Robert Scholl
| Robert Scholl | |
|---|---|
 Scholl at the 7th CDU party congress in 1954. | |
| Born |
13 April 1891 Mainhardt, German Empire |
| Died |
25 October 1973 (aged 82) Stuttgart, West Germany |
| Occupation | politician, accountant |
| Known for |
Co-founder of the All-German People's Party father of Hans and Sophie Scholl |
| Spouse(s) | Magdalena Scholl (née Müller) |
Robert Scholl (13 April 1891 – 25 October 1973) was a Württembergian politician and father of Hans and Sophie Scholl. Scholl was a liberal and a critic of the Nazi Party before, during and after the Nazi regime, and was twice sent to prison for his criticism of Nazism. He was mayor of Ingersheim 1917–1920, mayor of Forchtenberg 1920–1930 and lord mayor of Ulm 1945–1948, and co-founded the All-German People's Party in 1952.
Personal life
Scholl was born in the Baden-Württemberg town of Mainhardt on 13 April 1891. During World War I, he met his future wife Magdalena Müller (1881–1958) when he was serving in the same hospital as her.[1] The couple married shortly afterward and moved to Ingersheim. In 1920, they moved again to Forchtenberg. Robert and Magdalena Scholl had six children: Inge (1917–1998), Hans (1918–1943), Elisabeth (1920–), Sophie (1921–1943), Werner (1922–1944), and Thilde (1925–1926), four of whom they outlived. In 1930, the family moved to Ludwigsburg and in 1932 to Ulm, where Scholl founded a tax and accounting service company.[2]
Political life
Scholl became mayor of Ingersheim in 1917 and in 1920, mayor of Forchtenberg, a position he held until 1930.[2]
A lifelong liberal democrat, Scholl was a critic of the Nazi Party that came to power shortly thereafter. His children, like most during this era, were initially active in the Nazi youth organisations and their father was initially incapable of dissuading them otherwise. However, his children quickly saw through the Hitler Youth facade, and eventually founded the White Rose, a political activism group supporting resistance to the Nazi party. In 1942, he was sentenced to four months in prison for calling Adolf Hitler the "scourge of God".[3] The situation for the family gradually worsened. On 27 February 1943, five days after the execution of his children Hans and Sophie as members of the White Rose, Scholl was sentenced to 18 months in prison for listening to enemy radio broadcasts.[4]
After World War II, he served as mayor of Ulm from June 1945 until 1948[4] and was a member of the preliminary parliament of Württemberg-Baden. In 1952 he co-founded the All-German People's Party with Gustav Heinemann and other like-minded politicians.[5]
In film
Robert Scholl was portrayed by Jörg Hube in the film Sophie Scholl: The Final Days.
References
- ↑ Axelrod, Toby (February 2001). Hans and Sophie Scholl: German Resisters of the White Rose. Rosen Publishing Group. p. 26. ISBN 0-8239-3316-4.
- 1 2 Spitz, René (25 May 2002). The Ulm School of Design: A View Behind the Foreground. Edition Axel Menges. p. 40. ISBN 3-932565-17-7.
- ↑ Michalczyk, John J. (1997). Resisters, rescuers, and refugees: Historical and Ethical Issues. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 53. ISBN 1-55612-970-X.
- 1 2 Probst, Ernst (2008). Superfrauen 3 - Politik (in German). Grin Verlag. p. 184. ISBN 3-638-93463-2.
- ↑ "Gustav Heinemann". Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Retrieved 25 February 2011.