Hugo Sinzheimer (12 April 1875 – 16 September 1945) was a German legal scholar, and author of the
Weimar Constitution. He was a leading proponent of the concept of
social law.
Biography
Sinzheimer was one of the first academics specialising in
labour law; he published an introduction to this field (''Der korporative Arbeitsnormenvertrag'') in 1907. He was one of the members of the
Weimar National Assembly
The Weimar National Assembly (German: ), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly (), was the popularly elected constitutional convention and de facto parliament of Germany from 6 February 1919 to 21 May 1920. As part of its ...
, which promulgated the
Weimar Constitution. As a major influence on the drafting of the labour law section of the constitution, he is considered to be "the father of labour law" in Germany. He was inspired by the ideals of the dignity and liberty of every human being, and was a
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "human ...
in the widest sense of the word.
As a lawyer, he frequently represented political and union-related groups. He joined the
Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1914. From 1920 onward, he was professor of labour law and
sociology of law
The sociology of law (legal sociology, or law and society) is often described as a sub-discipline of sociology or an interdisciplinary approach within legal studies. Some see sociology of law as belonging "necessarily" to the field of sociology, ...
at
Frankfurt University
Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...
.
In 1933, Sinzheimer, who was Jewish, was forced to emigrate to the
Netherlands. In 1940 he was captured and taken to the
Theresienstadt concentration camp for four months. He managed to secure release, and had to return to hiding in the
attic of friends in the Netherlands. After the liberation of the Netherlands in May 1945 he was exhausted and severely malnourished. He did not recover from his poor health and died several months later in September 1945.
Legacy
The Sinzheimer Institute of the
University of Amsterdam's Law Department is named after him in his honour.
There is a moot court competition named after Sinzheimer. 13 European universities compete in an annual case competition - the Hugo Sinzheimer Moot Court Competition. The Moot Court Competition is a competition in European Labour Law for law students across Europe.
Archival material relating to Hugo Sinzheimer's professional activity as a labour lawyer and professor is held by the Leo Baeck Institute in New York.
A more extended biography is to be found at the Sinzheimer Repository website
A complete list of Hugo Sinzheimer's publications is to be found at the Sinzheimer Repository website
Publications
*''Lohn und Aufrechnung. Ein Beitrag zur Lehre vom gewerblichen Arbeitsvertrag auf reichsrechtlicher Grundlage'' (Diss. Univ. Heidelberg, Berlin 1902)
*''Der korporative Arbeitsnormenvertrag'' (1907)
*''Brauchen wir ein Arbeitstarifgesetz? Rechtsfragen des Tarifvertrags'' (1913)
*''Ein Arbeitstarifgesetz. Die Idee der sozialen Selbstbestimmung im Recht'' (1916)
*''Grundzüge des Arbeitsrechts'' (1921)
*''Der Kampf um das neue Arbeitsrecht'' (1924
Die Arbeit*''Das Problem des Menschen im Recht'' (1933)
*''Jüdische Klassiker der deutschen Rechtswissenschaft'' (1938).
*''Theorie der Gesetzgebung. Die Idee der Evolution im Recht'' (1949 postum)
*
Otto Kahn-Freund und Thilo Ramm, ''Arbeitsrecht und Rechtsoziologie. Gesammelte Aufsätze und Reden'' (Europäische Verlagsanstalt 1976) 2 volumes
See also
*
European labour law
European labour law regulates basic transnational standards of employment and partnership at work in the European Union and countries adhering to the European Convention on Human Rights. In setting regulatory floors to competition for job-creatin ...
*
German labour law
*
United Kingdom labour law
References
Further reading
*
External links
www.sinzheimer.netHugo Sinzheimer Institute for Labour Law website
based in Frankfurt (est 2010)
University of Amsterdam, Department of Law's Sinzheimer Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinzheimer, Hugo
1875 births
1945 deaths
People from Worms, Germany
People from Rhenish Hesse
Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians
Members of the Weimar National Assembly
Jurists from Hesse
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the Netherlands