Rudolf Jung (16 April 1882 – 11 December 1945) was an instrumental figure and agitator in the

German Bohemian German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part of ...

Nazi 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 ...

movement, and later became a member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

. Jung was born in Plasy in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohe ...

and went to school in

Jihlava Jihlava (; german: Iglau) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 50,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihlava ...

, a town fractured by national antagonisms. He was a civil engineer employed by the national

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

s of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...

. In 1909, he joined the

German Workers' Party The German Workers' Party (german: Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, DAP) was a short-lived far-right political party established in Weimar Germany after World War I. It was the precursor of the Nazi Party, which was officially known as the National So ...

(DAP) and became an ardent party agitator. Because of his political activism, Jung was fired, but the party put him on its payroll and he devoted himself to theoretical work. Along with Dr. Walter Riehl, Jung drafted the Jihlava party program of 1913 "which contained a more detailed comparison of international

Marxism Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialec ...

and national socialism and a more pointed attack on Capitalism, Democracy, alien peoples, and Jews. Here,

anti-semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

ranked behind

anti-Slavism Anti-Slavic sentiment, also known as Slavophobia, a form of racism or xenophobia, refers to various negative attitudes towards Slavic peoples, the most common manifestation is the claim that the inhabitants of Slavic nations are inferior to othe ...

anti-clericalism Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

and

anti-capitalism Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economic system, such as ...

." In 1919, Jung completed his theoretical work ''Der Nationale Sozialismus''. In his introduction, he expressed the hope that his book would play the same role for National Socialism that ''

Das Kapital ''Das Kapital'', also known as ''Capital: A Critique of Political Economy'' or sometimes simply ''Capital'' (german: Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Ökonomie, link=no, ; 1867–1883), is a foundational theoretical text in materialist phi ...

'' had for Marxian socialism. At the end 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 fight ...

, the DAP was renamed the Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei (DNSAP). Jung convinced Hitler to include the term "National Socialist" in the name of the

, the DAP's counterpart in Germany. Hitler originally wanted to rename the German DAP the "Social Revolutionary Party". Some of the posts Jung held were: President of the State Labour office in Middle Germany,

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a '' Gau'' or '' Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest rank in the Nazi political leadership, subordinate only to ''Reichsleiter'' and to t ...

ad Honorem (honorary), and in 1936, Member of the Reichstag for the district of

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regi ...

South. In 1943, Jung became the Reich Inspector and Director of the Reich Inspection of Labour Administration."Muslisch" & "JEROME Georges" (translator) referencing the "5000 Köpfe" on Axis Military Forum He wrote several books, including ''Der nationale Sozialismus: seine Grundlagen, sein Werdegang und seine Ziele'' (National Socialism, its Foundations, Development and Goals), Aussig, 1919. 2nd ed.; Munich: Deutscher Volksverlag Dr. Boepple, 1922. After the war he was detained by Czechoslovak authorities and imprisoned. He died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a tempera ...

's Pankrác prison before his trial for Nazi activities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jung, Rudolf 1882 births 1945 suicides People from Plasy People from the Kingdom of Bohemia German Bohemian people German Workers' Party (Austria-Hungary) politicians German National Socialist Workers' Party (Czechoslovakia) politicians Nazi Party officials Nazi Party politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Czechoslovakia (1920–1925) Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Czechoslovakia (1925–1929) Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Czechoslovakia (1929–1935) Members of the Reichstag of Nazi Germany Nazis who committed suicide in prison custody

See also

References