

Photograph of tombstone
Kaiser's grave in the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf

Kaiser died on 7 May 1961 in Berlin. He is buried in the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf, in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough of Berlin.

Marriages

Kaiser was married twice. In 1953, after the death of his first wife, he married his longtime colleague in trade union activism, Elfriede Kaiser-Nebgen (1890–1983). She was instrumental in helping to save his life after the failure of the 20 July Plot.

Legacy

See also

References

  1. Mayer, Tilman (2004). "Jakob Kaiser." Christliche Demokraten gegen Hitler: Aus Verfolgung und Widerstand zur Union. Ed. Buchstab, Günter; Kaff, Brigitte; Kleinmann, Hans-Otto. Freiburg, Germany: Herder, 2004. p. 324. Print. ISBN 978-3-451-20805-8
  2. Mayer, p. 325
  3. "Kaiser (Köln), Jakob". reichstag-abgeordnetendatenbank.de. Verhandlungen des Deutschen Reichstags. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  4. Mayer, p. 326
  5. Mayer, p. 325
  6. Mayer, p. 326
  7. Mayer, p. 327
  8. Mayer, p. 328
  9. Wernicke, Ingolf (2010). Berliner Friedhofsspaziergänge. Berlin: Jaron Verlag. ISBN 978-3-89773-644-3. p. 127.
  10. Schneider, Dieter. '"Elfriede Nebgen: Auf der Suche nach Synthese und Einheit" (Elfriede Nebgen: In Search of Synthesis and Unity). In Sie waren die ersten. Frauen in der Arbeiterbewegung (They were the first: Women in the labour movement), Dieter Schneider, ed. Frankfurt: Büchergilde Gutenberg, 1988, ISBN 3-7632-3436-5, pp. 269-284.

External links

Jakob Kaiser navigational boxes
Chairmen of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (DDR)
First Adenauer cabinet (1949–1953)
Second Adenauer cabinet (1953–1957)
Members of the 1st Bundestag (1949–1953)
President: Erich Köhler until 18 October 1950; Hermann Ehlers from 19 October 1950 (CDU)
CDU/CSU
CDU and CSU
Speaker: Konrad Adenauer until 21 September 1949; Heinrich von Brentano from 30 September 1949
SPD
SPD
Speaker: Kurt Schumacher until 20 August 1952; Erich Ollenhauer from 7 October 1952
FDP
FDP
Speaker: Theodor Heuss until 12 September 1949; Hermann Schäfer until 10 January 1951; August-Martin Euler until 6 May 1952; Hermann Schäfer from 6 May 1952
DP
DP
Speaker: Heinrich Hellwege until 2 November 1949; Friedrich Klinge until 21 December 1949; Hans Mühlenfeld until 15 March 1953; Hans-Joachim von Merkatz from 17 March 1953
BP
BP
Speaker: Gebhard Seelos until 25 September 1951; Hugo Decker from 25 September 1951
  • Members:
  • Aretin (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Aumer (from 8 September 1950 Non-attached)
  • Baumgartner (until 1 January 1951)
  • Besold (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Decker
  • Donhauser (from 8 September 1950 Non-attached, from 17 September 1952 CSU)
  • Eichner (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Etzel (from 14 December 1951 FU, from 3 December 1952 Non-attached (GVP))
  • Falkner (until 27 October 1950)
  • Fink (from 14 December 1951 FU, from 5 January 1952 CSU)
  • Fürstenberg (from 7 November 1950 Non-attached, from 19 January 1951 CSU)
  • Lampl (from 10 November 1950, from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Maerkl (from 1 September 1952)
  • Mayerhofer (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Meitinger (from 26 September 1951, from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Oettingen-Wallerstein (from 8 January 1951, from 14 December 1951 FU, until 1 September 1952)
  • Parzinger (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Rahn (from 14 January 1950, from 8 September 1950 Non-attached, from 17 October 1950 WAV-Gast, from 14 February 1951 CSU)
  • Seelos (until 25 September 1951)
  • Volkholz (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Wartner (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Ziegler (until 30 December 1949)
KPD
KPD
Speaker: Max Reimann
WAV
WAV
Speaker: Alfred Loritz
  • Members:
  • Bieganowski (from 21 March 1952, from 23 April 1952 DP/DPB, from 9 December 1952 Non-attached)
  • Fröhlich (from 13 October 1950 BHE/DG, from 21 March 1952 Non-attached)
  • Goetzendorff (from 29 March 1950 DRP-Gast, from 5 October 1950 Non-attached (DRP), from 29 April 1953 WAV)
  • Keller (from 24 April 1952, from 6 December 1951 DP, Non-attached)
  • Löfflad (from 6 December 1951 DP)
  • Loritz (from 6 December 1951 Non-attached, from 29 April 1953 WAV)
  • Paschek (from 29 March 1950 DRP-Gast, from 5 October 1950 Non-attached, from 30 January 1951 WAV, from 6 December 1951 DP, until 22 April 1952)
  • Reindl (from 6 December 1951 DP/DPB, from 9 December 1952 Non-attached, from 29 April 1953 WAV)
  • Schmidt (from 6 December 1951 DP/DPB, from 9 December 1952 Non-attached)
  • Schuster (from 6 December 1951 DP)
  • Tichi (from 13 October 1950 BHE/DG, from 21 March 1952 Non-attached)
  • Wallner (from 6 December 1951 DP/DPB, from 9 December 1952 Non-attached)
  • Weickert (from 13 October 1950 BHE/DG, until 16 March 1952)
  • Wittmann (from 6 December 1951 DP, from 9 May 1952 Non-attached, from 5 July 1952 CDU/CSU-Gast)
ZENTRUM
ZENTRUM
Speaker: Helene Wessel
  • Members:
  • Amelunxen (until 7 October 1949)
  • Arnold (from 14 December 1951 FU, from 9 December 1952 Non-attached (GVP))
  • Bertram (from 3 November 1949, from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Determann (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Glasmeyer (from 23 November 1951 CDU)
  • Hamacher (until 29 July 1951)
  • Hoffmann (, from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Krause (until 18 October 1950)
  • Pannenbecker (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Reismann (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Ribbeheger (from 14 December 1951 FU)
  • Wessel (from 14 December 1951 FU, from 13 November 1952 Non-attached (GVP))
  • Willenberg (from 26 October 1950, from 14 December 1951 FU)
DRP
DRP
  • Members:
  • Dorls (from 13 December 1950 WAV-Gast, from 17 January 1951 WAV, from 26 September 1951 Non-attached, am 23 October 1952 Mandatsaberkennung)
  • Frommhold (from 7 September 1949 Nationale Rechte, from 5 October 1950 Non-attached (DRP), from 26 March 1952 DP-Gast, from 11 February 1953 Non-attached)
  • Jaeger (from 29 February 1952)
  • Miessner (from 5 October 1950 FDP-Gast, from 20 December 1950 FDP)
  • Rößler (from 15 September 1949 Nationale Rechte, from 6 September 1950 Non-attached, from 13 December 1950 WAV-Gast, from 17 January 1951 WAV, from 26 September 1951 Non-attached, until 21 February 1952)
  • Thadden (from 15 September 1949 Nationale Rechte; 1950 DRP, from 20 April 1950 Non-attached)
OTHER
OTHER
  • Members:
  • Clausen (from 23 January 1952 FU-Gast, from 3 July 1953 Non-attached)
  • Edert (CDU/CSU-Gast)
  • Freudenberg (from 5 December 1952 Non-attached)
  • Ott (Non-attached, from 4 May 1950 WAV-Gast, from 13 October 1950 BHE/DG, from 21 March 1952 Non-attached, from 26 March 1952 DP/DPB-Gast, from 26 June 1952 Non-attached)
Members of the 2nd Bundestag (1953–1957)
President: Eugen Gerstenmaier (CDU)
CDU/CSU
CDU and CSU
Speaker: Heinrich von Brentano until 7 June 1955; Heinrich Krone from 15 June 1955]]
  • CVP:
  • Ruland (from 4 January 1957, from 23 May 1957 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion)
  • Schneider (from 4 January 1957, Non-attached, from 23 May 1957 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion)
SPD
SPD
Speaker: Erich Ollenhauer
FDP
FDP
Speaker: Erich Mende
  • Members:
  • Atzenroth
  • Becker
  • Berg (from 27 June 1955, from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Blank (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Blücher (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Bucher
  • Dannemann (until 1 July 1955)
  • Dehler
  • Drechsel
  • Eberhard
  • Euler (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Fassbender (from 18 November 1955 DP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Friese-Korn
  • Frühwald
  • Gaul
  • Golitschek (from 18 April 1956)
  • Graaff (from 4 July 1955)
  • Hammer
  • Held (from 13 September 1954)
  • Henn (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Hepp (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Hoffmann
  • Hübner (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Hütter (from 29 September 1955)
  • Ilk
  • Jentzsch
  • Kühn
  • Lahr (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Lenz
  • Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (from 6 June 1957 Non-attached, from 25 June 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Luchtenberg (from 18 September 1954, until 9 April 1956)
  • Lüders
  • Manteuffel (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Margulies
  • Mauk
  • Mayer (until 14 May 1956)
  • Mende
  • Middelhauve (until 10 September 1954)
  • Miessner
  • Neumayer (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Onnen
  • Pfleiderer (until 20 September 1955)
  • Preiß (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Preusker (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Rademacher
  • Reif
  • Schäfer (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Scheel
  • Schloß
  • Schneider (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Schwann
  • Stahl
  • Stammberger
  • Starke
  • Stegner (from 13 January 1954 Non-attached, from 6 February 1957 GB/BHE)
  • Weber (from 15 May 1956)
  • Wellhausen (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 23 June 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Weyer (until 17 September 1954)
  • Will
  • Wirths (until 16 June 1955)
  • DPS:
  • Schneider (from 4 January 1957, Guest of FDP-Fraktion)
  • Schwertner (from 4 January 1957, from 8 January 1957 Guest of FDP-Fraktion)
  • Wedel (from 4 January 1957, Non-attached, from 8 January 1957 Guest of FDP-Fraktion)
GB/BHE
GB/BHE
Speaker: Horst Haasler until 15 March 1955; Karl Mocker 15 March 1955 till 26 April 1956; Erwin Feller from 26 April 1956]]
  • Members:
  • Bender (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Czermak (from 14 July 1955 FDP)
  • Eckhardt (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Elsner
  • Engell
  • Feller
  • Fiedler (until 13 October 1953)
  • Finck (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Finselberger
  • Gemein
  • Gille
  • Haasler (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Keller
  • Klötzer
  • Körner (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 FDP, from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
  • Kraft (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Kunz
  • Kutschera
  • Meyer-Ronnenberg (from 20 August 1954 CDU/CSU)
  • Mocker
  • Oberländer (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Petersen
  • Reichstein
  • Samwer (from 15 October 1953, from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
  • Seiboth
  • Sornik
  • Srock
  • Strosche
DP
DP
Speaker: Hans-Joachim von Merkatz until 11 September 1955; Ernst-Christoph Brühler from 11 September 1955]]
OTHER
Independent
  • Members:
  • Böhner (Non-attached, until 8 January 1954)
  • Brockmann (Non-attached)
  • Heix (from 23 September 1953 CDU/CSU)
  • Rösing (from 14 January 1954, Non-attached, from 25 June 1954 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 6 June 1955 CDU/CSU)
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