Max Granzin

Max Granzin (* 1873 ; † November 30, 1940 ) was a German local politician and member of the SPD . From 1919 to 1933 he was the democratically elected Lord Mayor of Offenbach am Main and was expelled from his office by the National Socialists .

Early years, studies and work

Max Granzin studied law after high school and switched to the insurance industry after completing his studies. He then became secretary of the Second Crafts School in Berlin on Stralauer Platz. Thereafter, Granzin was managing director of the Association of Technical Employees and Officials in Berlin.

politics

After the First World War in the autumn of 1919, the Offenbach SPD managed to advertise the position of Lord Mayor. The SPD nominated its party member, Dr. Max Granzin from Berlin, as a candidate for the mayoral election. Granzin prevailed against the candidates of the Center Party and the German National Party in two ballots.

In March 1920, there was an economic downturn, which led to short-time work, layoffs and closures in Offenbach. As a result of the declining tax revenue, the city's budget deficit at this time was over 14 million marks. In April of the same year Offenbach was occupied by French troops. The French justified their action with the penetration of Reichswehr associations into the neutral Ruhr area. Mayor Granzin remained in office, but the official business he had just begun was regulated and restricted by the military government during these weeks. A few weeks later the military cleared Offenbach and the surrounding area after the German and British governments protested against the occupation. The inflation of 1923 forced the Offenbach city parliament to issue its own emergency money . Unemployment had meanwhile become a mass phenomenon and radical parties were popular. Despite the ever-increasing problems, Granzin conducted his official business from a more economic point of view. Nevertheless, the Büsing-Palais was acquired by the city of Offenbach during this difficult time , the Tempelsee settlement built, the sports field on Bieberer Berg inaugurated and the flood protection of the Bürgel district built. By the end of 1928 at the latest, Granzin came into conflict with the radical parties in the city parliament. Their strategy included lowering taxes, distributing donations and other benefits from public coffers to the population, ultimately in order to win new followers. Granzin, on the other hand, demanded balanced budget planning in order to maintain the city's creditworthiness.

In March 1933, units of the SA and SS stormed the Offenbach town hall in the Büsing-Palais. Granzin and other officials were driven from their offices under threat of violence and replaced by National Socialists. The new administration canceled all pension rights of the former mayor. Granzin died on November 30, 1940 without having held a public office again.

literature

• Alfred Kurt: History of the city and district of Offenbach - on the Main, in Rodgau and in the Dreieich. Bintz-Verlag, Offenbach 1998, ISBN 3-87079-009-1
• Article about Max Granzin in the Offenbach-Post from March 29, 2008, author Wolfgang Reuter

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Lothar R. Braun: 1933: Hitler seizes power - Offenbach is brought into line. In: offenbach.de, accessed on April 22, 2016.