Rudolf Wissell (8 March 1869 – 13 December 1962) was a German politician in 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). 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 held office as the Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister for Labour.
Early life
Rudolf Wissell was born on 8 March 1869 in
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 the
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946.
During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...
. His father was Ludwig Wissel, a helmsman, his mother was Ulrike, née Klimmet. He went to school in
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
from 1876-83. In 1883, he started an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer. Finishing in 1887, Wissell started to work at a machine builder in Bremen.).
In 1888, Wissel became a member of the (still illegal) SPD and chairman of the ''Fachverein der Schlosser und Maschinenbauer'' (a union). In 1890, he brought the ''Fachverein'' into the newly founded ''
Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband''. From 1891-3, he served in a Prussian
Grenadier
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...
regiment stationed in
Posen. Following military service, Wissell worked as a lathe operator at
Kiel
Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
and for the ''Metallarbeiter-Verband'' from 1893-1901. He also attended courses in law. In 1901, Wissell he became a full-time union functionary as ''Arbeitersekretär'' of the unions at
Lübeck
Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
.
Political career
Involving himself in social policy, he was a member of the ''Bürgerschaft'', Lübeck's city parliament, from 1905-8. In 1908, he joined the ''
Generalkommission der Gewerkschaften'' (the central workers' secretariat of trade unions) 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 ...
, later becoming head of its social policy department.
In 1916-8, Wissell worked part-time in the SPD newspaper , as editor for social policy issues.
In March 1918, Wissel was elected to the
Reichstag for the electoral district Niederbarnim/"Potsdam 6"; where he belonged to the party's right wing. In 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 ...
, Wissell became ''Zweiter Vorsitzender'' (deputy chairman) of the ''Generalkommission'' where he opposed the formation of a
government based on workers' and soldiers' councils and argued for an agreement with employers. He supported the foundation of the ''
Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund'' (ADG).
One result of his arguments was the conclusion of the
Stinnes-Legien Agreement, which meant that the employer's associations for the first time recognised the trade unions as the representatives of the workers.
On 28 December 1918, the three representatives of the
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of anti-war members of t ...
(USPD) withdrew from the
Council of the People's Deputies
The Council of the People's Deputies (German: , sometimes translated as "Council of People's Representatives" or "Council of People's Commissars") was the provisional government of Germany during the first part of the German Revolution, from 10 N ...
, the de facto government of Germany, and Wissell along with
Gustav Noske became members.
Weimar Republic
In January 1919, Wissel was elected for the SPD to the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
. One and a half years later, in June 1920, he was elected to the first
Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. He was re-elected seven times from 1924 to 1933, and was a member of the German parliament for almost exactly 13 years, from June 1920 to June 1933.
Apart from his work as a member of the Reichstag, Wissell filled various high public offices in the 1920s. From February to July 1919, he was the first ''Reichswirtschaftsminister'' (Minister for Economic Affairs) of the republic. In this function in the cabinets of
Philipp Scheidemann
Philipp Heinrich Scheidemann (26 July 1865 – 29 November 1939) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). In the first quarter of the 20th century he played a leading role in both his party and in the young Weimar ...
and
Gustav Bauer
Gustav Adolf Bauer (; 6 January 1870 – 16 September 1944) was a German Social Democratic Party leader and the chancellor of Germany from June 1919 to March 1920. Prior to that, he was minister of labour in the last cabinet of the German Empi ...
, he opposed the left-wing councils and worked towards a socially controlled economy for the benefit of the community. When he was unable to convince his party and the government of the merits of this plan, he resigned.
From 1928 to 1930, as Minister of Labour he belonged to the ''Kabinett der Persönlichkeiten'' (
Cabinet of Personalities) under
Hermann Müller. In this position, he opposed all strikes to help overcome the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
.
As a politician engaged in social policy, Wissell was a member of the executive committee of the ADG from 1919 to 1924. From 1924 to 1932, he was also an arbitrator in pay negotiations in Berlin and Brandenburg. In 1929, he received an honorary doctorate from the
University of Kiel
Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsator ...
due to his public service.
Nazi Germany
The important parliamentary activities that Wissell participated in during his time in the Reichstag included the vote on the
Enabling Act
An enabling act is a piece of legislation by which a legislative body grants an entity which depends on it (for authorization or legitimacy) for the delegation of the legislative body's power to take certain actions. For example, enabling act ...
in March 1933: here, he was one of 94 members who voted against the law that created the legal foundations for the Nazi dictatorship. It was passed by 444 votes to 94.
After the Nazis' rise to power in early 1933, Wissell was expelled from public life, being a prominent Social Democrat. His Reichstag membership was revoked in June 1933. He was also placed under arrest for two months and was under police supervision for another two years. Retired, he then lived a withdrawn life in Berlin until 1945.
After 1945, Wissell worked on rebuilding the SPD in Berlin. He clearly rejected a unification of the SPD and 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). In the last years of his life, he received many different honours: in 1949 he became an honorary citizen of Berlin and in 1954 received the ''
Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz'' (Great Cross of Merit).
Death and remembrance
Wissell died in West Berlin on 13 December 1962.
He was buried in a
grave of honour of the
Berlin Senate at the
Holy Cross Cemetery, Berlin-Mariendorf.
Ehrengrabstätten des Landes Berlin
(PDF; 566 kB) Stand: September 2009
Today, his name is carried by the ' between Charlottenburg und Charlottenburg-Nord, at 960 meters the longest road bridge of Berlin, as well as the ''Rudolf-Wissell-Siedlung'' (Rudolf Wissell Settlement) in Staaken
Staaken () is a locality at the western rim of Berlin within the borough of Spandau.
History
First mentioned in a 1273 deed as ''Stakene'' (from Middle Low German: ''staken'', "stakes") in the Mittelmark region of the Margraviate of Brandenbur ...
, built in the 1970s, and the ''Rudolf-Wissell-Grundschule'' (Rudolf Wissell Primary School) in Gesundbrunnen.
References
External links
Entry in Reichstag members database (German)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wissell, Rudolf
1869 births
1962 deaths
Politicians from Göttingen
Politicians from the Province of Hanover
Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians
Members of the Council of the People's Deputies
Economy ministers of Germany
Ministers of labor of Germany
Members of the 13th Reichstag of the German Empire
Members of the Weimar National Assembly
Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic
Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany