FRANZ VON PAPEN (1947)

German statesman and diplomat who played a leading role in overthrowing the Weimar Republic and in helping Adolf Hitler to become German chancellor in 1933.

The scion of a wealthy Catholic landowning family he began his career as a professional soldier.

At the beginning of World War I he was military attaché in Washington but implicated in cases of espionage and sabotage he was recalled in 1915 at the request of the U.S. government.
Until the end of the war he served as chief of staff of the 4th Turkish Army in Palestine.

Returning after the war to Germany he as a monarchist decided to enter politics.
From 1921-1932 he was a deputy in the Reichstag (federal lower house) belonging to the ultra-right wing of the Catholic Centre Party.
An advocate of Franco-German understanding he himself had no political following.

His elevation to the chancellorship (June 1, 1932) engineered by President Paul von Hindenburg´s adviser Gen. Kurt von Schleicher came as a complete surprise to the public.
Papen established a rightist authoritarian government without a political base in the Reichstag.
Determined to assure acceptance of his government by the Nazis, the second largest party in Parliament, he lifted the ban on the Nazi´s paramilitary Sturmabteilung (SA, June 15) and deposed the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (German Social Democratic Party) government (July 20).

In foreign affairs he achieved the virtual cancellation of Germany´s reparations obligations under the Treaty of Versailles.
Hitler who wanted to rule Germany himself remained in opposition.
When Papen attempted to war down Nazi political strength through repeated elections, Schleicher, his defense minister, wishing to establish a broad national front, induced a number of Cabinet ministers to reject Papen´s policies.
Papen thereupon resigned and was on December 4, succeeded by Schleicher.

Chagrined at his ouster Papen came to terms with Hitler (Jan. 4, 1933) and persuaded Hindenburg to appoint the Nazi leader to the chancellorship.
As vice chancellor, Papen, whose associates received a majority of the ministerial posts hoped to restrain the Nazis.
Though he soon realized how mistaken he had been he continued to serve Hitler.
Almost a victim of the purge of Ernst Röhm and his SA of June 30, 1934, during which Hitler rid himself also of other encumbrances, Papen was dismissed three days later and sent as ambassador to Austria (1934-38) for whose annexation to Germany he worked.
He then became ambassador to Turkey (1939-44) where he attempted to keep that country out of an alliance with the Allies.

Papen was arrested by the Allies in April 1945 and placed on trial as a war criminal.
Found not guilty by the Nürnberg tribunal of conspiracy to prepare aggressive he was sentenced to eight years´ imprisonment by a German court as a major Nazi but in 1949 on his appeal was released and fined.

Papen´s memoirs Der Wahrheit eine Gasse appeared in 1952.