Hans Fischböck
Encyclopedia
Hans Fischböck was an Austrian banker who was the economics minister and minister of finance of Austria
and the finance minister of Nazi
occupied Holland
.
He was born in Geras, Austria and studied in Vienna
. From 1915 to 1918 he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army
and was deployed to the front in the South of the County of Tyrol
. After the First World War, in 1919 he gained a doctorate
in Vienna and then worked in the Austrian banking system.
In March 1938, after the Anschluss
of Austria by Germany
, Fischbock was appointed economics minister and in May 1938 he was appointed Minister of finance and took measures for the expropriation of Jewish property. After the invasion of the Netherlands, Arthur Seyss-Inquart
appointed him minister of finance of the occupied Netherlands and he served in this capacity from 1940-1945. From March 1941 he was involved in the expropriation of Jewish property and sending forced laborers to Germany to work in the arms industry.
After the German capitulation Fischböck managed with help from the organization ODESSA
to escape to Argentina
. In Austria, a prosecution was brought against him but a conviction was not secured and in 1957 his acts fell under an amnesty. In 1958 he returned to Europe and he died in Marburg
, Germany in 1967.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the finance minister of Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
occupied Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
He was born in Geras, Austria and studied in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. From 1915 to 1918 he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
and was deployed to the front in the South of the County of Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. After the First World War, in 1919 he gained a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Vienna and then worked in the Austrian banking system.
In March 1938, after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria by 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...
, Fischbock was appointed economics minister and in May 1938 he was appointed Minister of finance and took measures for the expropriation of Jewish property. After the invasion of the Netherlands, Arthur Seyss-Inquart
Arthur Seyss-Inquart
Arthur Seyss-Inquart was a Chancellor of Austria, lawyer and later Nazi official in pre-Anschluss Austria, the Third Reich and for wartime Germany in Poland and the Netherlands...
appointed him minister of finance of the occupied Netherlands and he served in this capacity from 1940-1945. From March 1941 he was involved in the expropriation of Jewish property and sending forced laborers to Germany to work in the arms industry.
After the German capitulation Fischböck managed with help from the organization ODESSA
ODESSA
The ODESSA, from the German Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen, meaning “Organization of Former SS Members,” is believed to have been an international Nazi network set up toward the end of World War II by a group of SS officers...
to escape to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. In Austria, a prosecution was brought against him but a conviction was not secured and in 1957 his acts fell under an amnesty. In 1958 he returned to Europe and he died in Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, Germany in 1967.