View source for Franz Seldte

{{Short description|Leader of Stahlhelm from 1920 to 1935}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2008}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Franz Seldte
| image               = FranzSeldte1933.jpeg
| caption             = Seldte in 1933
| office              = [[Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs|Reich Minister for Labour]]
| term_start          = 30 January 1933
| term_end            = 23 May 1945<br><small>(with an interruption from 30 April to 5 May 1945)</small>
| president           = {{Unbulleted list|[[Paul von Hindenburg]]<br/>(1933–1934)|[[Adolf Hitler]] (1934–1945;<br/>as ''[[Führer]]'')|[[Karl Dönitz]] (1945)}}
| chancellor          = {{Unbulleted list|[[Adolf Hitler]] (1934–1945)|[[Joseph Goebbels]] (1945)|[[Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk]] (1945; as Leading Minister)}}
| predecessor         = [[Friedrich Syrup]]
| successor           = [[Theo Hupfauer]] (between 30 April and 5 May 1945)
| title2              = Federal Leader of the ''Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher frontkämpfer-Bund'' (''Stahlhelm'')
| term_start2         = 28 March 1934
| term_end2           = 7 November 1935
| title3              = Federal Leader of ''[[Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten|Der Stahlhelm]]''
| term_start3         = 25 December 1918
| term_end3           = 28 March 1934
| deputy3             = [[Theodor Duesterberg]] 
| predecessor3        = ''Position established''
| successor3          = ''Position abolished''
| title4              = Additional positions
| suboffice4          = Member of the [[Reichstag (Nazi Germany)|Greater German Reichstag]]
| subterm4            = 1933–1945
| suboffice5          = Member of the [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]]
| subterm5            = 1933
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|df=yes|1882|06|29}}
| birth_place         = [[Magdeburg]], [[Province of Saxony]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]], [[German Empire]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1947|04|01|1882|06|29}}
| death_place         = [[Fürth]], [[Bavaria]], [[Allied-occupied Germany]]
| resting_place       = St Laurentius Cemetery, [[Rottach-Egern]], [[Germany]]
| party               = [[National Socialist German Workers' Party]] (1933–1945)
| otherparty          = [[German People's Party]] (until 1927)<ref>Klaus A. Lankheit: Seldte, Franz. in: Hermann Weiß (Ed.): Biographisches Lexikon zum Dritten Reich. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1998, pp. 426 f. (Fully cited in Vollmer, Immaginäre Schlachtfelder ([https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/fub188/9872/09_Materialienband.pdf Materialienband], PDF), p. 413).</ref><ref>Rafael Binkowski: [https://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/bitstream/11682/5263/1/3_Doktorarbeit_A5_Hauptteil_B.pdf Die Entwicklung der Parteien in Herrenberg 1918–1933.] Dissertation, Historisches Institut der Universität Stuttgart, Stuttgart 2007, p. 350.</ref>
| alma_mater          = [[Brunswick University of Technology]]
| signature           = Franz Seldte signature.svg
| allegiance          = {{flag|German Empire}}
| branch              = [[Imperial German Army]]
| serviceyears        = 1914–1918
| rank                = ''[[Hauptmann]] [[military reserve force|der Reserve]]''
| unit                = 66th Infantry Regiment
| battles             = [[World War I]]
* [[Battle of the Somme]] {{WIA}}
| mawards             = {{Unbulleted list|[[Iron Cross First Class]]|Iron Cross Second Class|[[Wound Badge]]}}
}}

'''Tobias Wilhelm Franz Seldte''' (29 June 1882{{spaced ndash}}1 April 1947) was a German [[reactionary]] politician who served as the [[Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs|Reich Minister for Labour]] in [[Nazi Germany]].<ref name="Stackelberg">Stackelberg (2007). ''The Routledge Companion to Nazi Germany'', p. 243.</ref> Prior to his ministry, Seldte was a founding leader of ''[[Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten|Der Stahlhelm]]'' [[World War I]] ex-[[Serviceman|servicemen]]'s organisation from 1918 to 1934.

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Magdeburg]] in the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] [[province of Saxony]], Seldte was the son of an owner of a factory producing chemical products and soda water.<ref name="Stackelberg" /> He attended the Wilhelm-Raabe-[[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]] in Magdeburg and, after an apprenticeship as a salesman, studied chemistry at the universities of [[Braunschweig University of Technology|Braunschweig]] and [[University of Greifswald|Greifswald]]. In 1908 he took over the business of his early deceased father.<ref>Wistrich (2001). ''Who's Who in Nazi Germany'', p. 232.</ref> As an officer of the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]] he was wounded in [[World War I]] and lost his left arm.<ref name="Stackelberg" /> He then became a front reporter. Awarded with the [[Iron Cross]] 2nd and 1st class,<ref name="Snyder">Snyder (1976). ''Encyclopedia of the Third Reich'', p. 320.</ref> Seldte also was promoted to the rank of ''[[Hauptmann]] [[military reserve force|der Reserve]]'' in the 66th Infantry Regiment.{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}}

==''Der Stahlhelm''==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-01258, Hugenberg, von Stephani und Seldte.jpg|thumb|left|270px|Seldte (r.) with Hugenberg and the Berlin Stahlhelm leader von Stephani at a rally against the Young-Plan, [[Berlin Sportpalast]], 1929]]
As a reaction to the [[German Revolution of 1918–1919]], Seldte founded ''Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten'' on 25 December 1918, agitating against the [[Treaty of Versailles]] and German [[World War I reparations|war reparations]]. According to Seldte, the organization was to use the spirit of the ''Frontsoldaten'' against the 'swinish revolution' taking place in Germany under the Weimar government.<ref name="Snyder" /> While he took charge of ''Der Stahlhelm'' from 1923 onwards, he had to cope with the constant rivalry of his deputy leader, the militant [[Theodor Duesterberg]].

Seldte became a member of the national conservative [[German National People's Party]] (DNVP) and was a member of the Magdeburg city council (''Stadtrat'').{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}}
During the later years of the [[Weimar Republic]] ''Der Stahlhelm'' became increasingly anti-democratic and anti-republican. However, Seldte hoped that the organization could become a leading organ of a united right-wing movement. In 1929 it united its forces with the DNVP under [[Alfred Hugenberg]], the [[Pan-German League]] and the [[Nazi Party]] to initiate a [[1929 German referendum|German referendum]] against the [[Young Plan]] on [[World War I reparations]].<ref>Kershaw (2000). ''Hitler: 1889-1936, Hubris'', p. 310, 356.</ref> The common goal was to denounce the Chancellor [[Hermann Müller (politician, born 1876)|Hermann Müller]] and his ministers as traitors to their country, nevertheless the plebiscite failed to reach the [[quorum]]. In 1931 Seldte helped create the short-lived [[Harzburg Front]], a right-wing alliance against the government of Müller's successor [[Heinrich Brüning]].{{sfn|Zentner|Bedürftig|1997|p=385}}

==Minister for Labour==
During the negotiations for the Chancellorship of Germany between [[Franz von Papen]] and Hitler in mid-January 1933, Seldte threw his vote and ''Der Stahlhelm'' behind Hitler, after which Papen acquiesced to Hitler's demands.<ref>Longerich (2012). ''Heinrich Himmler'', p. 144.</ref> On the day of the ''[[Machtergreifung]]'' on 30 January 1933, Seldte joined the [[Hitler Cabinet]] as Reich Minister for Labour,<ref>Shirer (1990). ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'', p. 184.</ref> once again outdoing his long-time rival Duesterberg. In the run-up to the [[March 1933 German federal election|elections of March 1933]], ''Der Stahlhelm'' together with Hugenberg's national conservative [[German National People's Party]] (DNVP) attempted to make the ''Kampffront Schwarz-Weiß-Rot'' ("[[National colours of Germany|Black White Red]] Combat Front") into the dominant political camp on the right, but ultimately failed as it only gained 8.0% of the votes cast. Nevertheless, Seldte obtained a seat in the ''[[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]]'' as a DNVP "guest". Returned in subsequent elections as a Nazi Party deputy, he would remain in the ''Reichstag'' until the end of the Nazi regime.<ref>[https://www.reichstag-abgeordnetendatenbank.de/selectmaske.html?name=Franz+Seldte&geschlecht=&ort=&beruforg=&BERUF=&BERUFSFELDER%5B%5D=&KONFESSION%5B%5D=&WP%5B%5D=&PARTEI%5B%5D=&schlu=reichstag24&recherche=ja Franz Seldte in the Reichstag Databank]. Retrieved 27 May 2023.</ref>

On 27 April 1933 Seldte finally joined the Nazi Party and merged ''Der Stahlhelm'' into [[Ernst Röhm]]'s ''[[Sturmabteilung]] (SA)'' militia – de facto placing it at the disposal of Hitler.<ref>Bracher (1970). ''The German Dictatorship: The Origins, Structure, and Effects of National Socialism'', p. 222.</ref> In August 1933, he was awarded the rank of ''SA-[[Obergruppenführer]]'' and later was appointed ''[[Reichskommissar]]'' for the ''Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst'' employment program, but was soon superseded by his state secretary [[Konstantin Hierl]] as leader of the ''[[Reichsarbeitsdienst]]'' organization.{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}} Seldte also was made a member of the [[Academy for German Law]].<ref>Klee (2007). ''Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945'', p. 578.</ref> In March 1934 Seldte was made the federal leader of the ''Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher frontkämpfer-Bund (Stahlhelm)'' ({{langx|en|National Socialist German Combatants' Federation (Stahlhelm)}}) (NSDFBSt), a successor organization of ''Der Stahlhelm'', which however was disbanded in November 1935.{{sfn|Zentner|Bedürftig|1997|pp=913–914}} Seldte was also a member of the [[Free State of Prussia (1933–1947)|Prussian]] state government as Prussian Labour Minister from 1 April 1935, in the cabinet of [[Minister President]] [[Hermann Göring]].<ref>[http://preussenprotokolle.bbaw.de/bilder/Band%2012-2.pdf Protokolle des preußischen Staatsministeriums (Acta Borussica) Band 12/II (1925–1938) p. 757] (PDF; 2,14 MB)</ref> With this appointment, Seldte became an [[ex officio]] member of the [[Prussian State Council (Nazi Germany)|Prussian State Council]].{{sfn|Lilla|2005|p=295}}

In 1935 Seldte requested to be released from official responsibilities, but Hitler refused. Throughout his tenure as chief of the Labor Ministry, Seldte never enjoyed the full support of Hitler, who did not think he was worth much. As a result, members of the Nazi hierarchy began encroaching on his areas of responsibility and Seldte was marginalized accordingly.<ref>Fischer (1995). ''Nazi Germany: A New History'', p. 315.</ref> For instance, Hermann Goering's Four Year Plan which he began to implement in late 1936, ran roughshod over Seldte's Labor Ministry altogether.<ref>Evans (2006). ''The Third Reich in Power'', p. 358.</ref> Seldte, without substantial power, remained Reich and Prussian Minister for Labour until the end of [[World War II]]. Even after Hitler's suicide and the nomination of [[Grand Admiral]] Dönitz as his successor, Seldte kept his post, being named Labour Minister in the [[Flensburg government]].<ref>Mazower (2009). ''Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe'', pp. 532–533.</ref>

As Reich Minister for Labour, Franz Seldte was one of the signatories of the [[Work Order Act]] (''Gesetz zur Ordnung der nationalen Arbeit'') from 1934, which introduced the [[Führerprinzip|Führer principle]] (''Führerprinzip'') in factories and significantly restricted the rights of employees.

==Death==
Seldte was captured at the end of the war and imprisoned in [[Camp Ashcan]] in [[Mondorf-les-Bains]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hausmann |first=Frank-Rutger |title=Ernst-Wilhelm Bohle. Gauleiter im Dienst von Partei und Staat |publisher=Duncker & Humblot |year=2009 |isbn=9783428528622 |pages=200 |language=de}}</ref> During the [[Nuremberg trials]], Seldte tried to exonerate himself by claiming that he had stood against the dictatorship of Hitler and that he advocated for a two-chamber system of parliamentary governance.<ref>Taylor & Shaw (2002). ''Dictionary of the Third Reich'', p. 261.</ref> His story was not convincing. Seldte died in a US military hospital in April 1947 at [[Fürth]], before the Nuremberg Tribunal had the chance to formally try him on the charges.<ref name="Snyder" />

==Legacy==
In Nazi-era Germany, streets were named after him in several German cities, among them his hometown [[Magdeburg]] and [[Leverkusen]].<ref>[http://www.leverkusen.com/strasse/index.php4?view=Seldte Franz-Seldte-Str. (ehemalig)]</ref> In [[Forst (Lausitz)]], the football stadium at the water tower was named ''Franz-Seldte-Kampfbahn''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Stadtplan Forst (Lausitz) 1934 |publisher=Niederlausitzer Verlag |year=2004 |isbn=3-935881-21-5 |location=Guben |language=de}}</ref> In [[Oberhausen]], the square behind the main railway station was named after him.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* Bracher, Karl D. ''The German Dictatorship: The Origins, Structure, and Effects of National Socialism''. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1970.
* Evans, Richard J. ''The Third Reich in Power''. New York: Penguin, 2006.
* Fischer, Klaus. ''Nazi Germany: A New History''. New York: Continuum, 1995.
* Kershaw, Ian. ''Hitler: 1889-1936, Hubris''. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.
* Klee, Ernst. ''Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945''. Frankfurt-am-Main: Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, 2007.
*{{cite book |last=Lilla |first=Joachim |title=Der Preußische Staatsrat 1921–1933: Ein biographisches Handbuch |publisher= Droste Verlag |location= Düsseldorf |year= 2005 |isbn= 978-3-770-05271-4}}
* Longerich, Peter. ''Heinrich Himmler''. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
* Mazower, Mark. ''Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe''. New York: Penguin, 2009.
* Shirer, William L. ''The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich''. New York: MJF Books, 1990, [1959].
* Snyder, Louis L. ''Encyclopedia of the Third Reich''. London: Robert Hale, 1976
* Stackelberg, Roderick. ''The Routledge Companion to Nazi Germany''. New York: Routledge, 2007.
* Taylor, James, and Warren Shaw. ''Dictionary of the Third Reich''. New York: Penguin, 2002.
* Wistrich, Robert S. ''Who's Who in Nazi Germany''. New York: Routledge, 2001.
*{{cite book |editor-last1 = Zentner |editor-first1= Christian |editor-last2 = Bedürftig |editor-first2= Friedemann |year = 1997 |origyear = 1991 |title= [[The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich]] |publisher = Da Capo Press |location = New York |isbn = 978-0-306-80793-0}}
{{Div col end}}

==External links==
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* {{Find a Grave|106481761}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/016337}}
*{{ReichstagDB|117473847}}

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