Arthur Seyss-Inquart
Arthur Seyss-Inquart (German: Seyß-Inquart, [ˈartuːɐ̯ zaɪs ˈʔɪŋkvart] ⓘ; 22 July 1892 – 16 October 1946) was an Austrian Nazi politician who served as Chancellor of Austria in 1938 for two days before the Anschluss. His positions in Nazi Germany included "deputy governor to Hans Frank in the General Government of Occupied Poland, and Reich commissioner for the German-occupied Netherlands" including shared responsibility "for the deportation of Dutch Jews and the shooting of hostages".
Arthur Seyss-Inquart | |
|---|---|
Inquart c. 1940s | |
| Chancellor of Austria | |
| In office 11 March 1938 – 13 March 1938 | |
| President | Wilhelm Miklas |
| Vice-Chancellor | Edmund Glaise-Horstenau |
| Preceded by | Kurt Schuschnigg |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (Karl Renner in 1945) |
| Reichsstatthalter of Austria | |
| In office 15 March 1938 – 1 May 1939 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Josef Bürckel |
| Deputy Governor-General of the General Government of Occupied Poland | |
| In office 12 October 1939 – 18 May 1940 | |
| Governor-General | Hans Frank |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Josef Bühler |
| Reichskommissar of the Netherlands | |
| In office 29 May 1940 – 7 May 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander von Falkenhausen (Military Governor) |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Additional positions | |
| April–May 1945 | Reichsminister of Foreign Affairs |
| 1939–1945 | Reichsminister without portfolio |
| 1938–1945 | Member of the Greater German Reichstag |
| March 1938 | Minister of Defence of Austria |
| February–March 1938 | Minister of the Interior of Austria |
| 1937–1938 | State Councillor of Austria |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 July 1892 Stannern, Margraviate of Moravia, Austria-Hungary (now Stonařov, Czech Republic) |
| Died | 16 October 1946 (aged 54) Nuremberg Prison, Nuremberg, Allied-occupied Germany |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse |
Gertrud Maschka (m. 1916) |
| Children | 3 |
| Cabinet | Seyss-Inquart |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Austria-Hungary |
| Branch/service | Austro-Hungarian Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1918 |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Criminal conviction | |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Crimes of aggression War crimes Crimes against humanity |
| Trial | Nuremberg trials |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
During World War I, Seyss-Inquart fought for the Austro-Hungarian Army with distinction. After the war he became a successful lawyer, and went on to join the governments of Chancellors Engelbert Dollfuss and Kurt Schuschnigg. In 1938, Schuschnigg resigned in the face of a German invasion, and Seyss-Inquart was appointed his successor. The newly installed Nazis proceeded to transfer power to Germany, and Austria subsequently became the German province of Ostmark, with Seyss-Inquart as its governor (Reichsstatthalter).
During World War II, Seyss-Inquart served briefly as the Deputy Governor General in occupied Poland and, following the fall of the Low Countries in 1940, he was appointed Reichskommissar of the occupied Netherlands. He was a member of the Schutzstaffel (SS) and held the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer. He instituted a reign of terror, with Dutch civilians subjected to forced labour and the vast majority of Dutch Jews deported and murdered.
At the Nuremberg trials, Seyss-Inquart was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, sentenced to death, and executed by hanging.