Georg Ludwig Rudolf Maercker (21 September 1865 – 31 December 1924) was a German general who served during

World War I 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 ...

. Following the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

of 1918 that saw the end of fighting and of the

Bolshevik revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

that led to the creation of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, there were many examples of disturbances throughout

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Maercker suggested the formation of ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...

'' (Free Corps) to suppress these and a number of formations formed themselves, usually around individual army officers. After leaving the ''Freikorps'', Maercker became active in '' Der Stahlhelm'' group and was the president of the Saxony chapter. In 1924, Maercker together with Theodor Duesterberg was a leader of the anti-Semitic fraction within the ''Stahhelm'' who wanted an "Aryan clause" that would ban Jews from joining the ''Stahlhelm'' and expel the current Jewish members. In March 1924, Maercker and Duesterberg got their way and forced Franz Seldte to adopt the "Aryan clause" and expel all Jews from the ''Stahlhelm''.Wette, Wolfram ''The Wehrmacht'', Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006 pages 63-64.

References

1865 births 1924 deaths Major generals of Prussia German Army generals of World War I 20th-century Freikorps personnel People from Szczecinek County People from the Weimar Republic Military personnel from West Prussia Major generals of the Reichswehr Schutztruppe personnel Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) {{Germany-mil-bio-stub Antisemitism in Germany Stahlhelm members Herero and Nama genocide perpetrators