Rudolf Brandsch

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Rudolf Brandsch

Rudolf Brandsch (born July 22, 1880 in Mediasch , Austria-Hungary , today Sibiu County , Romania ; † 1953 in Doftana Prison , Prahova County ) was a Transylvanian-Saxon politician in Romania.

Live and act

Rudolf Brandsch came from a Protestant pastor's family from Transylvania . He studied theology and philosophy at the universities of Marburg , Berlin , Jena and Cluj . Even during this time he was extremely active politically and had joined nationalist-folk organizations, such as the anti-Semitic-nationalist organization Alldeutscher Verband . After his return home, he became the best-known representative of the so-called “Greens”, a faction of the Transylvanian-Saxon politicians who took a much more aggressive stance in the “ethnic struggle” of old Hungary demanded.

He became a member of the Arminia Marburg fraternity in 1898 , the Teutonia Czernowitz fraternity in 1920 and the Primislavia Berlin fraternity in 1940.

politics

From 1910 Brandsch was a member of the Hungarian Reichstag , where he pursued cooperation among politicians from all German minority groups. He was particularly interested in supporting the Danube Swabians in their fight against the increasing pressure from Magyarization . The leading Transylvanian-Saxon politicians (the so-called blacks) pursued a policy of supporting the respective government faction in exchange for easing the pressure of Magyarization in the Saxon settlement area and viewed cooperation with the representatives of the other German minority politicians with skepticism.

According to the Trianon Treaty , Brandsch was first a member of the Romanian parliament, after having completed the required service period, he became a senator for life. Between April 1931 and September 1932 Brandsch was Undersecretary of State for the Minorities in Nicolae Iorga's government cabinet , then a senior official in the Bucharest Ministry of the Interior. In the interwar period, Brandsch was one of the most famous European minority politicians. After the establishment of Greater Romania , he led the Association of Germans in Greater Romania . From 1922 to spring 1931 he was chairman of the Association of German Ethnic Groups in Europe and from 1925 to 1938 permanent delegate at the European Nationalities Congress .

time of the nationalsocialism

Brandsch had opposed the Romanian German Nazi groups and criticized local Nazi politics in numerous public statements. Nevertheless, Brandsch - like other Romanian-German democratic politicians, intellectuals and clergy - was fascinated by Hitler's Greater German policy and hoped that Berlin would support the German minority from Romania. Brandsch was not without controversy; his policy of reconciliation was often attacked as unsuccessful, as Romania strictly refused to observe the minority rights promised in the Karlsburger decisions and the Paris suburb treaties and instead pursued a policy of nationalization. In addition, Brandsch was accused of mixing private and political interests.

After the communists came to power, Brandsch was arrested and died in 1953 in Doftana prison . In the Ceaușescu time (1965-1989) Brandsch was rehabilitated and officially recognized as an opponent of fascism.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I Politicians, Part 1: A – E. Heidelberg 1996, p. 126.
  2. ^ Albert S. Kotowski: Poland's policy towards its German minority 1919-1939. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 1998, p. 189.
personal data
SURNAME Brandsch, Rudolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Transylvanian-Saxon politician
DATE OF BIRTH July 22, 1880
PLACE OF BIRTH Mediasch , Austria-Hungary , today Sibiu County , Romania
DATE OF DEATH 1953
Place of death Doftana Prison , Prahova County