Johannes Krohn (4 July 1884 – 11 July 1974) was a German lawyer and civil servant who became the State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Labor in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1939.
Johannes Krohn
State Secretary, Reich Ministry of Labor (From 1 April 1935, the Reich and Prussian Ministry of Labor)
Krohn obtained an entry level position with the Weimar Republic's Reich Insurance Office in 1919, and became a Regierungsrat (Government Councilor) the next year. In 1921, he entered the Reich Labor Ministry, advancing to Oberregierungsrat in 1921 and Ministerialrat (Ministerial Councilor) in 1923. From 1923 to 1928, he headed a sub-department of social insurance, advancing to director of the Social Insurance Department from 1928 to 1932. Promoted to Ministerial Director, he became head of Main Department II (Social Insurance and Social Welfare) on 15 June 1932.[2]
During his tenure as State Secretary, Krohn was largely given a free hand to develop policy due to his expertise in the area and to Seldte's relative disinterest in the specifics of social policy. Thus, Krohn was involved in the development of many discriminatory health care policies, such as the third implementing decree of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, which he signed in February 1935. It mandated that state health insurance funds could be used to cover the costs of sterilizing those considered to have an hereditary illness. In October 1938, he likewise signed the Decree Concerning the Participation of Jews in Health Insurance Funds, thereby severely restricting the ability of Jewish doctors to practice medicine by refusing them the right to claim payment from the state health insurance fund. Krohn also was involved in formulating discriminatory social legislation. The Law Concerning Tenancy Arrangements for Jews, for example, was signed by Krohn in April 1939 and provided for the eviction of Jews from their homes if their landlord was German. The resultant homeless families then had to be sheltered by those Jews still in possession of their apartments. Krohn was eventually forced out of his position in mid-1939, following a years-long turf battle with Robert Ley, the head of the German Labor Front, who sought to progressively usurp the functions of the Ministry of Labor, as he attempted to turn his organization into a shadow labor ministry.[3]
During the Second World Waredit
After the beginning of the Second World War, Krohn was transferred to the General Government in October 1939 to set up the social administration in the occupied territory but personal and professional conflicts with Governor-General Hans Frank led to his removal in November.[4] He then volunteered for military service and was severely wounded in 1940, earning the Clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class.[5] After recovery from his wounds, he left the Wehrmacht and was appointed Reichskommissar for Administration of Enemy Assets in the Reich Ministry of Justice on 1 November 1941, serving there for the remainder of the war. In this position, he was active in the expropriation of assets in the occupied territories.[6]
Postwar lifeedit
Following the end of the war, Krohn was interned from June 1945 to May 1946 in the Bayreuth prison and in Internment Camp #6 in the Bavarian town of Moosburg an der Isar.[7] After his release, he worked in an advisory capacity on the social legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany. From 1948 to 1953 he was chairman of arbitration boards for commercial and agricultural professional associations. From June 1953 to 1959 he was chairman of the Society for Insurance Science and Design in Cologne. From 1955 to 1968 he was chairman of the Federal Committee of Dentists and Health Insurance Companies and deputy chairman of the Federal Committee of Doctors and Health Insurance Companies.[8] In 1954, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and, in 1959, the University of Cologne awarded him an honorary doctorate.[5] He died in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler on 11 July 1974.[9]
Referencesedit
^Johannes Krohn entry, p. 259 in Das Deutsche Führerlexikon 1934-1935
^Darren O’Byrne: Perpetrators? Political Civil Servants in the Third Reich, Timothy Williams, Susanne Buckley-Zistel (ed.): Perpetrators and Perpetration of Mass Violence: Action, Motivations and Dynamics, (2018) New York: Routledge, pp.89–90, ISBN 978-0-367-59148-9.
^Thomas Schlemmer, Dona Geyer: From the General Government to the Bundestag? The Christian-Social Union in Bavaria and the Case of Max Frauendorfer, German Yearbook of Contemporary History, Volume 5, 2021, University of Nebraska Press, p. 158.
^Johannes Krohn Curriculum Vitae with Photograph on the website of the Independent Commission of Historians for Research into the History of the Reich Ministry of Labor 1933-1945.
^Florian Tennstedt (1982), "Krohn, Johannes", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 13, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 69; (full text online)
Das Deutsche Führerlexikon 1934-1935. Berlin: Verlagsanftalt Otto Stollberg G. m. b. H. 1934.
Hansen, Eckhard; Tennstedt, Florian, eds. (2018). Biographisches Lexikon zur Geschichte der deutschen Sozialpolitik 1871 – 1945. Vol. 2: Sozialpolitiker in der Weimarer Republik und im Nationalsozialismus 1919 – 1945. Kassel: Kassel University Press. ISBN978-3-737-60474-1.(Online, PDF; 3.9 MB)
Klee, Ernst (2007). Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945. Frankfurt-am-Main: Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag. ISBN978-3-596-16048-8.
Lilla, Joachim (2005). Der Prußische Staatsrat 1921–1933: Ein biographisches Handbuch. Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag. ISBN978-3-770-05271-4.
Nützenadel, Alexander (2020). Bureaucracy, Work and Violence: The Reich Ministry of Labour in Nazi Germany, 1933–1945. Berghahn Books. ISBN978-1-789-20459-9.
Johannes Krohn Curriculum Vitae with Photograph on the website of the Independent Commission of Historians for Research into the History of the Reich Ministry of Labor 1933-1945
January 01, 1970
johannes, krohn, july, 1884, july, 1974, german, lawyer, civil, servant, became, state, secretary, reich, ministry, labor, nazi, germany, from, 1933, 1939, state, secretary, reich, ministry, labor, from, april, 1935, reich, prussian, ministry, labor, office, f. Johannes Krohn 4 July 1884 11 July 1974 was a German lawyer and civil servant who became the State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Labor in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1939 Johannes KrohnState Secretary Reich Ministry of Labor From 1 April 1935 the Reich and Prussian Ministry of Labor In office 24 February 1933 mid 1939Preceded byAndreas Grieser de Succeeded byFriedrich SyrupReichskommissarfor Administration of Enemy Assets Reich Ministry of JusticeIn office 1 November 1941 8 May 1945Preceded byOffice createdSucceeded byOffice abolishedPersonal detailsBorn4 July 1884Stettin Province of Pomerania Kingdom of Prussia German EmpireDied11 July 1974 aged 90 Bad Neuenahr Ahrweiler Rhineland Palatinate West GermanyNationalityGermanPolitical partyNazi PartyAlma materUniversity of FreiburgLeipzig UniversityKiel UniversityMartin Luther University of Halle WittenbergProfessionLawyerMilitary serviceAllegiance German Empire Nazi GermanyBranch serviceImperial German ArmyGerman ArmyYears of service1906 19071914 19181939 1941RankHauptmann of reservesBattles warsWorld War IWorld War IIAwardsIron Cross 1st and 2nd classClasp to the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd classWound Badge Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Civil service career 2 1 Under the Weimar Republic 2 2 State Secretary in Nazi Germany 2 3 During the Second World War 3 Postwar life 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksEarly life and education editBorn the son of an auditor in Stettin today Szczecin Krohn obtained his Abitur from the Konig Wilhelm Gymnasium in Magdeburg in 1903 and then studied law from 1903 to 1906 at the University of Freiburg Leipzig University Kiel University and the Martin Luther University of Halle Wittenberg While in Leipzig he became a member of the Germania student corps Passing his Referendar examination in June 1906 he performed mandatory military service as a one year volunteer from October 1906 to October 1907 and then entered on a legal clerkship In 1911 he earned his doctorate in law passed the Assessor examination in January 1912 and worked as a court assessor in Magdeburg In 1914 he became a city councilor in Stassfurt serving until 1920 He returned to military service in the First World War earning the Iron Cross first and second class as well as the Wound Badge He rose to the rank of Hauptmann in the infantry reserves before being discharged in 1919 1 Civil service career editUnder the Weimar Republic edit Krohn obtained an entry level position with the Weimar Republic s Reich Insurance Office in 1919 and became a Regierungsrat Government Councilor the next year In 1921 he entered the Reich Labor Ministry advancing to Oberregierungsrat in 1921 and Ministerialrat Ministerial Councilor in 1923 From 1923 to 1928 he headed a sub department of social insurance advancing to director of the Social Insurance Department from 1928 to 1932 Promoted to Ministerial Director he became head of Main Department II Social Insurance and Social Welfare on 15 June 1932 2 State Secretary in Nazi Germany edit Shortly after the Nazi seizure of power on 30 January 1933 Krohn was promoted to State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Labor under Reichsminister Franz Seldte on 24 February As the ministry s senior civil servant he was involved in implementing the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service of 7 April 1933 that provided for the dismissal from the ministry of Jews Communist Party members and other perceived opponents of the regime He also was instrumental in drafting the law of 19 May 1933 that established the Trustee of Labour by which the government sought to control labor relations In October 1933 Krohn became a founding member of Hans Frank s Academy for German Law Following the merger of the Prussian Ministry of Labor with the Reich Ministry of Labor on 1 April 1935 Krohn was named to the Prussian State Council by Prussian Minister president Hermann Goring On 30 January 1938 Krohn became a member of the Nazi Party 2 During his tenure as State Secretary Krohn was largely given a free hand to develop policy due to his expertise in the area and to Seldte s relative disinterest in the specifics of social policy Thus Krohn was involved in the development of many discriminatory health care policies such as the third implementing decree of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring which he signed in February 1935 It mandated that state health insurance funds could be used to cover the costs of sterilizing those considered to have an hereditary illness In October 1938 he likewise signed the Decree Concerning the Participation of Jews in Health Insurance Funds thereby severely restricting the ability of Jewish doctors to practice medicine by refusing them the right to claim payment from the state health insurance fund Krohn also was involved in formulating discriminatory social legislation The Law Concerning Tenancy Arrangements for Jews for example was signed by Krohn in April 1939 and provided for the eviction of Jews from their homes if their landlord was German The resultant homeless families then had to be sheltered by those Jews still in possession of their apartments Krohn was eventually forced out of his position in mid 1939 following a years long turf battle with Robert Ley the head of the German Labor Front who sought to progressively usurp the functions of the Ministry of Labor as he attempted to turn his organization into a shadow labor ministry 3 During the Second World War edit After the beginning of the Second World War Krohn was transferred to the General Government in October 1939 to set up the social administration in the occupied territory but personal and professional conflicts with Governor General Hans Frank led to his removal in November 4 He then volunteered for military service and was severely wounded in 1940 earning the Clasp to the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class 5 After recovery from his wounds he left the Wehrmacht and was appointed Reichskommissar for Administration of Enemy Assets in the Reich Ministry of Justice on 1 November 1941 serving there for the remainder of the war In this position he was active in the expropriation of assets in the occupied territories 6 Postwar life editFollowing the end of the war Krohn was interned from June 1945 to May 1946 in the Bayreuth prison and in Internment Camp 6 in the Bavarian town of Moosburg an der Isar 7 After his release he worked in an advisory capacity on the social legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany From 1948 to 1953 he was chairman of arbitration boards for commercial and agricultural professional associations From June 1953 to 1959 he was chairman of the Society for Insurance Science and Design in Cologne From 1955 to 1968 he was chairman of the Federal Committee of Dentists and Health Insurance Companies and deputy chairman of the Federal Committee of Doctors and Health Insurance Companies 8 In 1954 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and in 1959 the University of Cologne awarded him an honorary doctorate 5 He died in Bad Neuenahr Ahrweiler on 11 July 1974 9 References edit Johannes Krohn entry p 259 in Das Deutsche Fuhrerlexikon 1934 1935 a b Lilla 2005 p 216 Darren O Byrne Perpetrators Political Civil Servants in the Third Reich Timothy Williams Susanne Buckley Zistel ed Perpetrators and Perpetration of Mass Violence Action Motivations and Dynamics 2018 New York Routledge pp 89 90 ISBN 978 0 367 59148 9 Thomas Schlemmer Dona Geyer From the General Government to the Bundestag The Christian Social Union in Bavaria and the Case of Max Frauendorfer German Yearbook of Contemporary History Volume 5 2021 University of Nebraska Press p 158 a b Hansen amp Tennstedt 2018 p 106 Nutzenadel 2020 p 114 Johannes Krohn Curriculum Vitae with Photograph on the website of the Independent Commission of Historians for Research into the History of the Reich Ministry of Labor 1933 1945 Florian Tennstedt 1982 Krohn Johannes Neue Deutsche Biographie in German vol 13 Berlin Duncker amp Humblot p 69 full text online Klee 2007 p 343 Sources editDas Deutsche Fuhrerlexikon 1934 1935 Berlin Verlagsanftalt Otto Stollberg G m b H 1934 Hansen Eckhard Tennstedt Florian eds 2018 Biographisches Lexikon zur Geschichte der deutschen Sozialpolitik 1871 1945 Vol 2 Sozialpolitiker in der Weimarer Republik und im Nationalsozialismus 1919 1945 Kassel Kassel University Press ISBN 978 3 737 60474 1 Online PDF 3 9 MB Klee Ernst 2007 Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich Wer war was vor und nach 1945 Frankfurt am Main Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag ISBN 978 3 596 16048 8 Lilla Joachim 2005 Der Prussische Staatsrat 1921 1933 Ein biographisches Handbuch Dusseldorf Droste Verlag ISBN 978 3 770 05271 4 Nutzenadel Alexander 2020 Bureaucracy Work and Violence The Reich Ministry of Labour in Nazi Germany 1933 1945 Berghahn Books ISBN 978 1 789 20459 9 External links editLiterature by and about Johannes Krohn in the German National Library catalogue Johannes Krohn entry in the Deutsche Biographie Johannes Krohn Curriculum Vitae with Photograph on the website of the Independent Commission of Historians for Research into the History of the Reich Ministry of Labor 1933 1945 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Johannes Krohn amp oldid 1210053782, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
