Georg Ludwig Rudolf Maercker (21 September 1865 in Baldenburg – 31 December 1924 in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

) was a German general of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Following the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

of 1918 that saw the end of fighting and of the

Bolshevik revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

that led to the creation of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, there were many examples of disturbances throughout

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Maercker suggested the formation of ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, rega ...

'' (Free Corps) to suppress these and a number of formations formed themselves, usually around individual army officers. After leaving the ''Freikorps'', Maercker became active in ''

Der Stahlhelm ' (German, 'The Steel Helmet, League of Front-Line Soldiers'), commonly known as ''Der Stahlhelm'' ('The Steel Helmet'), was a German First World War veteran's organisation existing from 1918 to 1935. It was part of the "Black Reichswehr" and ...

'' group and was the president of the Saxony chapter. In 1924, Maercker together with

Theodor Duesterberg Theodor Duesterberg (; 19 October 1875 – 4 November 1950) was a leader of '' Der Stahlhelm'' in Germany prior to the Nazi seizure of power. Background Born the son of an army surgeon in Darmstadt, Duesterberg entered the Prussian Army in 18 ...

was a leader of the anti-Semitic fraction within the ''Stahhelm'' who wanted an "Aryan clause" that would ban Jews from joining the ''Stahlhelm'' and expel the current Jewish members. In March 1924, Maercker and Duesterberg got their way and forced Franz Seldte to adopt the "Aryan clause" and expel all Jews from the ''Stahlhelm''.Wette, Wolfram ''The Wehrmacht'', Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006 pages 63-64.

References

Major generals of Prussia German Army generals of World War I 1865 births 1924 deaths People from Szczecinek County People of the Weimar Republic People from West Prussia German anti-communists Major generals of the Reichswehr Schutztruppe personnel Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) {{Germany-mil-bio-stub