Karl Friedrich Zörgiebel (September 30, 1878 – March 14, 1961) was a German politician of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...

(SPD), who served as a Reichstag deputy and ''Polizeipräsident'' (Chief of Police) of multiple major German cities, during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

. He is known for his involvement with the

Blutmai ''Blutmai'' (, ) was an outbreak of political violence that occurred in Berlin from 1 to 3 May 1929. It occurred when the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) held May Day marches in defiance of a ban on public gatherings in Berlin ordered by the ...

(Blood Mai), a violent crackdown of

Labour Day Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its labor rights, achievements. It has its origins in the trade union, labour union movement, specifically the Eight-hour day movement, eight-hour day movement, which advoca ...

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

demonstrators, in which over 30 deaths were reported, among them innocent pedestrians.

Life

Karl Zörgiebel was born on September 30, 1878, in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

. After completing his education, he apprenticed as a cooper. Zörgiebel completed his mandatory military service between 1897 and 1900. During this time, he served in the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

, including aboard the SMS ''Kaiserin Augusta''''.'' In 1900, Zörgiebel joined a trade union, and by 1907 was a director at the Union of Coopers, Cellar Managers, and Helpers in Germany. Meanwhile, he had joined the

in 1901. With the outbreak of 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 ...

, Zörgiebel returned to serve in the navy from 1914 to 1917. During the

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, Zörgiebel was a member of the Cologne

workers' and soldiers' council A workers' council, also called labour council, is a type of council in a workplace or a locality made up of workers or of temporary and instantly revocable delegates elected by the workers in a locality's workplaces. In such a system of poli ...

. Between 1919 and 1921, he was a member of the Prussian constitutional convention (''Preußische Landesversamlung''). In

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

Zörgiebel was elected to the Reichstag as a representative of the

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

constituency. In September 1922 Zörgiebel became police chief of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, a position he would hold until October 1926, when he was appointed police chief of

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 ...

. would succeed him as police chief of Cologne. Zörgiebel's tenure as police chief of Berlin was marked by the events of

. On March 21, 1929, Zörgiebel had ordered a ban on

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Protest, a public act of objection, disapproval or d ...

, in anticipation of clashes on

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...

. Despite the ban, tens of thousands of people attended a May Day demonstration organized by the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (, ; KPD ) was a major Far-left politics, far-left political party in the Weimar Republic during the interwar period, German resistance to Nazism, underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and minor party ...

(KPD) on May 1, 1929. On the orders of Zörgiebel and Prussian Interior Minister

Albert Grzesinski Albert Carl Grzesinski (28 July 1879 – 12 January 1948) was a German SPD politician and Minister of the Interior of Prussia from 1926 to 1930. Biography Grzesinski was born Albert Lehmann in Treptow an der Tollense, Germany, the illegitimate ...

Berlin Police The Berlin Police (; formerly , ) is the force for the city-state of Berlin, Germany. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state () agencies. The Berlin Police is headed by the ('Chief of Police'), Dr. Barbara Slowik. ...

took an aggressive approach to the demonstration which resulted in the deaths of many protesters and uninvolved local residents. Clashes and strikes would continue into May 2nd and May 3rd. On May 3, 1929, the

Roter Frontkämpferbund The (, translated as "Alliance of Red Front-Fighters" or "Red Front Fighters' League"), usually called the (RFB), was a far-left paramilitary organization affiliated with the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) during the Weimar Republic. A lega ...

was banned, a ban which would extend to all of Germany on May 14. From May 3rd to May 6th, Zörgiebel implemented

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

in the Berlin districts of

Wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

and

Neukölln Neukölln (), officially abbreviated Neuk, is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located south-east of Berlin's center and stretches from the inner city southward to the border with Brandenburg, encompassing the eponymous quarter of Neu ...

. The events of Blutmai had significant political aftershocks. Instances of

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...

against uninvolved bystanders drew condemnation from the liberal newspapers which would otherwise have opposed the communist-led demonstrations. Zörgiebel was also denounced by members of the Reichstag such as

Paul Frölich Paul Frölich (7 August 1884 – 16 March 1953) was a German journalist and author. As a left-wing political activist, he was a founding member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and founder of the party's paper, ''Die Rote Fahne''. A KPD de ...

and

Wilhelm Pieck Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck (; 3 January 1876 – 7 September 1960) was a German communist politician who served as the Leadership of East Germany, chairman of the Socialist Unity Party from 1946 to 1950 and as the only president of the Ger ...

. The newspaper

Vorwärts ( ; "Forward") is a newspaper published by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Founded in 1876, it was the central organ of the SPD for many decades. Following the party's Halle Congress (1891), it was published daily as the success ...

, published by the

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...

(of which Zörgiebel was a prominent member) initially claimed that only 23 protesters had died, and blamed 'communist agitation' for the deaths. Blutmai is considered by historians as one of the events which forestalled the possibility of cooperation between the SPD and KPD against the rising

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 ...

. In November 1930, Zörgiebel went into temporary retirement, with

taking over as Berlin chief of police. On December 6, 1931, Zörgiebel came out of retirement to become police chief of

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

, following the death of . He was one of the few members of the SPD that was not removed from government posts following the

1932 Prussian coup d'état The 1932 Prussian coup d'état or (; ) took place on 20 July 1932, when Reich President Paul von Hindenburg, at the request of Franz von Papen, then Reich Chancellor of Germany, replaced the legal government of the Free State of Prussia wi ...

. When the Nazi Party seized power in 1933, Zörgiebel was dismissed from his position as police chief of Dortmund. Later that year, he was arrested and imprisoned at the Brauweiler Abbey. Zörgiebel was released four months later, and moved to

. There he remained under

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

surveillance, and his passport was revoked in 1937. Following 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 ...

, he became state police chief of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

from 1947 to 1949, retiring on July 16, 1949. Zörgiebel died in Mainz on March 14, 1961.

In popular culture

In the 2017 German television series ''

Babylon Berlin ''Babylon Berlin'' is a German neo-noir television series. Created, written, and directed by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Hendrik Handloegten, it is loosely based on novels by Volker Kutscher. The series premiered on 13 October 2017 o ...

,'' Karl Zörgiebel is portrayed by

Thomas Thieme Thomas Thieme (born 29 October 1948) is a German actor. He is considered to be a prolific stage actor and also appeared in more than 100 film and television productions since 1973. In his film and television appearances, Thieme often plays powe ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zorgiebel, Karl 1961 deaths 1878 births Politicians from Mainz Politicians from Cologne Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I People of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Members of the Reichstag 1920–1924 Members of the Landtag of Prussia Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Prisoners of Nazi concentration camps Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany