Count Christian von Krockow (26 May 1927 – 17 March 2002), writing in German as Christian Graf von Krockow, was a German

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. Count Christian von Krockow was born in Rumbske (Rumsko) near the city of Stolp (Słupsk), Poland, the scion of a historic Pomeranian noble family. In 1945, as the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

advanced into the Province of Pomerania, he became a refugee and fled to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. Between 1947 and 1954, Krockow studied sociology, philosophy, and law at the universities of

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

, in Germany, where he earned his doctoral degree, and

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

, in England. Between 1961 and 1969 he was a professor of political science at the universities of Göttingen,

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...

, and

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Between 1970 and 1973, he served as a founding regent of the

University of Oldenburg The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg () is a university located in Oldenburg, Germany. History The first teachers training was held in Oldenburg as early as 1793, launched by Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig. A garden seminar for te ...

, which in 1995 named him an honorary professor. He was named professor emeritus by the University of Göttingen in 1981. After resigning from his tenured position, he moved to Nikolausberg near

, where he made a name and a living as an independent writer and speaker. He also worked as speechwriter and political advisor to Chancellor

Helmut Schmidt Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (; 23 December 1918 – 10 November 2015) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. He was the longest ...

and the

Dutch royal family The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...

. Towards the end of his life, he moved to

, where he continued to publish books and articles, albeit living in near seclusion. Krockow received several German literary prizes. His biographies of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

, Kaiser

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, and the resistance fighter

Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of Oper ...

, who attempted to assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944, won wide readership. His book ''Stunde der Frauen'' (Hour of the Women), which he wrote with his sister Libussa Fritz-Krockow, describes her ordeal fleeing Pomerania in 1945. When Germany collapsed, it was the hour of the

German women The roles of German women have changed throughout history, as the culture and society in which they lived had undergone various transformations. Historically, as well as presently, the situation of women differed between German regions, notabl ...

, who rebuilt Germany from its ruins. The book remained a national bestseller for almost a decade and ushered in a period in which Germans began to rethink the immediate post-war period and come to terms with the loss of Pomerania,

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

, and

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. The book was translated into Polish, French, English, and Japanese. Krockow died on 13 March 2002 in Hamburg, aged 74. He was buried at

Ohlsdorf cemetery Ohlsdorf Cemetery ( or (former) ) in the Ohlsdorf, Hamburg, Ohlsdorf quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany, is the biggest rural cemetery in the world and the fourth-largest cemetery in the world. Most of the people buried at the cemetery are c ...

in Ohlsdorf. Of his native region, lost to Germany with the border changes of 1945 and the

Expulsion of Germans after World War II Expulsion or expelled may refer to: General * Deportation * Ejection (sports) * Eviction * Exile * Expeller pressing * Expulsion (education) * Expulsion from the United States Congress * Extradition * Forced migration * Ostracism * Pers ...

, Krockow wrote: :— Christian Graf von Krockow: ''Die Reise nach Pommern: Bericht aus einem verschwiegenen Land''. :Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich, 1985. . Page 215.

Bibliography

* ''Begegnung mit Ostpreußen'' (Familiarity with East Prussia) * ''Otto von Bismarck'' Biography (1997) * ''Churchill'' Biography (1999) * ''Hitler und seine Deutschen'' Biography & national history (2001) * ''Der deutsche Niedergang. Ein Ausblick ins 21. Jahrhundert'' (The German Collapse: A view into the 21st Century) (1998) * ''Die Elbreise'' (Journey on the Elbe) * ''Erinnerungen'' (Memoirs) * ''Fahrten durch die Mark Brandenburg'' (Travels through Brandenburg) (1991) * ''Die Entscheidung. Eine Untersuchung über Ernst Jünger, Carl Schmitt, Martin Heidegger'' (1990) * ''Die Deutschen in ihrem Jahrhundert'' (The Germans in this Century) (1989) * ''Die Stunde der Frauen'' (The Hour of the Women) (1988) * ''Die preußischen Brüder'' (The Prussian Brothers) * ''Die Reise nach Pommern'' (Journey to Pomerania) (1985) * ''Die Rheinreise'' (Journey on the Rhine) * ''Rheinsberg'' * ''Vom lohnenden Leben'' (On Worthwhile Life) * ''Über die Deutschen'' (On the Germans)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krockow, Christian Graf von 1927 births 2002 deaths People from Słupsk County Counts in Germany People from the Province of Pomerania University of Göttingen alumni Academic staff of the University of Göttingen Academic staff of Goethe University Frankfurt Academic staff of Saarland University Academic staff of the University of Oldenburg Alumni of Durham University German male writers German refugees Von Krockow family Burials at the Ohlsdorf Cemetery German expatriates in the United Kingdom 20th-century German political scientists