Kurt von Schleicher

Schleicher was born into an aristocratic family in Brandenburg in 1882. His father Hermann von Schleicher was a Prussian officer. Like his father, he started his military career in the Prussian army. Following his mentor Wilhelm Groener, he was appointed to the Kriegsamt (German War Office). In 1917, he was sent to the Galician Front. As he was close to Groener, who had a pact with Friedrich Ebert, Schleicher managed to become part of the new order after the November Revolution. In 1919, Schleicher was transferred to the Reich Ministry of Defense, where he became one of Hans von Seeckt’s closest staff members. When his department was transformed into a ministerial office, Schleicher became a civil servant with the rank of state secretary - a promotion. In 1932, he used his connections in the president’s office to have first Papen then himself appointed Reichskanzler. Yet his attempts to convince the Nazis to join the government coalition failed. After secret talks between Hindenburg, Papen, and Hitler to have Hitler appointed Reichskanzler, Schleicher stepped down at the end of January 1933, recommending Hitler as the new Reichskanzler.

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