Karl Gareis

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Karl Gareis (born November 14, 1889 in Regensburg , † June 9, 1921 in Munich ) was the leader of the USPD parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament and probably fell victim to one of numerous Fememorden during the Weimar Republic .

Life

Karl Gareis came from a middle-class family background, had studied history, philosophy and philology, passed the teaching examination in 1912 and the preparatory service for the higher teaching position in 1914. During the First World War , Gareis became a French prisoner-of-war as a deputy officer . In 1917 he returned to Bavaria. By this time he was already a staunch socialist, which is why he joined the USPD , which had split off from the SPD ( MSPD ) in 1917 . In April 1918 Gareis moved to Weißenburg in Bavaria . He taught at the local Werner von Siemens grammar school in Weißenburg and then worked as a teacher in Pasing and Aschaffenburg .

Political course

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Gareis was considered a "truth fanatic" by his political friends and belonged to the right wing of the USPD. The staunch pacifist spoke out against violence as a means of political conflict. He was convinced that the political struggle could only be waged with intellectual weapons. As a result, he strictly opposed a dictatorship based on the Moscow model and vehemently advocated prudence and moderation. He strongly criticized the policies of the KPD . In 1921 he campaigned for the reunification of the two social democratic parties USPD and MSPD. With his political stance, he turned the left wing of the USPD against him. Shortly before his death, Karl Gareis had become increasingly dissatisfied with the course of his party links and was planning his gradual retreat from politics. How serious this was to him can be seen from the fact that he had already contacted the Saxon Ministry of Education about a position as a teacher.

Political activity

Garei's political work focused primarily on the internal political conditions in the Free State of Bavaria, which were shaped by the course of the “ regulatory cell ” during his work . One of his priorities was to expose the illegal machinations of the Bavarian Rescue Service , a semi-state self-protection organization that had emerged in the course of the revolutionary unrest, and to advocate its dissolution. Because of his offensive engagement, Gareis received threatening letters again and again. The Miesbacher Anzeiger hounded against Karl Gareis in numerous articles in the most tasteless manner. This climate came to a head in 1921, when the discussion about the future of the resident defense reached its peak and culminated in its dissolution. Even more moderate newspapers such as the Bayerische Staatszeitung accused Gareis of treason because he did not mince his knowledge of the resident defense and made his findings about arms stores, the pushing of arms and acts of violence public.

The assassination

On June 9, 1921, Karl Gareis gave a lecture on the secularization of the school in the Mathäserbräu in Munich that evening , which, apart from a few annoying interjections, was peaceful. This was not a matter of course, because the violent disruption of events, physical and verbal threats from left-wing politicians or people of Jewish faith were not uncommon in Munich in the early 1920s. Because of this politically heated atmosphere, a party member accompanied Karl Gareis home on the tram. When Gareis said goodbye to his companion in front of his house, a stranger fired several shots at Karl Gareis out of the darkness, one of which hit him in the head. The politician collapsed and died the same evening in Schwabing hospital from his injuries. The organization Consul is believed to be responsible for this murder .

Commemoration

In the memorial of the socialists his name is listed on the large porphyry plaque.

From July 23rd to 24th, 1932, the Congress of the International Trade Secretariat for Teachers (IBSL) of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) took place in Geneva . The congress discussed relief measures for persecuted German colleagues and decided to set up the Karl Gareis Fund as an international relief fund to support politically persecuted colleagues in various countries.

literature

  • Ulrike Claudia Hofmann: The death of Karl Gareis. Femicide in Bavaria in the twenties. In: Oberbayerisches Archiv, Volume 126, Munich 2002, pp. 229–247.
  • Ulrike Claudia Hofmann: “Traitors fall for the distance!” Fememicide in Bavaria in the twenties. Böhlau-Verlag, Cologne / Weimar / Vienna 2000. ISBN 3-412-15299-4 . (For the Gareis case there pp. 61–65, 115–121, 248–269, 316–331, 342–345, 399–410 and 454–462.)
  • Ulrike Claudia Hofmann: Art. Fememorde . In: Historical Lexicon of Bavaria.
  • Ulrike Claudia Hofmann: Art. Political murders (Weimar Republic) . In: Historical Lexicon of Bavaria.
  • Irmela Nagel: Fememicide and Fememord Trials in the Weimar Republic. Böhlau-Verlag, Cologne / Weimar / Vienna 1991 (Cologne historical treatises, volume 36). ISBN 3-412-06290-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hermann Schnorbach (ed.): Teacher and school under the swastika. Documents of the resistance from 1930 to 1945 , Athenäum Verlag, Königstein im Taunus, 1983, ISBN 3-7610-8275-4 , p. 41
personal data
SURNAME Gareis, Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician, leader of the USPD parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH regensburg
DATE OF DEATH June 9, 1921
Place of death Munich