Julius Christian Mergenthaler (8 November 1884 – 11 September 1980) was a German

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

politician who served as the '' Ministerpräsident'' and culture minister of

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

for nearly the entire duration of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. He served as a deputy in the

Landtag A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...

'' for nine years, and in the '' Reichstag'' for one term. He was also a member of the Nazi

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

organization, the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...

'' (SA), and rose to the rank of SA-''

Obergruppenführer (, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...

''. After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

denazification Denazification () was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Par ...

proceedings judged him to be a major offender and he was interned for four years.

Early life

Mergenthaler was born in the town of Waiblingen in

, the son of a baker. He attended the local ''

Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' () generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primar ...

'' between 1894 and 1898 and then graduated from the '' Gymnasium'' in

Bad Cannstatt Bad Cannstatt (), also called Cannstatt (until July 23, 1933) or Kannstadt (until 1900), is one of the outer Stadtbezirke, or city boroughs, of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Bad Cannstatt is the oldest and most populous of Stuttgart' ...

in 1902. After studying mathematics and physics at the Technical University of Stuttgart,

Tübingen University Tübingen (; ) is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in three of the 90,000 people ...

and the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

, he passed the first service examination for secondary school teachers in 1907. He performed mandatory military service as a

one-year volunteer A one-year volunteer, short EF (German language, de: ''Einjährig-Freiwilliger''), was, in a number of national armed forces, a Conscription, conscript who agreed to pay his own costs for the procurement of equipment, food and clothing, in return ...

between 1908 and 1909 with the 13th (Hohenzollern) Foot Artillery Regiment, headquartered in

Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...

. He then passed the second state examination in 1911, and was employed as a senior teacher in the grammar and high schools in

Leonberg Leonberg (; ) is a town in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg about to the west of Stuttgart, the state capital. About 45,000 people live in Leonberg, making it the third-largest borough in the rural district () of Böblingen (afte ...

. He returned to military service during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

commander in the 24th Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment, much of that time at the front. After the end of the war, he left the army with the rank of ''

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

'' of reserves. In 1920, Mergenthaler became a ''Gymnasium'' professor in the town of

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the N ...

. A conservative

German nationalist German nationalism () is an ideological notion that promotes the unity of Germans and of the Germanosphere into one unified nation-state. German nationalism also emphasizes and takes pride in the patriotism and national identity of Germans a ...

, with an

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

character, his radicalized war experience and sense of post-war social outrage led him to embrace extreme right-wing politics. He co-founded the local chapter of the

in Schwäbisch Hall in 1922, and became heavily engaged in

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

activities as a public speaker. After the Party was banned in 1923 following the failed

Beer Hall Putsch The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,Dan Moorhouse, ed schoolshistory.org.uk, accessed 2008-05-31.Known in German as the or was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and other leaders i ...

, he joined the National Socialist Freedom Party (NSFP), a Nazi

front organization A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, secret societies, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy ...

. In May 1924, he was elected as a member of the Völkisch-Social Bloc (VSB) electoral alliance to a seat in the

'' (state parliament), which he would hold until 1928, and again from 1929 until the dissolution of that body by the Nazis in October 1933. He also won a seat in the '' Reichstag'' from electoral constituency 31 (Württemberg) but only served there until the next election in November 1924. When the ban on the Nazis expired in 1925, the NSFP and the VSB were dissolved and many of its members rejoined the Nazi Party. Mergenthaler hesitated to do so until 1927 because he thought

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's dictatorial style was harmful to the cause. In a 1928 struggle for the key position of Party ''

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...

'', Mergenthaler was outflanked by Wilhelm Murr, which resulted in a long-term rivalry between them with Mergenthaler holding the much less educated Murr in contempt. From 1929 to 1932, as the only Nazi Party deputy in the ''Landtag'', he aggressively pursued the Party's goals.

Career in Nazi Germany

At the 24 April state parliamentary election, the Nazis became the largest party in the Württemberg ''Landtag'' with 23 deputies, and Mergenthaler was elected president of that body.''Landtagswahlen Volksstaat Württemberg''
in Valentin Schröder: ''Wahlen in Deutschland'' Following the national

Nazi seizure of power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...

in January 1933, Mergenthaler left his post as president of the parliament and was named Justice Minister and Culture Minister in the Württemberg cabinet formed by State President Murr on 15 March 1933. However, on 5 May, Hitler elevated Murr to the newly created position of Württemberg ''

Reichsstatthalter The ''Reichsstatthalter'' (, ''Reich lieutenant'') was a title used in the German Empire and later in Nazi Germany. ''Statthalter des Reiches'' (1879–1918) The office of ''Statthalter des Reiches'' (otherwise known as ''Reichsstatthalter'' ...

'' (Reich Governor), and Mergenthaler succeeded him as head of the cabinet with the new title of '' Ministerpräsident'', while also retaining the portfolio of Culture Minister.Ernst Klee: ''Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945'', Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt-am-Main, 2007, p. 44, . Mergenthaler, since 1927, was also a long-serving member in the Party's

organization, the

(SA), and he attained the rank of SA-''

'' in November 1938. He always wore his SA uniform at public events. Clearly overshadowed by Murr, who held the highest Party and governmental posts, Mergenthaler nonetheless remained influential in his position as culture minister. His tenure in this post saw the creation of a new college for primary school teachers, the building of schools for gifted elementary students in rural areas and the expansion of vocational training. These seemingly progressive reforms were accompanied by a strict enforcement of Nazism in school management. He ruthlessly pursued teachers and principals who did not follow Nazi ideology, either transferring or removing them from their jobs. Young teachers were under particularly massive pressure to join the Nazi Party. Mergenthaler also led a fierce "ideological struggle" with the Church, especially the

Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg () is a Lutheran member church of the Protestant Church in Germany in the German former state of Württemberg, now part of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The seat of the church is in Stuttgart. It ...

and its bishop, Theophil Wurm. For this, he specifically used the schools as a weapon. Mergenthaler intervened in parochial schools and banned teaching of parts of the Bible that he thought contrary to the "moral sense of the Germanic race", cut State contributions to the churches, forbade pastors who had not pledged allegiance to Hitler and, in 1939, finally ordered the introduction of a Nazi-tinged "Intuitive World Curriculum" in place of all religious education. His harsh crackdown created confusion and discord, hurting his cause more than helping it. At the local level, his actions led to bitter conflicts between the Church, the Nazi Party and the school bureaucracy which alienated the devout population of Württemberg. His most extreme measures were even curtailed by ''

'' Murr and the national Nazi government.

Post-war life

During the

, the Württemberg capital,

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, fell to the French Liberation Army on 21 April 1945. Mergenthaler fled but was located and arrested. From 1945 to 1949, he was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

Balingen Balingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Balenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the districts of Germany, district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located near the Swabian Jura, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35&nb ...

, a French internment facility established at a subcamp of the former Nazi

Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp Natzweiler-Struthof was a Nazi concentration camp located in the Vosges Mountains close to the villages of Natzwiller, Natzweiler and Struthof in the Gau Baden-Alsace of Nazi Germany, Germany, on territory Annexation, annexed from France on a b ...

. In his 1948

trial, Mergenthaler was judged to be a ''Hauptschuldiger'' (major offender) and he did not appeal this verdict. After release, he secluded himself in his house in Korntal and was no longer seen in public. In 1951, he received a living allowance and, after being pardoned in 1953, a full teacher's pension. He moved to

Bad Dürrheim Bad Dürrheim (Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Diirä'') is a town in the district of Schwarzwald-Baar, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated east of the Black Forest, north of Donaueschingen, and southeast of Villingen-Schwenni ...

in 1977 where he died in September 1980.

References

Sources

* * Rudolf Kieß: "Christian Mergenthaler. Württembergischer Kultminister 1933-1945", in: ''Zeitschrift für Württembergische Landesgeschichte 54'' (1995), p. 281-332. * Rudolf Kieß: "Mergenthaler, Christian Julius, Physik- und Mathematiklehrer an höheren Schulen, MdL, MdR - NSDAP, Württembergischer Ministerpräsident und Kultminister", in: Bernd Ottnad (ed.): ''Baden-Württembergische Biographien, Vol. 2'', Stuttgart 1999, p. 317-320. * Rudolf Kieß: "Christian Mergenthaler (1884-1980)", in: R. Lächele, J. Thierfelder (eds.): ''Wir konnten uns nicht entziehen. Dreißig Porträts zu Kirche und Nationalsozialismus in Württemberg'', Stuttgart 1998, p. 159-174. * Ernst Klee: ''Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945'', Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt-am-Main, 2007, p. 44. . * Michael D. Miller & Andreas Schulz: ''Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925–1945, Volume 2 (Georg Joel - Dr. Bernhard Rust)'', R. James Bender Publishing, 2017, . * Frank Raberg: ''Biographisches Handbuch der württembergischen Landtagsabgeordneten 1815–1933''. (Kohlhammer: Stuttgart, 2001) , p. 562. * Martin Schumacher, Katharina Lübbe, Wilhelm Heinz Schröder: ''Members of the Weimar Republic in the Nazi Reichstag Parliament 1933-1945. A Biographical Documentary.'' 3rd Edition (Düsseldorf: Droste, 1994) . * Erich Stockhorst: ''5000 heads - Who Was Who in the Third Reich'' (Kiel: Arndt, 2000), p. 291. . * Michael Stolle: "Der schwäbische Schulmeister Christian Mergenthaler, Württembergischer Ministerpräsident, Justiz- und Kulturminister," in: M. Kießener, J. Scholtyseck (eds.): ''Die Führer der Provinz. NS-Biographien aus Baden und Württemberg'', p. 445-477.

External links

Denazification Denazification () was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Par ...