Hermann Rauschning

Nationality

Germany/Danzig

Date of Birth

1887

Date of Death

1982

Political
Preference

Hermann Rauschning was born in 1887 in the Thorn (now Turuń) as the son of a Prussian Army officer. He got his doctorate from Berlin University in 1911. In the 1930s, Rauschning was a prominent member of the historical society in Posen (now Poznań). In 1930, he published the book Die Entdeutschung Westpreußens und Posens (The Degermanisation of West Prussia and Posen), in which he argued that the Germans were under a constant pressure to leave Poland. In 1932, Rauschning became the leader of the Danzig Land League. This position lead to Rauschning joining the NSDAP. When Hitler came to power in 1933, the Nazis won control over Danzig’s government and Rauschning was made President of the Senate of Danzig. Rauschning’s view on German-Polish relations consisted of Poland becoming a vassal state of Germany and thus differed from the general NSDAP view.

In November 1934, Rauschning resigned from the Senate and the Nazi Party. In the 1935 Danzig elections, Rauschning publicly supported constitutionalist candidates against the Nazis. This political shift put Rauschning in personal danger. This led to him fleeing to Poland in 1936, to Switzerland in 1938, to France in 1938 and the United Kingdom in 1939. Rauschning jointed German émigrés, but was one of the most conservative emigrants. He tried to play a leading role in the German Freedom Party, but due to tension between Rauschning and the leader of the party – Carl Spiecher – this did not work out. During the war, Rauschning was a strong proponent for Christian resistance against Hitler.

In 1941, Rauschning moved to the United States. Given his political background, he was invited by the Commission on a Just and Durable Peace, led by John Foster Dulles, to join a group of other European exiles to inform Americans on the European situation in their home countries and discuss the future of the continent. He stayed in America until his death in 1982. During this time, he remained politically active, strongly opposing the policies of Konrad Adenauer.