Erwin Bumke
Encyclopedia
Erwin Konrad Eduard Bumke (7 July 1874 in Stolp, Pomerania
, nowadays Słupsk, Poland
– 20 April 1945 in Leipzig
) was the last president of the Reichsgericht, Germany
's old Imperial Court
.
Bumke's family background was Pomeranian middle class
. His father was a doctor
and his mother a factory owner's daughter. His brother Oswald Bumke was one of the twentieth century's leading psychiatrist
s.
After studying in Freiburg
, Leipzig, Munich
, Berlin
and Greifswald
, Bumke began to work in 1907 for the Reich Justice Bureau, the later Reich Justice Ministry.
As leader of Department II (criminal cases), he prepared, among other things, the Reichstag drafts for a new criminal code in 1927, which, of course, never saw the light of day. In 1930, Erwin Bumke became president of the International Criminal Law and Prison Commission. In 1929 Bumke became Reichsgericht president. Under his leadership, the Imperial Court declared on 25 October 1932 that the temporary removal of Land ministers' authority by a Reich Commissar (see Preußenschlag
) was valid.
Bumke would have been the Reich President's deputy under a law passed in December 1932, had the latter suffered a handicap or death; however, no such incapacitation on Paul von Hindenburg
's part was ever shown to be the case. In the time of the Third Reich, Bumke was responsible for a whole series of unfair sentences, for instance, the judicial murder (Justizmord) perpetrated against Ewald Schlitt in 1942. For this reason, Erwin Bumke's portrait is not to be found among those of former Reichsgericht Presidents at the Bundesgerichtshof in Karlsruhe
. Two days after the Americans
marched into Leipzig, on 20 April 1945 – coincidentally Adolf Hitler
's birthday – Bumke committed suicide.
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, nowadays Słupsk, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
– 20 April 1945 in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
) was the last president of the Reichsgericht, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's old Imperial Court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
.
Bumke's family background was Pomeranian middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
. His father was a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and his mother a factory owner's daughter. His brother Oswald Bumke was one of the twentieth century's leading psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
s.
After studying in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Leipzig, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
, Bumke began to work in 1907 for the Reich Justice Bureau, the later Reich Justice Ministry.
As leader of Department II (criminal cases), he prepared, among other things, the Reichstag drafts for a new criminal code in 1927, which, of course, never saw the light of day. In 1930, Erwin Bumke became president of the International Criminal Law and Prison Commission. In 1929 Bumke became Reichsgericht president. Under his leadership, the Imperial Court declared on 25 October 1932 that the temporary removal of Land ministers' authority by a Reich Commissar (see Preußenschlag
Preußenschlag
In 1932, the Preußenschlag, or "Prussian coup", was one of the major steps towards the end of the German inter-war democracy, which would later greatly facilitate the "Gleichschaltung" of Germany after Adolf Hitler's rise to power...
) was valid.
Bumke would have been the Reich President's deputy under a law passed in December 1932, had the latter suffered a handicap or death; however, no such incapacitation on Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
's part was ever shown to be the case. In the time of the Third Reich, Bumke was responsible for a whole series of unfair sentences, for instance, the judicial murder (Justizmord) perpetrated against Ewald Schlitt in 1942. For this reason, Erwin Bumke's portrait is not to be found among those of former Reichsgericht Presidents at the Bundesgerichtshof in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
. Two days after the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
marched into Leipzig, on 20 April 1945 – coincidentally Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's birthday – Bumke committed suicide.
Works
- Hat die erfüllte Resolutivbedingung dingliche Kraft?, Greifswalder Dissertation 1896
- Deutsches Gefängniswesen. Ein Handbuch, Berlin 1928.
- Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz und Strafprozeßordnung. Mit Nebengesetzen in der vom 13. Januar 1927 geltenden Fassung; Textausgabe mit einer Einführung in die Vorschriften der Novelle vom 27. Dezember 1926, Berlin 1927.
- Zwei Entscheidungen zu Art. 48 der Reichsverfassung, Berlin 1932.
Literature
- Kolbe, Dieter: Reichsgerichtspraesident Dr. Erwin Bumke. Studien zum Niedergang des Reichsgerichts und der deutschen Rechtspflege, Karlsruhe 1975. ISBN 3-8114-0026-6