Robert Ley
Robert Ley | |
|---|---|
Ley in the 1930s | |
| Reich Organization Leader of the Nazi Party | |
| In office 10 November 1934 – 8 May 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Adolf Hitler |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Head of the German Labour Front | |
| In office 10 May 1933 – 8 May 1945 | |
| Leader | Adolf Hitler |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Chief of Staff of the Reich Organization Leader of the Nazi Party | |
| In office 9 December 1932 – 10 November 1934 | |
| Leader | Adolf Hitler |
| Preceded by | Gregor Strasser |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Gauleiter of Southern Rhineland, later Rhineland | |
| In office 17 July 1925 – 31 May 1931 | |
| Preceded by | Heinrich Haake |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Additional positions | |
| 1940—1945 | Reichskommissar for Social Housing Construction |
| 1933—1945 | Member of the Prussian State Council |
| 1933–1945 | Reichsleiter of the Nazi Party |
| 1933–1945 | Member of the Greater German Reichstag |
| June – December 1932 | Reichsinspecteur of the Nazi Party |
| 1930–1933 | Member of the Reichstag |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 February 1890 Niederbreidenbach, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 25 October 1945 (aged 55) Nuremberg, Germany |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Political party | Nazi Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Elisabeth Schmidt
(m. 1921; div. 1938)Inge Spilcker
(m. 1938; died 1942) |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | Friedrich Ley Emilie Wald |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Head of the German Labour Front (1933–1945) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Branch/service | Imperial German Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1920 |
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Unit | 10th Foot Artillery Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Iron Cross 2nd class Wound Badge, in silver |
Robert Ley (German: [ˈlaɪ]; 15 February 1890 – 25 October 1945) was a German Nazi politician and head of the German Labour Front during its entire existence, from 1933 to 1945. He also held many other high positions in the Nazi Party, including Gauleiter, Reichsleiter and Reichsorganisationsleiter.
Son of a farmer from the Rhine Province, Ley saw action in both the eastern and western fronts of the First World War and received the Iron Cross Second Class. After the war he resumed his studies in chemistry, obtained his doctorate, and worked for IG Farben as a food chemist. Radicalised following the French occupation of the Ruhr, Ley joined the Nazi Party in 1925 and subsequently became the Gauleiter of Southern Rhineland (later Rhineland). Steadily rising through the ranks, he was elected to the Reichstag in 1930, and replaced Gregor Strasser as Reichsorganisationsleiter in 1932.
In 1933, Hitler appointed Ley head of the newly founded German Labour Front following the suppression of the trade unions. In addition to facilitating German rearmament, Ley also presided over the creation of a number of programs, including Strength Through Joy and the Volkswagen. Ley's influence declined after the outbreak of the Second World War, his role as leader of the German workforce supplanted by Fritz Todt (and later Albert Speer) and his alcoholism gradually coming into focus. Nevertheless, he retained Hitler's favour, and remained part of Hitler's inner circle until the last months of the war.
Ley was captured by American paratroopers near the Austrian border at the end of the war. He died by suicide in October 1945 while awaiting trial at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity and war crimes.