Werner Schmid (politician)

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Title page of a text written by Schmid in 1936

Werner Schmid (born November 6, 1898 in Zollikon , † April 29, 1981 in Zurich ) was a Swiss free-economic politician ( LdU , LSP ). Under the influence of Religious Socialism , he became a social democrat in the 1920s. In the 1930s he joined the free economy movement, for which he was politically active in various offices at both local and national levels. He also devoted a large part of his literary work to it.

Life

Werner Schmid was a son of the engineer Gottfried Schmid and his wife Martha, née Wirth. After graduating from high school , he completed a pedagogy course at the Zurich teachers' college and also worked as an actor and theater critic. From 1924 to 1928 he taught at a primary school in Wetzikon and from 1928 to 1956 in Zurich .

In Zurich he got to know the Evangelical Reformed theologian Leonhard Ragaz and, under his influence, opened up to religious socialism . He joined the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland and became a committed pacifist and opponent of National Socialist ideology.

In the 1930s Werner Schmid got to know and joined the free economy movement founded by Silvio Gesell . In the foreword to his Gesell biography published in 1954, Schmid writes: “The encounter with Gesell's work was a revelation for me. The song of praise for freedom and justice that echoed from it seemed like a fanfare. " His publications from 1937 and his local and state political work from 1942 thematized Gesell's natural economic order in different ways.

In 1956, Schmid left school and was appointed head of the Office against Official and Association Arbitrariness , an institution of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives initiated by Gottlieb Duttweiler . This was astonishing since he had had a sharp public controversy with the Migros founder for over two decades. In the Migros magazine Wir Brückenbauer , looking back on his work, it was said: "He took on people in distress with ardor and helped them gain their rights against the arbitrariness of the authorities - a Swiss ombudsman on a private basis."

Schmid's actual political activity began in 1942. He was elected to the Zurich City Council for four years via the Landesring der Independencies . In 1943 he received a seat on the Zurich Cantonal Council , which he also held for four years; from 1959 to 1965 he was again a member of the Zurich Cantonal Council. From 1947 to 1951, Schmid served as the Swiss National Councilor for the National Ring of Independents and from 1962 to 1971 for the Liberal Socialist Party (LSP) . His main political topics were the commitment to a humane refugee policy, the demand for a new land law and the commitment to liberalize exchange rates . In addition, he campaigned internationally for the protection of political prisoners and prompted the Swiss Federal Council to initiate a corresponding convention.

After 1963 Werner Schmid worked as a freelance writer and journalist. Among other things, he published leading articles on foreign, currency and economic policy in the magazines Die Freiwirtschaftliche Zeitung and Free People . The biographies of his political companions Fritz Schwarz , Gottlieb Duttweiler and Hans Bernoulli were also created during this time .

Werner Schmid was married to Elisabetha Klara Ayasse since 1924.

Appreciations

Werner Schmid received the Hans Bernoulli Prize twice . In 1975 he was made an honorary member of the International League for Human Rights .

Publications (selection)

  • What is FFF? Fixed currency, free money , free land . Published in the series of publications of the Swiss Free Trade Association . Pestalozzi-Fellenberg-Verlag, Bern 1936 ( online / 3rd edition 1937 ).
  • Duttweiler - x-rayed! Scheuch-Verlag, Zurich 1937.
  • The program of freedom in politics, economy and culture. With a foreword by J. B. Rusch. Der Aufbruch publishing house , Zurich / New York 1940.
  • Swiss foreign policy - yesterday, today and tomorrow. Free People Publishing House , Bern 1945.
  • The history of the Swiss franc . Verlag Freiwirtschaftlicher Schriften, Bern 1948.
  • The Kappeler milk soup. A Spiegel page for Werner Schmid. In: Der Spiegel , issue 16, April 17, 1948.
  • Goal and way of liberal socialism. Verlag Freiwirtschaftlicher Schriften, Bern 1949.
  • Silvio Gesell . The life story of a pioneer. Verlag Freiwirtschaftlicher Schriften, Bern 1954.
  • Mostly cheerful. Little episodes from my life . Publisher of the Liberal Socialist Party (LSP): Bern 1969
  • Fritz Schwarz - life picture of a friend of the people . Liberal Socialist Party (LSP)publishing house, Bern 1973.
  • Hans Bernoulli . Urban planner. Politician. World citizens. Publisher Peter Meili + Co., Schaffhausen 1974.
  • The Ombudsman in Canada. A comparative law study. Schulthess-Verlag, Zurich 1976.

literature

  • Johannes Merz: Werner Schmid - ¼ century parliamentary work. Publishing house of the Liberal Socialist Party of Switzerland, Bern 1972.
  • Liberal Socialist Party of Switzerland: On the 80th birthday of former National Councilor Werner Schmid, Zurich, Honorary President of the Liberal Socialist Party of Switzerland. 1978, ISBN 978-2-88001-058-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The information in this section is based (unless otherwise stated) on Susanne Peter-Kubli: Schmid, Werner. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  2. ↑ Werner Schmid: Silvio Gesell. The life story of a pioneer . Genossenschaft Verlag Freiwirtschaftlicher Schriften , Bern 1954, p. 6
  3. ↑ In his 1937 publication Duttweiler - durchleuchtet! Werner Schmid had described the Migros initiator as a “man with lust for rulership” and a “Napoleonide [n]”.
  4. ↑ For details on Schmid's appointment and commitment, see A. (abbreviation): Werner Schmid - durchleuchtet . In: We bridge builders . November 15, 1968, p. 2 . - The title of the article alludes to Schmid's critical writing Duttweiler - shined through! (1937).
  5. ↑ Protection of political prisoners
personal data
SURNAME Schmid, Werner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss free economy politician (LdU, LSP)
DATE OF BIRTH November 6, 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH Zollikon
DATE OF DEATH April 29, 1981
Place of death Zurich