Konrad Henlein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Konrad Henlein
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Freikorps leader Henlein, September 1938
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| Gauleiter of Reichsgau Sudetenland | |
| In office 1 October 1938 – 8 May 1945 |
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| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Reichsstatthalter of Reichsgau Sudetenland | |
| In office 1 May 1939 – 8 May 1945 |
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| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 May 1898 Maffersdorf, Reichenberg, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 10 May 1945 (aged 47) Pilsen, Czechoslovakia |
| Political party | NSDAP (1939–1945) |
| Other political affiliations |
SdP (1933–1938) |
| Profession | Bank clerk |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary Nazi Germany |
| Branch/service |  Austro-Hungarian Army Schutzstaffel |
| Rank | Kriegsfreiwilliger SS-Obergruppenführer |
| Unit | Tiroler Kaiser-Jäger-Regiment Nr. 3 Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 27 |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (born May 6, 1898 – died May 10, 1945) was an important Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. The Sudeten Germans were people of German background who lived in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
After Germany took over parts of Czechoslovakia in October 1938, Henlein joined the Nazi Party and the SS. He was then made Gauleiter (a regional leader) of the Sudetenland. When the Reichsgau Sudetenland was officially formed on May 1, 1939, he became its Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor).
Contents
Early Life and Military Service
Konrad Henlein was born in Maffersdorf (now Vratislavice nad Nisou) near Reichenberg (Liberec). This area was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. His father was a clerk, and his mother had both Czech and German family roots.
Growing up, Henlein saw a lot of tension between the German and Czech communities in Reichenberg. Germans had lived there for a long time, but new Czech people were moving in to work in factories. The Germans often felt that the Czechs were less cultured and willing to work for lower wages. This environment of German-Czech tension greatly shaped Henlein's views.
Henlein went to business school. During World War I, he joined the Austro-Hungarian Army as a volunteer soldier (Kriegsfreiwilliger). He served on the Italian Front from May 1916 to November 1917. He was wounded and then captured by Italian troops. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war (POW). While a POW, he studied the history of the German Turner (gymnastics) movement. His experiences as a "front fighter" (Frontkämpfer) in the war were important in forming his political ideas.
Becoming a Gymnastics Leader
After the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke apart in 1919, Henlein returned home. He became a bank clerk in Gablonz (now Jablonec nad Nisou), which was part of the new country of Czechoslovakia.
The Sudeten German community was a strong supporter of the völkisch movement. This movement focused on German national identity and culture. Henlein believed these ideas were the best way forward for the ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland. They had been favored by the authorities in the old Austrian Empire but now felt like outsiders in Czechoslovakia.
Henlein joined the Turnerbund (gymnastics association). This group was very important in Sudeten German community life. By 1923, he was promoting völkisch ideas in his local club. The völkisch idea was that healthy bodies made for a healthy nation. So, sports and völkisch activities were closely linked. In 1925, Henlein became a gym teacher for the gymnastics club in Asch (Aš). This club was similar to the Czech Sokol movement, which also combined physical activity with national pride. Henlein's role as a Turnerbund leader gave him a lot of influence.
Under his leadership, his local Turnerbund group grew. Henlein became well-known in the Sudetenland. He worked closely with another Turnerbund leader, Heinz Rutha. Rutha believed in the unity of "body and soul," saying that healthy male bodies made for a healthy race. He also led a youth movement called Wandervogel, where young men went on camping trips to connect with nature and German nationalist ideas.
Henlein believed that keeping men strong and "masculine" was key for the Turnerbund. He wanted his followers to be "complete men." His club's success in sports, especially when they beat Czech athletes in Prague in 1926, made him even more famous.
In May 1928, Henlein wrote in the Turnerbund journal that the Turnerbund should be the "school" for the Sudeten nation. Politics in the Sudetenland were divided between "activists" who wanted to work with Czechoslovakia and "negativists" who did not. Henlein was a "negativist." By 1928, the Turnerbund started acting like a political party, opposing the "activist" parties. In December 1930, Henlein wrote that all Sudeten Germans should follow völkisch ideas. He said that groups like Fascism and the Hitler movement were examples of "disciplined male groups" that ruled the present.
In May 1931, Henlein became president of the Turnerbund. Under his leadership, the group became more focused on völkisch ideas and military-like training. In July 1933, Henlein organized a large festival in Saaz (now Žatec, Czech Republic). About 20,000 Turnerbund members marched in a show of unity. Henlein announced that the Turnerbund was now the "educational body of the Sudeten Germans."
Becoming a Party Leader
After the Saaz rally, many saw Henlein as an important leader. He knew that the Czechoslovak government was about to ban two main völkisch parties. So, on October 1, 1933, Henlein started his own political group, the Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront ("Sudeten German Home Front," SHF). This group aimed to get autonomy (self-rule) for the German minority.
The SHF was secretly supported by Germany from April 1934. To avoid being banned by Czechoslovakia, Henlein publicly praised democracy. However, his speeches always had a strong völkisch tone. He often spoke about the need for "unity" among Sudeten Germans. He wanted them to act as "one body" to "right" the "injustice of 1918" (when the Sudetenland became part of Czechoslovakia).
Henlein wanted the Sudetenland to have self-rule within Czechoslovakia. He also spoke of the SdP having a "Christian worldview," which was a way to signal anti-Semitic views in Central Europe at the time. He encouraged his followers to avoid businesses owned by Czechs and Jews.
On April 19, 1935, the SHF was renamed the Sudeten German Party (Sudetendeutsche Partei, SdP) due to pressure from the Czechoslovak government. In the parliamentary election of May 1935, the SdP received strong support from the Nazi Party. It won 15.2% of the votes, becoming the largest party in Czechoslovakia. It also won about 68% of the ethnic German vote. High unemployment in the Sudetenland helped Henlein gain support. The SdP received a lot of secret financial help from Germany.
Henlein also tried to get support from other countries, especially Britain. He hoped they would pressure Czechoslovakia to grant autonomy to the Sudetenland. In July 1935, he met with British spy Captain Graham Christie. Henlein enjoyed being courted by foreign governments, as it boosted his authority within his party.
In December 1935, Henlein visited London. He gave a speech at Chatham House about the Sudeten Germans. He claimed to accept Czechoslovakia's constitution and treaties. He also said he was for "honest democracy" and denied having any contact with Germany. However, he admitted his party was a völkisch party. Many in Britain were sympathetic to the idea that the Sudetenland should have been allowed to join Germany or Austria after World War I.
In May 1936, Czechoslovak Prime Minister Milan Hodža said his government would prevent Henlein from succeeding. On June 12, 1936, Henlein complained that Czechoslovak law only protected individual rights, not the rights of "racial groups." He argued that people needed the right to assert their "racial identity." This was a direct challenge to Czechoslovakia's idea of individual rights.
In July 1936, Henlein went to London again. He spoke about the problems faced by the German minority in Czechoslovakia. In August 1936, he briefly met Hitler in Berlin during the Olympics. It was known in London that Germany was secretly funding Henlein's party.
Starting in January 1937, the British government urged Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš to negotiate with Henlein. Beneš refused, believing in Czechoslovakia's future. However, in February 1937, Beneš did promise some reforms. These included more funding for German cultural groups and greater use of German as an official language. But Henlein demanded more. He wanted all "racial groups" in Czechoslovakia to have their own "national organizations" to manage their internal affairs. Beneš rejected these demands, seeing them as an attempt to break up Czechoslovakia.
By 1937, Henlein openly supported Adolf Hitler. He adopted the Nazi slogan Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer! ("One People, One Country, One Leader!"). This meant he wanted the Sudetenland, which was mostly German-speaking, to become part of Germany. Unknown to Henlein, Hitler was already planning to attack Austria and Czechoslovakia.
On November 19, 1937, Henlein wrote to Hitler. He asked for support as the sole leader of the Sudeten Germans. He said Germans and Czechs could not live together and offered to support any German move to bring the Sudetenland "home to the Reich." Henlein's position as party leader was weak, so he decided to fully align with Berlin to save his career.
The 1938 Crisis
Henlein's party played a big role in the crisis that led to the Munich Agreement on September 30, 1938. After Germany took over Austria (the Anschluss) in March 1938, there was great excitement in the Sudetenland. Henlein's party held huge rallies where people shouted "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!" and "Home to the Reich!". Henlein declared his party was the only voice for the Sudetenland.
On March 28, 1938, Henlein secretly met Hitler in Berlin. They agreed that Henlein would demand autonomy for the Sudetenland. These demands would be so extreme that Czechoslovakia could not accept them. This would give Germany a reason to invade. Henlein promised Hitler, "We must make demands that cannot be satisfied." He was told to appear moderate while making extreme demands and never to negotiate honestly.
Hitler wanted Henlein to demand that Sudeten Germans serve in their own military units with German as the command language. Henlein kept this demand secret for later. Hitler wanted to make Czechoslovakia look stubborn to the world. This would make France less likely to help Czechoslovakia if Germany attacked. Henlein was also told to contact other minority groups in Czechoslovakia to make the country seem unstable.
On April 24, 1938, at a party meeting in Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), Henlein announced the 8-point Karlsbad programme. This program demanded autonomy for the Sudetenland. He still claimed loyalty to Czechoslovakia. The program seemed moderate, but its real purpose was to make Czechoslovakia seem unwilling to compromise, giving Germany an excuse to invade. If Czechoslovakia accepted the 8 points, Henlein was to demand even more, such as German military units under local control, which he knew Czechoslovakia would never accept.
The Karlsbad programme caused high tensions between Germany and Czechoslovakia. Henlein also added the "Aryan paragraph" to his party's rules, officially adopting völkisch racism. Despite this, some British officials still saw Henlein as a "moderate."
Germany's plan to attack Czechoslovakia was called Fall Grun (Case Green), set for October 1, 1938. Henlein played a key role in this plan. He was to create a public relations campaign showing the Sudeten Germans as victims of Czechoslovakia. This would turn world opinion against Czechoslovakia and make Britain pressure France to abandon its alliance with Czechoslovakia.
On May 12, 1938, Henlein visited London to promote his demands for autonomy. He seemed reasonable and charming. He told British politicians he was not working for Hitler and only wanted fair treatment for his people. He claimed he was against the Sudetenland joining Germany, saying he didn't want to be pushed aside like Austrian Nazis were after the Anschluss. However, he warned that if Prague refused his demands, Germany would invade.
Henlein met with many British politicians and journalists. He even met Winston Churchill, comparing the Sudetenland issue to Ireland's demand for Home Rule. Churchill initially thought Henlein only wanted "Home Rule" for the Sudetenland.
On May 24, 1938, British officials began to support the Karlsbad programme. They believed that the ethnic Germans and Czechs could not live together and favored autonomy for the Sudetenland. Some even thought Germany should be allowed to annex the Sudetenland if no agreement was reached.
In May 1938, local elections in the Sudetenland showed that 87%-90% of Sudeten Germans supported Henlein's party. In August 1938, Lord Runciman visited Czechoslovakia to study the issue. His report largely agreed with Henlein, stating that Germans and Czechs should be separated.
In early September 1938, President Beneš proposed a "Fourth Plan" for constitutional changes. This plan would grant the Sudetenland autonomy but did not meet all of Henlein's demands. On September 7, 1938, Henlein broke off all talks with the Czechoslovak government, saying he was not interested in compromise.
From September 12, 1938, Henlein helped organize hundreds of terrorist attacks and two coup attempts by the Sudetendeutsches Freikorps, a paramilitary group. This happened after Hitler's speech in Nuremberg where he demanded the Sudetenland join Germany. The uprising was quickly stopped by Czechoslovak forces. Henlein fled to Germany to avoid arrest.
Hitler's plan for war was stopped by Britain. Britain believed Hitler only wanted the Sudetenland and pressured Czechoslovakia to make concessions. The Munich Agreement on September 30, 1938, ended the crisis. It stated that the Sudetenland would peacefully become part of Germany over ten days in October 1938. Hitler saw this as a diplomatic defeat because it prevented the war he wanted. However, Henlein was relieved that his home region avoided war.
German Occupation and Later Life
When the German army entered the Sudetenland on October 1, 1938, Henlein was made Reichskommissar (Reich Commissioner) and Gauleiter for Reichsgau Sudetenland. He also became an SS-Gruppenführer (a high rank in the SS). His party, the SdP, merged with Hitler's Nazi Party on November 5, 1938.
Henlein was responsible for organizing the Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) attacks against Jewish homes and businesses in the Sudetenland on November 9, 1938. He was involved in taking over businesses and properties owned by Jewish people. He himself took a villa in Reichenberg (now Liberec) that belonged to a Jewish businessman. This remained his home until 1945. Henlein was elected to the Reichstag (German parliament) in December 1938 and officially joined the Nazi Party on January 26, 1939.
After Germany took over the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Henlein briefly led the civil administration of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He welcomed this, saying it restored "natural Czech subservience" to Germans. He believed Bohemia and Moravia were "German lands" that were "occupied" by Czechs. However, most power went to his rival, Karl Hermann Frank.
On May 1, 1939, Henlein was named Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) of Reichsgau Sudetenland. This gave him control over both party and government roles in his area. On November 16, 1942, he was also named Reich Defense Commissioner for the Reichsgau. He held these positions until the end of the war.
Henlein tried to put his loyal followers in important positions. However, he faced challenges from powerful Nazi figures like Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich believed Henlein was "soft" because he had tried to create a broad political party in the 1930s. Henlein eventually gave in to Heydrich's demands. However, when Henlein heard of Heydrich's assassination, he openly celebrated.
As Gauleiter, Henlein focused on policies against the Czech minority in the Sudetenland. He deeply disliked Czechs. He created an "apartheid" system, forcing Germans and Czechs to live separately with much worse facilities for Czechs. He openly stated that Czechs in the Sudetenland were to serve as "helots" (slaves) to the Germans. He banned Czech children from going beyond primary school. He also used tax policies to take land from Czech farmers and give it to German settlers. Henlein wanted to make the Sudetenland completely German. However, the need for Czech workers in war industries meant that more Czechs lived in the Sudetenland in 1945 than in 1938.
Henlein was a complex person. He enjoyed poetry, nature, and playing the piano. He was also deeply concerned about his people. But as Gauleiter, he was loyal to Hitler and carried out the harsh policies of the Third Reich without mercy towards Czechs or Jews. In late 1942, Henlein completed the campaign to make the Sudetenland judenfrei ("free of Jews") by sending the last Jewish people to the Theresienstadt concentration camp.
His political power was somewhat limited. He was considered one of the milder Nazis, which led some, like RSHA leader Reinhard Heydrich, to try to remove him. But Henlein's good relationship with Hitler protected him. In the last days of World War II, Henlein tried to convince Hitler to move to the Sudetenland mountains to continue the war. In a speech on May 8, 1945, Henlein said all his actions were driven by his love for the Sudetenlanders.
In Fiction
- Harry Turtledove's The War That Came Early novel series starts with Henlein being assassinated on September 28, 1938. This causes a version of World War II to begin in 1938.
- "Henleinists" are mentioned in Martha Gellhorn's novel A Stricken Field (1940).
- Henlein is part of a murder investigation in Philip Kerr's novel "Prague Fatale."
- He was also shown as a child in the Czechoslovak film "Jára Cimrman ležíci spíci."
Summary of His Career
Dates of Rank
- SS-Gruppenführer: October 9, 1938
- SS-Obergruppenführer: June 21, 1943
Awards / Decorations
- War Merit Cross 1st and 2nd Class Without Swords
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See also
- Germans in Czechoslovakia (1918–1938)
- List SS-Obergruppenführer
