Hans Luther facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hans Luther
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| Chancellor of Germany (Weimar Republic) |
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| In office 15 January 1925 – 12 May 1926 |
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| President | Friedrich Ebert Paul von Hindenburg |
| Preceded by | Wilhelm Marx |
| Succeeded by | Wilhelm Marx |
| President of the Reichsbank | |
| In office 7 March 1930 – 17 March 1933 |
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| Preceded by | Hjalmar Schacht |
| Succeeded by | Hjalmar Schacht |
| Reich Minister of Finance | |
| Acting 26 October 1925 – 20 January 1926 |
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| Chancellor | Himself |
| Preceded by | Otto von Schlieben |
| Succeeded by | Peter Reinhold |
| In office 6 October 1923 – 15 December 1924 |
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| Chancellor | Gustav Stresemann Wilhelm Marx |
| Preceded by | Rudolf Hilferding |
| Succeeded by | Otto von Schlieben |
| Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture | |
| In office 1 December 1922 – 4 October 1923 |
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| Chancellor | Wilhelm Cuno Gustav Stresemann |
| Preceded by | Karl Müller |
| Succeeded by | Gerhard von Kanitz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 March 1879 Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Berlin, Germany) |
| Died | 11 May 1962 (aged 83) Düsseldorf, West Germany |
| Political party | Independent |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician, diplomat |
Hans Luther (10 March 1879 – 11 May 1962) was an important German politician. He served as the Chancellor of Germany for about 16 months, from 1925 to 1926. Before becoming Chancellor, he was the Minister of Finance. In this role, he helped make the German currency stable during a time of extreme hyperinflation in 1923. Later, from 1930 to 1933, Luther led the Reichsbank, which was Germany's central bank. He also worked as the German Ambassador to the United States from 1933 to 1937.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hans Luther was born in Berlin, Germany, on March 10, 1879. His family was Lutheran, and his father, Otto, was a successful merchant.
Hans Luther went to the Leibniz-Gymnasium in Berlin. After finishing school, he studied law at universities in Geneva, Kiel, and Berlin from 1897 to 1901. In 1904, he earned a law degree (Dr.jur.). He passed another important law exam in 1906. After that, he started working in the Prussian government. He worked for the city council of Charlottenburg (now part of Berlin) in 1906 and 1907.
Luther was married twice. His first marriage was to Gertrud Schmidt from 1907 to 1924. They had three daughters together. In 1953, he married Gertrud Sioli.
Political Career
Local Politics and the German Empire
In 1907, Hans Luther was chosen to be part of the city council in Magdeburg. While there, he greatly increased the land used for Schreber gardens, which are small community gardens. He also took legal action against factories that were polluting the city's drinking water.
From 1913 to 1918, Luther was a member of the board for the Preußischer Städtetag. This group represented Prussian cities. In 1918, he became the Oberbürgermeister, or chief mayor, of Essen. During the German Revolution, he successfully worked with the workers' and soldiers' councils. He convinced them to cooperate with the city government and accept his leadership.
Weimar Republic and National Politics
In November 1922, Hans Luther was offered important government jobs, but he turned them down. However, on December 1, 1922, he became the Minister for Food and Agriculture. His main goal was to make sure that people, especially those struggling with high inflation, had enough food.
Stabilizing the Currency
In October 1923, Luther became the Minister of Finance. This was a very challenging time because Germany was facing extreme hyperinflation. Money was losing its value very quickly. Luther was in charge of fixing this problem and creating a new, stable currency.
On October 15, 1923, Luther presented a plan to stop the hyperinflation. He used emergency powers given to the government to put his plan into action. The central bank, led by Hjalmar Schacht, also helped by controlling the amount of money in circulation. Luther also worked to balance the government's budget. He raised taxes and cut government spending, including reducing the number of government employees.
Thanks to these efforts, the German currency became stable again. In August 1924, the old currency was replaced by the Reichsmark, a new currency backed by gold. Luther also helped Germany negotiate important trade agreements with other countries.
Chancellor of Germany
After the elections in December 1924, the political parties struggled to form a new government. On January 9, 1925, President Friedrich Ebert asked Hans Luther, who was not tied to any single party, to form a government. On January 16, Luther presented his new government. It included members from different parties and also experts who were civil servants.
When President Ebert died in February 1925, Luther temporarily took over as the acting head of state until a new president could be elected. Paul von Hindenburg was eventually elected as the new president.
Key Achievements as Chancellor
During his time as Chancellor, Luther's government achieved several important things:
- Trade Policy: Germany regained control over its trade policy, allowing it to negotiate fair trade agreements with countries like the UK, France, and the Soviet Union.
- Tax Reform: Taxes on income, capital, and sales were lowered, which helped the economy.
- Foreign Policy: Luther's government negotiated the Locarno Treaties in October 1925. These treaties helped improve relations between Germany and its neighbors. They also paved the way for Germany to join the League of Nations in 1926, an international organization aimed at promoting peace.
- Social Policy: Several improvements were made to social insurance. For example, accident insurance was expanded to cover more job-related illnesses and accidents.
Luther resigned as Chancellor in May 1926. This happened after he asked President Hindenburg to issue a rule about displaying the German flag. This rule caused disagreement in the Reichstag (German parliament). Wilhelm Marx became his successor.
Later Career
After being Chancellor, Luther continued to be active in public life. He joined the supervisory board of the German railway company, the Reichsbahn, in 1926. He also worked with an association of German mortgage banks.
In March 1930, Luther was appointed as the president of the Reichsbank, Germany's central bank. He gave up his other positions to focus on this important role. He supported the government's efforts to control inflation. In 1931, during a banking crisis, he worked hard to help German banks repay their loans to foreign lenders. In April 1932, he was shot and injured at a train station by attackers who disagreed with his money policies.
After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Luther resigned from the Reichsbank. However, he was then offered the job of German ambassador to Washington, D.C., in the United States, which he accepted.
In 1933, Luther gave a speech at Columbia University in the U.S. He talked about Hitler's "peaceful intentions" towards other European countries. He retired from public service in 1937.
After World War II, Luther continued to be involved in finance. He was a trustee for a private bank in Munich and a member of the supervisory board for another bank. In 1952, he received an honorary professorship. He also led a committee that looked at how Germany's federal states could be reorganized.
Hans Luther passed away in Düsseldorf on May 11, 1962.
Works
- Feste Mark - Solide Wirtschaft (Stable Currency - Solid Economy), 1924
- Politiker ohne Partei (Politician Without a Party), 1960
- Vor dem Abgrund 1930–1933 (Before the Abyss 1930–1933), 1964
See also
In Spanish: Hans Luther para niños
