Constantin Fehrenbach – From Freiburg Lawyer and Local Politician to Reich Chancellor

“A man of the most brilliant eloquence,” who knew how to weigh major issues from a statesmanlike perspective and to find compromises and ways to resolve them. With these words, the official organ of the Baden Center Party paid tribute to Constantin Fehrenbach upon his death on March 26, 1926. For over forty years, Fehrenbach shaped both Baden’s politics and those of the Reich as a member of parliament, president of the parliament, and Reich Chancellor.

He became known as an advocate for the people of Alsace-Lorraine and for his advocacy of the primacy of civil authority over military force during the Zabern Affair in 1913. In 1918–1919, he was one of the key figures of the period of upheaval. In 1920, he assumed the thankless office of Reich Chancellor and negotiated the implementation of the Treaty of Versailles with the Entente powers. This lecture honors Fehrenbach’s work during the transition from the Wilhelmine era to the early Weimar Republic—with equal focus on Freiburg, Baden, and the imperial level.

Free admission!

Registration with the BGV office is recommended at: info@breisgau-geschichtsverein.de