Eugen Anton Bolz (15 December 1881 – 23 January 1945) was a German politician and a member of the resistance to the Nazi régime.

Life

Born in

Rottenburg am Neckar Rottenburg am Neckar (; until 10 July 1964 only ''Rottenburg''; Swabian: ''Raodaburg'') is a medium-sized town in the administrative district (''Landkreis'') of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies about 50 kilometres (31 miles) s ...

, Bolz was his parents' twelfth child. His father Joseph Bolz was a salesman. His mother was Maria Theresia Bolz (''née'' Huber). He married Maria Hoeness from

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

in 1920 and they had one daughter. Through his wife's family, Bolz was the uncle of Cardinal Paul Augustin Mayer (1911–2010).

Career

Bolz took his '' Abitur'' in 1900 at the Karls-Gymnasium in Stuttgart.Karls-Gymnasium Stuttgart (Hrsg.):125 Jahre Karls-Gymnasium Stuttgart, Stuttgart 2006 He was involved in the ''Windthorstbund'', the youth organization of the Centre Party. From 1900, he studied law at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...

and at the universities of

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

(1901) and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

(1901–02). He became a member of the Catholic student associations AV Guestfalia Tübingen, the KDStV Bavaria Bonn and the KAV Suevia Berlin, all in the CV. At the KAV Suevia Berlin he met the centre politician Felix Porsch who caused him to become a politician after graduation. In 1902, he continued his studies in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in three ...

and graduated in 1905 from the first state examination. He then completed the traineeship in Rottenburg, Ravensburg and Stuttgart. After Bolz had passed second state examination in 1909, he worked as a laborer at the prosecution of

. From 1911 to 1914, he worked as an assessor at the Stuttgart prosecution. During World War I he served as

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the Western Front in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

Peter Henkel:
"Der Sklavenstaat muss verschwinden".
' In: ''Kontext'', Ausgabe 195, 24. Dezember 2014. Not long after finishing his studies in Bonn and Berlin, he latched onto

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

as a career and joined the Centre Party, which he represented in the Reichstag from 1912 to 1933, and from 1915 to 1933, also in the

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...

''. In Württemberg, he became Justice Minister in 1919 and Interior Minister in 1923. At the time when the

National Socialists Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

seized power in 1933, Bolz was Württemberg's '' Staatspräsident'' – the first

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

to hold the position in predominantly

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Württemberg – and also Interior Minister. Since he was an adherent of Catholic social teaching, which made no secret of its loathing for the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

, it was no surprise that Bolz was one of the new régime's greatest opponents. Owing to this, he was forced from office early in 1933 and wound up spending several weeks in a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

. Led by the party whip, Bolz's party approved the new ''Ermächtigungsgesetz'' ("

Enabling Act An enabling act is a piece of legislation by which a legislative body grants an entity which depends on it (for authorization or legitimacy) the power to take certain actions. For example, enabling acts often establish government agencies to carr ...

") on 23 March 1933, even though it weighed heavily on their conscience. After being released from the concentration camp, Bolz moved back to

Beuron Beuron (Swabian: ''Beira'') is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Beuron is known for the Beuron Archabbey and the Beuron Art School for religious art. Geography Beuron is divided into subdistricts ( ...

, near Ulm. There, he forswore politics for a while, busying himself mainly with economic issues, papal social encyclicals, and Catholic Action. During this time of involuntary retirement, he sometimes did work as a tax advisor, and he always knew that the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

were watching him. In late 1941 and early 1942, he came into contact with the resistance circle about

Carl Friedrich Goerdeler Carl Friedrich Goerdeler (; 31 July 1884 – 2 February 1945) was a monarchist conservative German politician, executive, economist, civil servant and opponent of the Nazi regime. He opposed some anti-Jewish policies while he held office and was ...

. Bolz readily declared that he would like to take over a ministerial post in the new government after

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

was overthrown. Goerdeler put him down as Culture Minister in the cabinet that he foresaw having to put together. Among other things, this would have meant that Bolz would be taking Goebbels's place. However, on 20 July 1944, Goerdeler's plan fell apart when

Claus von Stauffenberg Colonel Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair. Despite ...

's attempt to kill Hitler at the

Wolf's Lair The ''Wolf's Lair'' (german: Wolfsschanze; pl, Wilczy Szaniec) served as Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II. The headquarters was located in the Masurian woods, near the small village of Görlitz in Ost ...

in East Prussia failed. Bolz was arrested on 12 August 1944, and on 21 December, he was sentenced to death at the German "People's Court" ('' Volksgerichtshof''). He was

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...

at Plötzensee

Prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

in Berlin on 23 January 1945. Bundesarchiv Bild 151-55-28, Volksgerichtshof, Eugen Bolz

There is a memorial to Eugen Bolz in the form of a bronze plaque at the house where he was born, at Königstraße 53 in

. It bears, among other things, the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

inscription "TIMOR DOMINI INITIUM SAPIENTIAE" — "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". The grammar school that he went to is now called the ''Eugen-Bolz-Gymnasium''. A Catholic private school in

Bad Waldsee Bad Waldsee () is a town in Upper Swabia in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg. It is situated 20 km south of Biberach an der Riß, and 20 km northeast of Ravensburg. The town is known for its histo ...

and a ''Realschule'' in

Ellwangen Ellwangen an der Jagst, officially Ellwangen (Jagst), in common use simply Ellwangen () is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in the east of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated about north of Aalen. Ellwangen has 25,000 inhabitants. ...

– both in Baden-Württemberg – are also named for him. One of the sitting rooms at the

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

''Landtag'' is named after him. In downtown Stuttgart, at the ''Königsbau'', stands a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

to Eugen Bolz. Stuttgart-koenigsbau-eugen-bolz

In 2004, a new bell at the church where Bolz was baptized, St. Moriz in Rottenburg am Neckar, was named after him. Many other buildings, streets and squares in Germany are likewise connected with the name Eugen Bolz.

Eugen Bolz Study Endowment

Since 1994, there has been an "Eugen Bolz Study Endowment" (''Studienstiftung Eugen Bolz''). This endowment is for study and education, and is closely associated with the ''Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen'' (CV). It affords students an education in democracy and civics.

Quotes

* "Politics is nothing other than practically applied religion." * "Given the Nazis' reign of terror, I demanded that God's law stand above state law."

Literature

* ''Christentum und Politik. Dokumente des Widerstands'' by Joachim Köhler, 1996 Thorbecke-Verlag Sigmaringen, * ''Eugen Bolz und die Krise des politischen Katholizismus in der Weimarer Republik'' by Joachim Sailer, bibliotheca academica Verlag, * "Eugen Bolz (1881–1945)" by Rudolf Morsey, in: Jürgen Aretz / Anton Rauscher (Hg.), ''Zeitgeschichte in Lebensbildern'', Bd. 5, Mainz 1982 * "Eugen Bolz. Württembergischer Minister und Staatspräsident" by Joachim Köhler, in: Michael Bosch / Wolfgang Niess (Hg.), ''Der Widerstand im deutschen Südwesten 1933–1945'', Stuttgart 1984 * ''Eugen Bolz'' by Max Miller, 1951 Schwabenverlag * ''Staatspräsident Dr. Eugen Bolz als Mann u. Staatsmann'' by Alois Dangelmaier, 1948 Schwabenverlag * ''Leben und Martyrium unseres Staatspräsidenten Dr. Eugen Bolz'' by Wilhelm Kohler, 1947 Ackermann Verlag * * Helmut Moll, (Hrsg. im Auftrag der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz), ''Zeugen für Chritus. Das deutsche Martyrologium des 20. Jahrhunderts'', 6. erweiterte und neu strukturierte Auflage, Paderborn u.a. 2015, , Band I, 659–663. * Frank Raberg: ''Eugen Bolz. Zwischen Pflicht und Widerstand.'' DRW-Verlag Weinbrenner, Leinfelden-Echterdingen 2009, . * Joachim Sailer: ''Eugen Bolz und die Krise des politischen Katholizismus in der Weimarer Republik.'' bibliotheca academica Verlag, Tübingen 1994, . *

References

Sources
Brief biography of Eugen BolzEugen Bolz's activities
(scroll down to page 7)

External links

(from a project at the Eugen-Bolz-Gymnasium, Rottenburg) *
Image of Eugen Bolz' eulogy, ZIP file
(in German)
German Resistance Museum, Berlin, page on Bolz
(in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolz, Eugen 1881 births 1945 deaths People from Rottenburg am Neckar People from the Kingdom of Württemberg German Roman Catholics Centre Party (Germany) politicians Members of the 13th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the Weimar National Assembly Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Executed members of the 20 July plot People from Baden-Württemberg executed at Plötzensee Prison German resistance members Roman Catholics in the German Resistance Executed presidents People executed by guillotine at Plötzensee Prison People condemned by Nazi courts Members of the Württembergian Chamber of Deputies Cartellverband members University of Tübingen alumni Executed German people