Hans Vogel (16 February 1881, in Oberartelshofen, Middle Franconia – 6 October 1945) was a German politician and chairman of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

(SPD) along with Arthur Crispien and Otto Wels from 1931 to 1933. After the NSDAP came to power in 1933, he became one of the leaders of the social democratic exile organization Sopade. After attending the '' Volkshochschule'' in Fürth, Vogel, the son of a merchant and shoemaker, completed an apprenticeship as a wood sculptor assistant in 1897. He joined the trade union for wood sculptors as early as 1897 and worked in various parts of Germany. He was board member of a Social Democratic electoral association in Fürth from 1907 to 1911. From 1908, Vogel worked as secretary of the party in the region of Franconia. From 1912 to 1918 he was a member of the Bavarian '' Landtag''. He supported the ''Burgfrieden'' politics of his party, i.e. support for the German war effort and giving up the anti-militarist stance at the beginning of World War I, because he viewed this as his patriotic duty. He served in World War I as a radio operator in the 105th Division. After the war and the

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, Vogel was a member of the

German National Assembly German National Assembly (german: Nationalversammlung, links=no) may refer to: * Frankfurt Parliament during the German revolutions of 1848–49 * Weimar National Assembly The Weimar National Assembly (German: ), officially the German National Con ...

, which composed the

Weimar Constitution The Constitution of the German Reich (german: Die Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (''Weimarer Verfassung''), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era (1919–1933). The c ...

. He remained a member of the '' Reichstag'' until June 1933. After becoming a member of the caucus of the SPD in 1920, he was elected secretary of the party in 1927. In 1931, he became chairman along with Arthur Crispien and Otto Wels. After the ''

Machtergreifung Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

'' in January 1933, Vogel first went to

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...

, because it was administrated by the League of Nations at that time, and then on 2 June he moved on to Prague. In 1938 he moved to Paris and there he helped build up the Sopade, of which he was the sole chairman after Wels's death in 1939. His death in October 1945 meant that he was not able to help with re-building the SPD. Hans-Vogel-Straße, a street in Fürth, is named after him.Map link to Hans-Vogel-Straße, 90765 Fürth, Germany
Google Maps. Retrieved July 20, 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vogel, Hans 1881 births 1945 deaths People from Nürnberger Land People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians German Army personnel of World War I Members of the Weimar National Assembly Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Members of the Bavarian Chamber of Deputies Members of the Executive of the Labour and Socialist International

See also

References