Kurt Schumacher
Kurt Schumacher | |
|---|---|
Schumacher between 1945 and 1948 | |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
| In office 10 May 1946 – 20 August 1952 | |
| Deputy | Erich Ollenhauer Wilhelm Knothe |
| Preceded by | Hans Vogel |
| Succeeded by | Erich Ollenhauer |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 7 September 1949 – 20 August 1952 | |
| Chancellor | Konrad Adenauer |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Erich Ollenhauer |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party in the Bundestag | |
| In office 7 September 1949 – 20 August 1952 | |
| Deputy | Erich Ollenhauer Carlo Schmid |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Erich Ollenhauer |
| Member of the Bundestag for Hannover South | |
| In office 7 September 1949 – 20 August 1952 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Ernst Winter |
| Member of the Reichstag for Württemberg | |
| In office 13 October 1930 – 22 June 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member constituency |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Member of the Landtag of Württemberg for Stuttgart | |
| In office 4 May 1924 – 26 January 1931 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member constituency |
| Succeeded by | Erhard Schneckenburger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Curt Ernst Carl Schumacher 13 October 1895 Kulm, West Prussia, German Empire (now Chełmno, Poland) |
| Died | 20 August 1952 (aged 56) Bonn, West Germany |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (from 1918) |
| Alma mater | University of Halle-Wittenberg |
| Occupation | Jurist, politician |
Curt Ernst Carl Schumacher, better known as Kurt Schumacher (13 October 1895 – 20 August 1952), was a German politician and resistance fighter against the Nazis. He was chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany from 1946 and the first Leader of the Opposition in the Bundestag in West Germany in 1949; he served in both positions until his death.
Upon Adolf Hitler's seizure of power, Schumacher was imprisoned for ten years in various Nazi concentration camps. After World War II, he was one of the founding fathers of postwar German democracy. Throughout his life, he opposed far-right and far-left political movements, including the Nazi Party and the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). Referencing the concept of red fascism, Schumacher described the KPD as "red-painted Nazis".