Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft
Encyclopedia
The Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft (variously translated from German
to English
as "vow of most faithful allegiance", "proclamation of loyalty of German writers" or "promise of most loyal obedience") was a declaration by 88 German writers and poets of their loyalty to Adolf Hitler
. It was printed in the Vossische Zeitung
on 26 October 1933 and publicised by the Prussian Academy of Arts
in Berlin. It was also published in other newspapers, such as the Frankfurter Zeitung
, to widen public awareness of the confidence of the signed poets and writers in Hitler as the German Reichskanzler.
The declaration came towards the end of 1933, in the period of domestic turmoil in Germany following the Reichstag fire
on 27 February 1933, the elections that returned Hitler to power on 5 March, and the passing of the Enabling Act on 23 March 1933 which allowed Hitler bypass the German legislature and pass laws at will. It came shortly after the editor law (Schriftleitergesetz) was passed on 4 October 1933, which sought to bring the press under government control, and the withdrawal of Germany from the League of Nations
on 21 October 1933.
The editor law regulated journalism, and requiring journalists to be registered on an official list of the Reichspressekammer, under Joseph Goebbels
' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
. To join the list, a journalist had to demonstrate one year's professional training, "political reliability", and Aryan
descent. Newspaper editors were also regulated and subject to central control. Around 1,300 journalists lost their jobs when the editor law came into force on 1 January 1934.
German writer Hanns Martin Elster (1910–1998) complained on 28 October 1933 that writers not listed could be mistakenly thought to lack loyalty to the Führer. However, some writers felt forced to sign to protect themselves or their publishers.
The declaration by German writers was echoed by similar declarations by 900 university and high school professors, and by other artists.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "vow of most faithful allegiance", "proclamation of loyalty of German writers" or "promise of most loyal obedience") was a declaration by 88 German writers and poets of their loyalty to 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...
. It was printed in the Vossische Zeitung
Vossische Zeitung
The Vossische Zeitung was the well known liberal German newspaper that was published in Berlin . Its predecessor was founded in 1704...
on 26 October 1933 and publicised by the Prussian Academy of Arts
Prussian Academy of Arts
The Prussian Academy of Arts was an art school set up in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and later king in Prussia. It had a decisive influence on art and its development in the German-speaking world throughout its...
in Berlin. It was also published in other newspapers, such as the Frankfurter Zeitung
Frankfurter Zeitung
The Frankfurter Zeitung was a German language newspaper that appeared from 1856 to 1943. It emerged from a market letter that was published in Frankfurt...
, to widen public awareness of the confidence of the signed poets and writers in Hitler as the German Reichskanzler.
The declaration came towards the end of 1933, in the period of domestic turmoil in Germany following the Reichstag fire
Reichstag fire
The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany....
on 27 February 1933, the elections that returned Hitler to power on 5 March, and the passing of the Enabling Act on 23 March 1933 which allowed Hitler bypass the German legislature and pass laws at will. It came shortly after the editor law (Schriftleitergesetz) was passed on 4 October 1933, which sought to bring the press under government control, and the withdrawal of Germany from the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
on 21 October 1933.
The editor law regulated journalism, and requiring journalists to be registered on an official list of the Reichspressekammer, under Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was Nazi Germany's ministry that enforced Nazi Party ideology in Germany and regulated its culture and society. Founded on March 13, 1933, by Adolf Hitler's new National Socialist government, the Ministry was headed by Dr...
. To join the list, a journalist had to demonstrate one year's professional training, "political reliability", and Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
descent. Newspaper editors were also regulated and subject to central control. Around 1,300 journalists lost their jobs when the editor law came into force on 1 January 1934.
German writer Hanns Martin Elster (1910–1998) complained on 28 October 1933 that writers not listed could be mistakenly thought to lack loyalty to the Führer. However, some writers felt forced to sign to protect themselves or their publishers.
The declaration by German writers was echoed by similar declarations by 900 university and high school professors, and by other artists.
- Commitment of the professors - Bekenntnis der Professoren an den deutschen Universitäten und Hochschulen zu Adolf Hitler - in November 1933
- Call to the artists - Aufruf der Kulturschaffenden in August 1934
Text of the vow
| Friede, Arbeit, Freiheit und Ehre sind die heiligsten Güter jeder Nation und die Voraussetzung eines aufrichtigen Zusammenlebens der Völker untereinander. Das Bewußtsein der Kraft und der wiedergewonnenen Einigkeit, unser aufrichtiger Wille, dem inneren und äußeren Frieden vorbehaltlos zu dienen, die tiefe Überzeugung von unseren Aufgaben zum Wiederaufbau des Reiches und unsre Entschlossenheit, nichts zu tun, was nicht mit unsrer und des Vaterlandes Ehre vereinbar ist, veranlassen uns, in dieser ernsten Stunde vor Ihnen, Herr Reichskanzler, das Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft feierlichst abzulegen. | Peace, work, freedom and honour are the most sacred goods of each nation and a precondition for honest coexistence of peoples with each other. Consciousness of our power and recovered unity, our sincere will to serve unreservedly the cause of peace inside and outside our nation, the deep conviction of our tasks in the reconstruction of the Reich, and our determination to do to nothing that is not compatible with our honour and that of our Fatherland, make us, in this grave hour submit to you, Herr Reichskanzler, this vow of our most faithful allegiance. |
Signatories
The 88 signatories were:- Friedrich Arenhövel (1886–1954)
- Gottfried BennGottfried BennGottfried Benn was a German essayist, novelist, and expressionist poet. A doctor of medicine, he became an early admirer, and later a critic, of the National Socialist revolution...
(1886–1956) - Werner Beumelburg (1899–1963)
- Rudolf G. BindingRudolf G. BindingRudolf Georg Binding was a German writer.He was born in Basel, Switzerland and died in Starnberg. He studied medicine and law before joining the Hussars. On the outbreak of the First World War, Binding, who was forty-six years old, became commander of a squadron of dragoons...
(1867–1938) - Walter Bloem (1868–1951)
- Hans Friedrich Blunck (1888–1961)
- Max Karl Böttcher (1881–1963)
- Rolf Brandt (1886–1953)
- Arnolt BronnenArnolt BronnenArnolt Bronnen was an Austrian playwright and director.Bronnen's most famous play is the Expressionist drama Parricide ; its première production is notable, among other things, for being that from which Bronnen's friend, the young Bertolt Brecht in an early stage of his directing career, withdrew,...
(1895–1959) - Otto Brües (1897–1967)
- Alfred Brust (1891–1934)
- Carl Bulcke (1875–1936)
- Hermann Claudius (1878–1980)
- Hans Martin Cremer (1890–1953)
- Marie Diers (1867–1949)
- Peter Dörfler (1878–1955)
- Max Dreyer (1862–1946)
- Franz Dülberg (1873–1934)
- Ferdinand Eckhardt (1902–1995)
- Richard EuringerRichard EuringerRichard Euringer was a German writer. Although active starting in the 1920s, he is best known for his later career, in which he was a supporter of the Nazis. His best-known work is probably Als Flieger in zwei Kriegen, published in 1941 by Philipp Reclam Jr. of Leipzig...
(1891–1953) - Ludwig Finckh (1876–1964)
- Otto Flake (1880–1963)
- Hans Franck (1879–1964)
- Gustav FrenssenGustav FrenssenGustav Frenssen was a German novelist. He wrote patriotically about his native country and promoted Heimatkunst in literature.-Biography:...
(1863–1945) - Heinrich von Gleichen-Rußwurm (1882–1959)
- Friedrich GrieseFriedrich GrieseFriedrich Griese was a German novelist. He was associated with the nationalist literary movement during the Third Reich.Griese wrote mostly about peasant life in northern Germany. His most important books were written before the advent of the Nazi government in 1933, so he cannot be considered...
(1890–1975) - Max Grube (1854–1934)
- Johannes von Guenther (1886–1973)
- Carl Haensel (1889–1968)
- Max HalbeMax HalbeMax Halbe was a German dramatist and main exponent of Naturalism.Halbe was born at the manor of Güttland near Danzig , where he grew up. In 1883 he started to study law at the University of Heidelberg and obtained his doctorate at the University of Munich in 1888...
(1865–1944) - Ilse Hamel (1874–1943)
- Agnes Harder (1864–1939)
- Karl Heinl
- Hans Ludwig Held (1885–1954)
- Friedrich W. Herzog (1902–1976)
- Rudolf Herzog (1869–1943)
- Paul Oskar HöckerPaul Oskar HöckerPaul Oskar Höcker was a German editor and author, who also wrote under the pseudonym Heinz Grevenstett. He was one of the 88 signatories of the 1933 proclamation of loyalty to Adolf Hitler, the Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft.-Biography:Paul Oskar Höcker was born the third son of author and actor...
(1865–1944) - Rudolf Huch (1862–1943)
- Hans von Hülsen (1890–1968)
- Bruno Herbert Jahn (* 1893)
- Hanns JohstHanns JohstHanns Johst was a German playwright and Nazi Poet Laureate.Hanns Johst was born in Seehausen as the son of an elementary school teacher. He grew up in Oschatz and Leipzig. As a juvenile he planned to become a missionary. When he was 17 years old he worked as an auxiliary in a Bethel Institution...
(1890–1978) - Max Jungnickel (1890–1945)
- Hermann KasackHermann KasackHermann Robert Richard Eugen Kasack was a German writer. He is best known for his novel Die Stadt hinter dem Strom . Kasack was a pioneer of using the medium broadcast for literature...
(1896–1966) - Hans Knudsen (1886–1971)
- Ruth Köhler-Irrgang (1900–?)
- Gustav Kohne (1879–1961)
- Carl Lange (1885–1959)
- Johannes von Leers (1902–1965)
- Heinrich Lersch (1889–1936)
- Heinrich LilienfeinHeinrich LilienfeinHeinrich Lilienfein was a German writer.- Literary works :* Der Stier von Olivera, 1910* Das fressend Feuer, 1932* Die Stunde Karls XII, 1938* Besuch aus Holland, 1943* Licht und Irrlicht, 1943...
(1879–1952) - Oskar Loerke (1884–1941)
- Gerhard MenzelGerhard MenzelGerhard Menzel was a German screenwriter. He wrote for 38 films between 1933 and 1965.He was born in Waldenburg, Germany and died in Comano, Switzerland.-Selected filmography:* Morgenrot...
(1894–1966) - Herybert Menzel (1906–1945)
- Alfred Richard Meyer, known as Munkepunke (1892–1956)
- Agnes MiegelAgnes MiegelAgnes Miegel was a German author, journalist, and poet. She received the Kleist Prize for lyric in 1913, the Herder Prize in 1936, the Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt in 1940, the literature prize of the Bavarian Academy of Art in 1959 and the...
(1879–1964) - Walter von MoloWalter von MoloWalter Ritter/Reichsritter von Molo was a Czech-born Austrian writer.- Life :...
(1880–1958) - Georg Mühlen-Schulte (1882–1981)
- Fritz Müller-Partenkirchen (1875–1942)
- Börries von MünchhausenBörries von MünchhausenBörries von Münchhausen was a German poet.-Biography:He was born in Hildesheim, the oldest child of Kammerherr Börries von Münchhausen and his wife, Clementine von der Gabelentz....
(1874–1945) - Eckart von Naso (1888–1976)
- Helene von Nostitz-Wallwitz (1878–1944)
- Josef Ponten (1883–1940)
- Rudolf Presber (1868–1935)
- Arthur Rehbein (1867–1952)
- Ilse Reicke (1893–1989)
- Johannes Richter (1889–1941)
- Franz Schauwecker (1890–1964)
- Johannes SchlafJohannes SchlafJohannes Schlaf was a German playwright, author, and translator and an important exponent of Naturalism. As a translator he was important for exposing the German-speaking world to the works of Walt Whitman, Émile Verhaeren and Émile Zola and is known as a founder of the "Whitman Cult" in Germany...
(1862–1941) - Anton SchnackAnton SchnackAnton Schnack was a German writer. He joined the German Army when World War I began. He is one of the leading German war poets of the First World War, and has been compared with English poet Wilfred Owen. After the war he became an editor for numerous publications...
(1892–1973) - Friedrich Schnack (1888–1977)
- Richard Schneider-Edenkoben (1899–1986?)
- Wilhelm von Scholz (1874–1969)
- Lothar SchreyerLothar SchreyerLothar Schreyer was a German artist, editor, and gallery owner.He studied law and art history at the universities of University of Heidelberg, Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Leipzig, with a doctorate in law, in 1910.From 1911 to 1918, he worked as a dramatic advisor, and assistant...
(1886–1966) - Gustav Schröer (1876–1949)
- Wilhelm Schussen (1874–1956)
- Ina Seidel (1885–1974)
- Willy Seidel (1887–1934)
- Heinrich Sohnrey (1859–1948)
- Dietrich Speckmann (1874–1938)
- Heinz Steguweit (1897–1964)
- Lulu von Strauß und Torney (1873–1956)
- Eduard Stucken (1865–1936)
- Will VesperWill VesperWill Vesper was a German author and literary critic.- Life :...
(1882–1962) - Josef Magnus WehnerJosef Magnus WehnerJosef Magnus Wehner was a German writer and playwright. Celebrated as a "great German poet" his reputation is tainted by the militarism displayed in his work and his allegiance to the Nazi Party....
(1891–1973) - Leo Weismantel (1888–1964)
- Bruno E. Werner (1896–1964)
- Heinrich Zerkaulen (1892–1954)
- Hans-Caspar von Zobeltitz (1883–1940)