Julius Leber German politician. Date of Birth: 16.11.1891 Country: Germany

Biography of Julius Leber

Julius Leber was a German political figure and participant in a conspiracy against Adolf Hitler. He was born to Jean Leber, a bricklayer, and Katharina Schubert, who got married after Julius' birth. Leber was greatly influenced by his francophile grandfather, who advocated for the autonomy of Alsace. He completed his education at the professional-technical school in Breisach, Baden in 1908 and worked as an apprentice at a wallpaper factory in the same city. In 1910, he enrolled in a higher real gymnasium, which he finished two years later. During his studies, he earned a living through tutoring and reporting. In 1912, he studied economics and history at the universities of Strasbourg and Freiburg.

In 1912-1913, Leber was a member of the Catholic student union Rheno-Frankonia, but was expelled for violating the "principle of faith" mandatory for union members. In 1913, he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He interrupted his studies due to the outbreak of World War I and volunteered for the army. He was wounded twice, promoted to lieutenant, and decorated. After the war, he served in the border guard unit "East" and was enrolled in the Reichswehr. In 1920, during the "Kapp Putsch" (an uprising by extreme right-wing military and civilian groups against the Weimar Republic), he spoke out against the participants. He resigned shortly after, as most Reichswehr officers either participated in the coup or sympathized with it.

Leber completed his higher education at the University of Freiburg, earning a doctoral degree. From 1921, he served as the chief editor of the social democratic newspaper "Lübecker Volksbote" (in the early 1930s, future German Chancellor Willy Brandt also collaborated in the newspaper). From 1921 to 1933, Leber was a member of the Lübeck Parliament, and from 1924 to 1933, a Reichstag deputy where he primarily dealt with defense matters. He was considered a right-wing social democrat and advocate of reformist views, opposing cooperation with communists as he believed they, like the Nazis, posed a threat to the Weimar Republic.

On January 31, 1933, the Nazi Party (NSDAP), SA, SS, "Stahlhelm," and the Land Military Association organized a torchlight procession in Lübeck to celebrate Hitler's rise to power. This provoked clashes between the Nazis, police, and the social democratic militarized organization "Reichsbanner" (led by Leber) and other anti-fascist forces. In the course of these events, an attempt was made on Leber's life, and he was wounded. The next morning, on February 1, a Social Democrat fatally wounded an SA activist. After this, Leber was arrested but soon released at the demand of Lübeck workers.

In March 1933, he was arrested again, despite parliamentary immunity. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison on charges of being an "inspiration" for the murder of a Nazi. After his release from prison, he was held in concentration camps in Esterwegen and Sachsenhausen from 1935 to 1937 as a "security threat." During his imprisonment, he wrote a work in which he considered the lack of reliable republican-minded armed forces and judicial institutions as one of the reasons for the collapse of the Weimar Republic. He believed that the Social Democrats had made a fundamental mistake by not seeking the reorganization of the army and courts. In 1937, he was released and became a co-owner of a coal shop in Berlin, which served as a cover for his involvement in the Resistance. He reestablished contact with active members of the German Social Democratic Party, including Wilhelm Leuschner, Adolf Reichwein, Gustav Dahrendorf, and others. From 1940, he was in contact with opposition military figures and was acquainted with Claus von Stauffenberg. He also collaborated with representatives of the conservative opposition led by Karl Friedrich Goerdeler and the "Kreisau Circle," which also had an anti-Nazi character.

Leber was considered a candidate for the post of Minister of Internal Affairs in the post-Hitler government of Germany. Stauffenberg regarded him as one of the possible candidates for the post of Chancellor in post-war Germany (immediately after Hitler's overthrow, during the "transitional period," he considered it possible to appoint Goerdeler to this position). As a proponent of deep social reforms and simultaneous reconciliation on both the Western and Eastern fronts, Leber believed it was possible to reach agreements with the communists on an anti-Nazi basis. He entered into negotiations with the underground leadership of the Communist Party and was arrested by the Gestapo on July 5, 1944. The historiography of West Germany and unified Germany suggests that his arrest was due to the presence of a Gestapo agent among the communist underground. The historiography of East Germany, which idealized the role of the Communist Party in the Resistance, denied the validity of this version.

In October, Leber appeared before the People's Court and was sentenced to death. He displayed courage during the trial. One of the journalists present at the tribunal recalled that he had never seen such noble character and deep conviction in his life as Leber displayed during the announcement of his sentence. He was executed on January 5, 1945, at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin.