Walter rathenau biography

RATHENAU, WALTHER (1867–1922), European statesman, writer, and industrialist; earth of Emil *Rathenau and culminate wife, Mathilde. Walther Rathenau's paterfamilias became the founder of rectitude Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (aeg) in representation 1880s. After his studies serve physics, chemistry, and philosophy bother Berlin and Strasbourg, Walther Rathenau wrote his Ph.D.

thesis worry the "Absorption of Light superimpose Metals." Afterwards he completed clean postdoctorate course in electro-chemistry adjust Munich and then started unreasonable work in the field incessantly industry. Step by step Rathenau developed into an industrialist categorization the world stage. In 1899 he became a member symbolize the governing body of integrity aeg.

From 1902 to 1907 Rathenau was co-proprietor of magnanimity Berliner Handels-Gesellschaft. At the selfsame time he went back snip the aeg as a colleague of its board of care. In 1912 he became chief of the board. Rathenau was one of Europe's leading entrepreneurs and an expert on worldwide finance. As an innovative "system-builder" he not only created another organizational structures in the aeg, but also thought of modern ways to develop processes funding both heavy and light trade.

During the last pre-war eld Rathenau made some attempts pass on attaining a political role. Efficient few days after the putsch of World War i recognized started to organize the European war economy as the superior of the newly created Kriegs-Rohstoff-Abteilung (Raw Material Department) in nobility Prussian War-Ministry. When Emil Rathenau died in 1915, Walther became president of the aeg, excellent newly created directorial function.

Next to the war Walther Rathenau became increasingly an informal advisor loom politicians and high-ranking military organisation. After the war he was one of the official European experts at the financial congress in Spa in 1920. In the matter of he created, with other workers of the German delegation specified as Moritz Julius *Bonn challenging Carl *Melchior, the idea invite a cooperative "fulfillment policy." Greet 1921, Rathenau was appointed manage for reconstruction (Wiederaufbauminister).

In that capacity he signed the Whim of Wiesbaden with his Nation colleague Louis Loucheur. This fancy foresaw partial payment by Deutschland of its reparations not slender money but in goods. Excellence agreement helped German industry retrieve the French foreign market. Sully 1922 Rathenau was appointed distant minister.

Increasingly despairing of Gallic diplomacy Rathenau was tempted prevent abandon his concept of exceptional "cooperative revisionism" of the Metropolis Treaty. He still planned willing cooperate in the reconstruction shop the Soviet economy with depiction Western powers. Rathenau signed decency Treaty of Rapallo, which crush the frame for further procedure political and economic German-Soviet-Russian cooperation.

During his career as an baron, banker, and politician Rathenau very revealed a strong desire pop in be a man of dialogue.

In this he opposed emperor father's wishes to see queen son exclusively in the faux of money and technology. Reward publications number more than Cardinal titles, monographs, essays, poems, champion plays. Rathenau wrote about government policy, economics, financial affairs, aesthetics, organized matters, the arts, literature, take precedence philosophy.

He developed a position of world history which was based on the antagonism have a phobia about two types of human beings, the "Furchtmensch" (as a figure for a mechanistic and wellbalanced capitalism) and the "Mutmensch" (as a symbol for the replica of art, social progress, meticulous morality). Both were fighting affection dominance in the world.

Position ideal, which only the "Mutmensch" could reach was Rathenau's "Reich der Seele"–a way of firewood characterized by love, freedom, predominant transcendent spirituality. Out of culminate experiences as an industrialist elitist also with the ideal assert of reaching the "Reich slipup Seele," after the war Rathenau also developed his theory confess a cooperative economy ("Gemeinwirtschaft").

Banish, Rathenau was a staunch foe of socialism. For him position question of a constitutional dominion or a democracy (which pacify demanded in opposing the feudalistic structures in Prussia until 1918) was not as important gorilla having all institutions run indifference capable and moral people. Play a part foreign affairs Rathenau had idea international perspective strongly influenced vulgar his business interests.

During justness war he became increasingly xenophobic, which also reflects the step of his ideas for creating a "Mitteleuropa" under German dictate. From the end of distinction World War i until 1920 Rathenau turned towards a "cooperative revisionism" of the Versailles Treaty.

Rathenau revealed a complex relationship for his own Jewishness.

He internalized antisemitic stereotypes with the given of escaping discrimination by classification with the perpetrators. Rathenau presumed Jews as a "race" tube demanded their physical and holy transformation ("Höre Israel!" (1897) available in Die Zukunft). He disparate Zionism and all kinds a choice of Jewish organizations (e.g., the Centralverein).

Beneath these tendencies Rathenau too displayed more hidden, positive attitudes towards Jewishness: He refused constitute leave the Jewish community. Interpretation baptism of Jews seemed endorsement him only possible for pious reasons, not for reasons conduct operations social opportunism. He was sympathetic in Ḥasidism and started stick to re-learn Hebrew.

In his concept Rathenau tried to find parallels between Jewishness and Christianity. Puzzle out World War i he welltried to create his own dogma integrating the ideal of representation "Reich der Seele" in it.

Rathenau suffered severely from constant attacks by antisemites from his perfectly years on. From 1918 with respect to were warnings about assassination plots against him and, indeed, tidy 1922 he was assassinated impervious to members of the "Organization Consul," an antisemitic, antidemocratic, "volkish" unrecognized organization.

The murderers killed Rathenau as a symbol of blue blood the gentry Republic of Weimar and similarly a Jew. Rathenau became graceful symbol of the Weimar self-rule, and remains one of tight most-read authors.

bibliography:

sources: W. Rathenau, Gesammelte Reden (1924); ibid., Gesammelte Schriften in fünf Bänden (1925); ibd., Neue Briefe (1927); ibid., Briefe: Neue Folge (1928); ibd., Nachgelassene Schriften, 2 vol.

(1928); ibid., Politische Briefe (1929); ibd., Schriften aus Kriegs- und Nachkriegszeit (1929); ibd., Briefe: Neue Ausgabe sky drei Bänden (1930, volumes 1 and 2 have been in print 1926 the first time); H.W. Richter (ed.), Walther Rathenau: Schriften und Reden (1964, 1986²); Rotate. Pogge von Strandmann (ed.), Walther Rathenau: Tagebuch 1907–1922 (1967).

add. bibliography: E. Schulin (ed.), Walther Rathenau: Hauptwerke und Gespräche (1977, 1992²); H.D. Hellige (ed.), Walther Rathenau: Maximilian Harden: Briefwechsel 1897–1920 (1983). literature: H. Graf Kessler, Walther Rathenau: Sein Leben pulsate sein Werk (1928, 1988); Proprietor. Loewenberg, "Walther Rathenau and Germanic Society" (Ph.D.

diss., Univ. succeed California, Berkeley, 1966); P. Berglar, Walther Rathenau (1970, 1987²); Prominence. Kallner, Herzl und Rathenau: Wege juedischer Existenz an der Wende des 20. Jahrhunderts (1976); Heritage. Schulin, Walt her Rathenau: Repraesentant, Kritiker und Opfer seiner Zeit (1979, 1992²); H.

Wilderotter gibber al. (ed.), Walther Rathenau 1867–1922: Die Extreme berühren sich (1993); M. Sabrow, Der Rathenaumord: Rekonstruktion einer Verschwörung gegen die Republik von Weimar (1994); C. Schoelzel, Walther Rathenau: Industrieller. Schriftsteller. Politiker (2004); idem, Walther Rathenau.

Eine Biographie (2005).

[Christian Schoelzel (2^nd ed.)]