Wilhelm Groener
| Wilhelm Groener | |
|---|---|
As Defence Minister in 1928
|
|
| Chief of the German General Staff | |
|
In office 3 July 1919 – 7 July 1919 |
|
| Preceded by | Paul von Hindenburg |
| Succeeded by | Hans von Seeckt |
Reich Minister of Transport Weimar Republic
|
|
|
In office 25 June 1920 – 12 August 1923 |
|
| Chancellor |
Konstantin Fehrenbach Joseph Wirth Wilhelm Cuno |
| Preceded by | Gustav Bauer |
| Succeeded by | Rudolf Oeser |
|
Reich Minister of Defence Weimar Republic
|
|
|
In office 20 January 1928 – 13 May 1932 |
|
| Chancellor |
Wilhelm Marx Hermann Müller Heinrich Brüning |
| Preceded by | Otto Gessler |
| Succeeded by | Kurt von Schleicher |
|
Reich Minister of the Interior Weimar Republic
|
|
|
In office 9 October 1931 – 30 May 1932 |
|
| Chancellor | Heinrich Brüning |
| Preceded by | Joseph Wirth |
| Succeeded by | Wilhelm von Gayl |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Karl Eduard Wilhelm Groener 22 November 1867 Ludwigsburg, , Württemberg |
| Died | 3 May 1939 (aged 71) , Brandenburg, Nazi Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | Independent |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire
|
| Service/branch |
 German Army
|
| Years of service | 1884-1919 |
| Rank | Generalleutnant |
Karl Eduard Wilhelm Groener (22 November 1867 – 3 May 1939) was a German soldier and politician. His organisational and logistical abilities resulted in a successful military career before and during World War I.
After a confrontation with the Quartermaster general of the German army and de facto dictator of Germany, Erich Ludendorff, Groener was reassigned to a field command. However, on Ludendorff's dismissal in October 1918, Groener succeeded him as Erster Generalquartiermeister. Groener then worked with the new Social Democratic president Friedrich Ebert to prevent chaos and a left-wing take-over during the German Revolution of 1918–19. Under his command the military bloodily suppressed leftist uprisings throughout Germany. Yet he also tried to integrate the military, which was dominated by an aristocratic and monarchistic officer corps, into the new republic.
After resigning from the army in the summer of 1919, Groener served in several governments of the Weimar Republic as minister of transportation, interior and defence. He was pushed out of the government in 1932 by Kurt von Schleicher, who was working on a pact with the Nazis. Groener was an obstacle to the pact.
Wilhelm Groener was born in Ludwigsburg in the Kingdom of Württemberg as the son of Karl Eduard Groener (1837-1893), regimental paymaster, and his wife Auguste (née Boleg, 1825-1907) on 22 November 1867. After attending gymnasium at Ulm and Ludwigsburg, where his father had been stationed, Groener entered the 3. Württembergische Infanterie Regiment Nummer 121 of the Württemberg Army in 1884. In 1890, he was promoted to Bataillonsadjutant and from 1893 to 1896 attended the War Academy at Berlin, where he finished top of his class. In 1899, Groener married Helene Geyer (1864–1926) in Schwäbisch Gmünd. They had a daughter, Dorothea Groener-Geyer (b.1900).
...
Wikipedia