Georg Michaelis
Georg Michaelis | |
|---|---|
Michaelis in 1932 | |
| Chancellor of the German Empire | |
| In office 14 July 1917 – 1 November 1917 | |
| Monarch | Wilhelm II |
| Deputy | Karl Helfferich |
| Preceded by | Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg |
| Succeeded by | Georg von Hertling |
| Minister President of Prussia | |
| In office 14 July 1917 – 1 November 1917 | |
| Preceded by | Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg |
| Succeeded by | Georg von Hertling |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 September 1857 Haynau, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | 24 July 1936 (aged 78) Bad Saarow, Province of Brandenburg, Nazi Germany |
| Political party | None as Chancellor, later the German National People's Party |
| Spouse | Margarete Schmidt |
| Children | Elisabeth Charlotte Emma Georg Sylvester Wilhelm Eva Martha |
| Signature | |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in Germany |
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Georg Michaelis (pronunciation, gee-ORG MEH-kay-liss; 8 September 1857 – 24 July 1936) was the imperial chancellor of the German Empire for a few months in 1917. He was the first (and, in the German Empire, the only) commoner to hold the post. With an economic background in business, Michaelis' main achievement was to encourage the ruling classes to open peace talks with Russia. Contemplating that the end of the war was near, he encouraged infrastructure development to facilitate recovery at war's end through the media of Mitteleuropa. A somewhat humourless character, known for process engineering, Michaelis was faced with insurmountable problems of logistics and supply in his brief period as chancellor.