Karl Severing
Severing, Karl
Born June 1, 1875, in Herford; died July 23, 1952, in Bielefeld. German political figure, journalist, and Social Democrat.
Severing became a deputy to the Reichstag in 1920, having served previously from 1907 to 1911. He was also a deputy to the National Assembly in 1919 and 1920. During World War I (1914–18) he maintained a chauvinistic position. From 1920 to 1926 and from 1930 to 1932, Severing headed the Prussian Ministry of Internal Affairs. From 1928 to 1930 he directed the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Severing waged a constant struggle against the revolutionary movement. After the police fired on the May Day demonstration in Berlin in 1929, he banned the activities of the proletarian Union of the Red Front. His policy facilitated the growth of a fascist peril in Germany. Severing did not offer any resistance to Papen’s imperial government, which carried out a reactionary coup in Prussia in July 1932. During the rule of the fascist dictatorship, he received a pension. After World War II (1939–45), Severing, representing the Social Democratic Party, was a member of the Landtag of the West German Land of North Rhine-Westphalia.