Constantin Fehrenbach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Constantin Fehrenbach
Fehrenbach in 1913
Chancellor of Germany (Weimar Republic)
In office 25 June 1920 – 10 May 1921
President	Friedrich Ebert
Deputy	Rudolf Heinze
Preceded by	Hermann Müller
Succeeded by	Joseph Wirth
President of the Weimar National Assembly / President of the Reichstag
In office 14 February 1919 – 21 June 1920
President	Friedrich Ebert
Chancellor	Philipp Scheidemann
Preceded by	Eduard David
Succeeded by	Paul Löbe (as President of the Reichstag)
In office June 1918 – November 1918
Monarch	Wilhelm II
Chancellor	Georg von Hertling Prince Maximilian of Baden
Preceded by	Johannes Kaempf
Succeeded by	Eduard David (as President of the Weimar National Assembly)
Member of the Reichstag
In office 24 June 1920 – 26 March 1926
Constituency	Baden
Member of the Weimar National Assembly
In office 6 February 1919 – 21 May 1920
Constituency	Baden
Personal details
Born	(1852-01-11)11 January 1852 Wellendingen, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Died	26 March 1926(1926-03-26) (aged 74) Freiburg im Breisgau
Political party	Centre Party
Signature

Constantin Fehrenbach (born January 11, 1852 – died March 26, 1926) was an important German politician. He was a main leader of the Catholic Centre Party. He served as the head of the German parliament (the Reichstag) in 1918. Later, he led the group that created Germany's new government after World War I, called the Weimar National Assembly, from 1919 to 1920.

In June 1920, Fehrenbach became the Chancellor of Germany. This meant he was the head of the government. During his time as Chancellor, his biggest challenge was making sure Germany followed the rules of the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty was signed after World War I. He left his job in May 1921 because his government could not agree on how to pay for the war damages to the Allied countries. Fehrenbach continued to be a member of the Reichstag and led his party's group there until he passed away in 1926.

Early Life and Education

Constantin Fehrenbach was born on January 11, 1852. His birthplace was Wellendingen, a town near Bonndorf in what was then the Grand Duchy of Baden. His father, Johann Georg Fehrenbach, was a teacher.

From 1865, Constantin went to school in Freiburg. He finished high school in 1871. He first studied Catholic theology at the University of Freiburg. But in 1875, he changed his studies to law. While at university, he joined a student group that helped him meet important people in the local community. In 1882, he started working as a lawyer in Freiburg. He quickly became a very successful criminal lawyer. In 1879, Fehrenbach married Maria Hossner. They had one daughter together.

Political Journey

Early Steps in the German Empire

Fehrenbach started his political career in 1884. He became a member of the Freiburg city council for the Catholic Centre Party. The next year, he was elected to the state parliament of Baden. He left this role in 1887 because he disagreed with his party's leader about ending some laws against Catholics. These laws were part of a time called the Kulturkampf, when the government tried to control the Catholic Church.

In 1895, Fehrenbach became a member of the city government in Freiburg. In 1901, he was re-elected to the Baden state parliament and stayed there until 1913. From 1907 to 1909, he was even its president.

In 1903, Fehrenbach also became a member of the Imperial Reichstag, which was Germany's national parliament. He became well-known across Germany on December 3, 1913. This was after he gave a famous speech about the Zabern Affair. This event was a conflict between the German military and citizens in the town of Zabern. Fehrenbach spoke out against the military and strongly supported the idea of a country ruled by law, not just by the army.

In 1917, Fehrenbach became the head of an important committee in the Reichstag. This committee could talk with the government about foreign policy and how the war was being fought. He supported a plan for peace that did not involve taking land from other countries. In July 1918, Fehrenbach became the last President of the Imperial Reichstag.

Revolution and the Weimar National Assembly

During the start of the German Revolution of 1918–1919, Fehrenbach wanted to keep the monarchy (a system with a king or emperor). He tried to bring the Imperial Reichstag back together. However, the new revolutionary government did not agree.

Fehrenbach was elected to the Weimar National Assembly on January 19, 1919. This was Germany's first election where women could vote. When the Assembly met on February 6, its job was to write a new constitution for Germany. It also acted as a temporary parliament. Fehrenbach was first chosen as its vice president. But because other top jobs were held by another party, he was later elected as the Assembly's president.

As President of the National Assembly, Fehrenbach had to deal with a very difficult question: Should Germany accept the Treaty of Versailles? On May 12, he gave a speech to the Reichstag. He said that they had hoped for a peace based on understanding between countries. Instead, he felt the treaty would continue the conflict. The Assembly eventually agreed to the Treaty, even though it was very hard for Germany. Under Fehrenbach's leadership, the Assembly also discussed and approved the Weimar Constitution, which was the new set of rules for Germany's government.

Leading the Country as Chancellor

The election in 1920 changed the government. The main parties that had worked together before lost many votes. This led to a new government being formed by the Centre Party, the German Democratic Party, and the German People's Party. After some thought, Fehrenbach agreed to become the Chancellor. His government had only a small number of seats in the parliament. This made it weak and difficult to handle the many problems Germany faced.

As Chancellor, Fehrenbach had to deal with several internal conflicts. There was a communist uprising called the March Action, which the government stopped. There was also an uprising by Polish groups in Silesia. His government also made some improvements to unemployment benefits for people without jobs.

The most important job during his time as Chancellor was making sure Germany followed the rules of the Treaty of Versailles. Fehrenbach led the German group at the Spa conference in July 1920. Here, they talked about Germany's military and the money Germany had to pay for war damages. The total amount of these payments was also discussed at meetings in Paris and London in early 1921.

At a conference in London in March, Fehrenbach and his foreign minister protested against the very high payments. To make Germany accept the payment terms, the Allied countries gave Germany an ultimatum on May 5. They threatened to occupy a part of Germany if it did not agree to the payments and other treaty rules.

Fehrenbach's government had heard rumors of this ultimatum a few days before. Since one of his supporting parties had already said it would no longer back the government's foreign policy, Fehrenbach's government resigned on May 4. He stayed in charge for a few more days until a new Chancellor took over on May 10.

After Being Chancellor

In 1922, Fehrenbach became a judge on the Constitutional Court. This court protected the rules of the Weimar Constitution. In late 1923, Fehrenbach was chosen to lead the Centre Party's group in the Reichstag. He held this important position until he passed away in 1926.

After the murder of Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau in 1922, Fehrenbach became a leader in a group that worked against prejudice towards Jewish people. He also supported the creation of the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold in 1924. This was a group formed by several political parties to protect the new German republic from its enemies in a peaceful way.

Constantin Fehrenbach died on March 26, 1926, in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Images for kids

• 

  Constantin Fehrenbach's signature

See also

In Spanish: Constantin Fehrenbach para niños