Ewald Latacz (born 24 June 1885 in Kattowitz (
Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
); died 12 February 1953 in
Frankfurt am Main
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 ...
) was a
Silesian politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. He practiced as a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
in
Racibórz
Racibórz (, , , ) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County.
With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being the residence of the Duchy of Racibórz, Du ...
since 1913, and as a civil law notary since 1919. He also co-founded the
Union of Upper Silesians
The Union of Upper Silesians (; ; Silesian: ''Ferajn Gůrnoślůnzokůw'') was an early 20th-century movement for the independence of Upper Silesia.
The movement had its genesis during the revolutions of 1848. Allied with the Silesian People's P ...
, a movement dedicated to independence of
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
, in 1918.
He was active in the workers rights movement acting as a chairman of the Workers' Council in
Wodzisław Śląski
Wodzisław Śląski (; , , , , ) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 47,992 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Wodzisław County.
It was previously in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998); close to the border with the Czech ...
, and in the independence movement of
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
. He co-founded the
Union of Upper Silesians
The Union of Upper Silesians (; ; Silesian: ''Ferajn Gůrnoślůnzokůw'') was an early 20th-century movement for the independence of Upper Silesia.
The movement had its genesis during the revolutions of 1848. Allied with the Silesian People's P ...
in 1919. Latacz was a
political prisoner
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...
from January to Spring 1919.
He was accused by German authorities of
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...
. After his release, he became a civil law notary and lawyer in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
during 1922–1945, specialising in work with oil companies in the period 1922–1939.
A member of the
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 ...
since 1933, Latacz joined three months after
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 ...
came to power. Latacz was also a member of the ''Nazi Union of German Lawyers'' until the end of the
Second World War. In 1940, he applied for, but failed to receive, the permission of Nazi German judicial authorities of Silesian Province to open a law office in Upper Silesia.
Latacz never returned to Upper Silesia, which was undergoing the
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 ...
process in the
Soviet occupation
During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...
zone in 1945.
See also
*
Joseph Musiol
*
Silesian People's Party
The Silesian People’s Party (, , , ) was a political organization in Cieszyn Silesia that existed from 1909 to 1938 in Austrian Silesia, which later became international plebiscite territory and finally part of Czechoslovakia. The party includ ...
*
Józef Kożdoń
*
Theofil Kupka
Theofil Kupka (Teofil/Theophil Kupka) (born 22 August 1885 in Marklowitz/Marklowice – died 20 November 1920 in Beuthen/Bytom) was a Silesian politician.
Biography
Kupka's childhood was spent in Marklowitz (Marklowice), where he and his ...
*
Silesian Autonomy Movement
The Silesian Autonomy Movement (, , ), abbreviated as RAŚ, is a movement that seeks the restoration of Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939), interwar Silesian autonomy - including a separate Silesian Treasury, a Silesian Parliament, as well as a S ...
Sources
* Stefan Pioskowik, Ewald Latacz (1885-1953). Ein Politiker in der Abstimmungzeit, Confinium – materiały do historii Górnego Śląska, 2/2007.
* Oberschlesier, rettet Eucht selbst! Eine Streitschrift für ein freies und unteilbares Oberschlesien von Dr. Latacz – Geschäftsleiter des Bundes der Oberschlesier, Beuthen O/S 1921.
* Rudolf Vogel, Deutsche Presse und Propaganda des Abstimmungkampfes in Oberschlesien, Beuthen O.S. 1931.
* Edmund Klein, Miarodajne czynniki niemieckie a sprawa Górnego Śląska w grudniu 1918 roku, „Studia Śląskie” tom XIII, Opole 1968.
* Edmund Klein, Niemieckie plany separatystyczne na Śląsku w listopadzie i grudniu 1918, Prawo XXXIV, Wrocław 1971.
* Edmund Klein, Konferencja górnośląskich rad robotniczych i żołnierskich 22 listopada 1918 roku w Gliwicach (Podróż Hugona Haasego na Górny Śląsk), „Studia Śląskie” tom 23, Opole 1973.
* Edmund Klein, Niemieckie separatystyczne koncepcje na Śląsku w okresie konferencji wersalskiej, „Studia Śląskie” tom XXXV, Opole 1979.
* Piotr Dobrowolski, Ugrupowania i kierunki separatystyczne na Górnym Śląsku i w Cieszyńskiem w latach 1918–1939, Warszawa – Kraków 1972.
* Guido Hitze, Carl Ulitzka (1873-1953) oder Oberschlesien zwischen den Weltkriegen, Düsseldorf 2002.
* Andrea Schmidt-Rösler, Autonomie und Separatismusbestrebungen in Oberschlesien 1918–1922, „Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa” Forschung 1, 1999
{{DEFAULTSORT:Latacz, Ewald
1885 births
1953 deaths
Lawyers in the Nazi Party
Politicians from Katowice
Upper Silesian independence activists