Matthias Erzberger

German politician. A member of the Catholic Center Party, he had been a member of the Imperial Diet since 1903. He gained fame in 1906 by attacking the German colonial administration, and became a leading figure in the party. In the first half of World War I, he was an advocate of annexation, but later switched to a peaceful approach of reconciliation, and in 1917 he passed a peace resolution in parliament. He joined the last Baden cabinet of the Imperial government, and signed the armistice. As Minister of Finance, he worked to reform the tax system and strengthen the central government. He was criticized by his anti-republican political opponent Helfferich for mixing public and private affairs, and after receiving an unfavorable verdict in his trial against Helfferich in March 1920, he temporarily retired from politics. He later attempted to return, but Erzberger was hated by nationalists as a symbol of defeat and the republic, and was assassinated by a right-wing terrorist on August 26, 1921.

[Kimura Seiji]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ドイツの政治家。カトリック中央党に属し、1903年以来、帝国議会議員。1906年ドイツの植民地行政を攻撃して名をあげ、党の有力者となった。第一次世界大戦前半は併合論者であったが、のちに和解の平和路線に転じ、1917年議会で平和決議を出した。帝政最後のバーデン内閣に入閣、休戦協定に調印。その後蔵相として、税制改革、中央政府の強化に努めた。反共和派の政敵ヘルフェリヒから公私混同を批判され、1920年3月ヘルフェリヒとの裁判において不利な判決を受けたため、一時政界から退いた。のちに復帰を企図したが、エルツベルガーは敗戦と共和国の象徴として、国粋派から憎まれ、1921年8月26日右翼テロリストに暗殺された。

［木村靖二］

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