On October 29, 1879, in Werkl, Westphalia, a man was born who would pass through almost every important circle of the German elite - the army, diplomacy, conservative politics and power. Franz von Papen was a cavalry officer, military attaché, chancellor, vice chancellor and ambassador. However, his name remains most closely associated with one fatal political calculation: the belief that Adolf Hitler could be used and kept under control.
From cavalry to diplomatic missions
Pappen came from a Catholic aristocratic family and chose a military career. After his training at the Prussian Military Academy, he served in the cavalry, and in 1913 was sent as military attaché to Washington and Mexico. In 1915, the United States declared him persona non grata and he was recalled to Germany.
During World War I, Papen served on the Western Front, and later was part of the German forces in the Ottoman Empire. After Germany's defeat in 1918, he turned to politics and joined the conservative wing of the German Center Party.
Chancellor without parliamentary support
On 1 June 1932, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Papen chancellor. His government lacked a stable majority in the Reichstag and ruled mainly by presidential decree. During his short term in office, the ban on the SA was lifted – the Nazi paramilitary formation, which contributed to the escalation of street violence.
Pappen also participated in the so-called “Prussian Putsch“ of July 1932, through which the Social Democratic government of Prussia was removed. The move weakened one of the last major democratic pillars in the Weimar Republic.
In a radio message of November 6, 1932, Papen stated:
Just a few months later, however, it was Hitler who took office.
The Deal That Changed German History
After losing the chancellorship in November 1932, Papen began negotiations with Hitler and convinced Hindenburg that the Nazi leader could be included in a conservative coalition. On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor, and Papen became vice chancellor.
Pappen and his allies believed that they would limit Hitler's influence because there were only a few National Socialist German Workers' Party ministers in the government. The plan failed. Hitler quickly transformed the coalition government into an instrument for establishing a dictatorship, and Papen was removed from actual government.
Ambassador to a regime he himself helped bring about
In 1934, Papen was sent to Vienna. As a German diplomat, he worked for political rapprochement between Nazi Germany and Austria. His activities helped prepare for the annexation of Austria in March 1938.
Papen then became ambassador to Turkey - a post he held from 1939 to 1944. There, he tried to keep the country out of the war and prevent it from joining the Allies. His diplomatic career ended before the end of World War II.
Nuremberg and the late attempt at acquittal
After the war, Papen was among the defendants at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. He was acquitted in 1946, although his role in helping Hitler become Chancellor remains one of the most controversial pages of his biography.
In 1949, a German denazification court found him to be a gravely responsible person for the Nazi regime and sentenced him to eight years in a labor camp. After an appeal, Papen was released. Until his death on 2 May 1969, he wrote memoirs and defended his own version of events.
Franz von Papen remains a historical example of a politician who was not the Nazi leader, but helped the leader reach the top. His attempt to use the radical movement for conservative purposes ended in the opposite - conservative circles opened the door through which Hitler assumed complete power.
Sources: amp.dw.com