Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk

Johann Ludwig ("Lutz") Graf Schwerin von Krosigk Chancellor of GermanyIn office
May 1 – May 23, 1945Preceded by Joseph GoebbelsSucceeded by Allied military occupation 1945-1949
Konrad Adenauer(West Germany)
Otto Grotewohl(East Germany) (as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (GDR)) Born August 22, 1887(1887-08-22)
Died March 4, 1977(aged 89)
Political party none Alma mater University of Halle
University of Lausanne
University of OxfordOccupation Soldier(Officer), Nobleman

Johann Ludwig (Lutz) Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, (August 22, 1887 – March 4, 1977) was a German Nazi politician.

1 Early life
2 Nazi years
- 2.1 Pre-World War II
- 2.2 World War II
3 After World War II
4 Works
5 External links

Early life

Born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk in Rathmannsdorf, in Saxony Anhalt, of a father from an old noble family of Anhalt and a mother who was a daughter of a Count ("Graf") von Schwerin, he studied law and political science in Halle, in Lausanne and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. During World War I, he served in the German Army, finally as a First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Iron Cross. In 1918, Krosigk married Baroness Ehrengard von Plettenberg, with whom he had four sons and five daughters.

Nazi years

Pre-World War II

A non-partisan conservative, Schwerin von Krosigk was appointed Minister of Finance by Franz von Papen in 1932, and continued in that office at the request of President Paul von Hindenburg under Kurt von Schleicher and throughout the period of Nazi Party rule. Several members of his family took part in assassination attempts against German dictator Adolf Hitler. Schwerin von Krosigk was rarely seen in public appearances and Hitler did not have regular Cabinet meetings.

World War II

At the defendants of the Ministries Trial.
(In Second row:sitting at the far right)

On 1 May 1945, Schwerin von Krosigk was asked to be the Chancellor (Reichskanzler) of the Acting Government by President (Reichspräsident) Karl Dönitz.

The rapidly advancing Allied forces limited the jurisdiction of the new German government to an area around Flensburg near the Danish border, where Dönitz's headquarters were located, along with Mürwik. Accordingly this administration was referred to as the Flensburg government. Dönitz and Schwerin von Krosigk attempted to negotiate an armistice with the Western allies while continuing to resist the Soviet Army. On 7 May, 1945, Dönitz authorized the signature of the German Instrument of Surrender to the Allies, that took place in Rheims before General Eisenhower. He would later authorize the German military to sign another instrument of surrender in Berlin, in a ceremony presided over by the Soviets. The speech by Winston Churchill announcing victory to the British people is evidence of a de facto recognition of the Flensburg Government's authority, since Churchill mentioned that the surrender was authorized by "Grand Admiral Dönitz the designated Head of State". However, after the unconditional surrender, the Flensburg government was not recognised by the Allies and was dissolved when its members were captured by British forces on 23 May 1945, at Flensburg.

Schwerin von Krosigk was tried at Nuremberg along with other leading members of the Nazi Government. Found guilty in the Ministries Trial, Schwerin von Krosigk was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment but was released during an amnesty in 1951.

After World War II

In later years Schwerin von Krosigk wrote several books on economic policy, as well as two versions of his memoirs. He was one of the first to refer to an "Iron Curtain" coming down across Europe, in a broadcast to the German people on May 2, 1945, a phrase which he had picked up from an article by Joseph Goebbels ('Das Jahr 2000,' Das Reich, February 25, 1945, pp. 1-2), and later used by Winston Churchill in a speech that made the phrase famous. Schwerin von Krosigk died in 1977 in the town of Essen, West Germany, aged 89.