KOHLER, HEINRICH
Publié le 22/02/2012
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KOHLER, HEINRICH (1878–1949), politician; Finance Minister in Wilhelm
Marx's* fourth cabinet. Born in Karlsruhe, he joined the civil service,*
beginning work in 1897 in Baden's Finance Office. He was elected in 1911 to
Karlsruhe's city assembly and entered the Landtag in 1913 as a Center Party*
deputy. In 1915–1918 he was a tariff commissioner in occupied Belgium.
Close to Joseph Wirth* and a member of the Center's left wing until the mid-
1920s, Ko¨hler promoted alliance with Baden's provisional government during
the November Revolution.* After appointment in January 1919 as the state's
cabinet chief, he succeeded Wirth as Baden's Finance Minister in 1920, holding
office until 1927 and serving also as Prime Minister in 1923–1924 and 1926–
1927.
Although Ko¨hler was reinstated as Prime Minister in November 1926, he went
to Berlin* two months later to join Marx's government (he served through June
1928). During Germany's unstable prosperity he framed a solid financial policy;
yet he repeatedly blamed reparations* for forcing him to drive the economy at
the verge of deficit. While he insisted that Germany could ill afford salary
increases or the eight-hour day, he endorsed a bill granting massive raises to
civil servants. Supported by Marx, the bill was condemned by labor leader and
Party colleague Adam Stegerwald.* Ko¨hler defended it by arguing that the indifference
of bureaucrats in 1918 to the monarchy's collapse was owed to the
blunder of a regime that had paid them so poorly; the Republic, he warned, ran
the same risk. But the 1927 salary law alienated other elements of the population,
especially the rural community. Three years later Heinrich Bru¨ning,* faced
with depression,* made the painful choice of reversing Ko¨hler's pay raise.
During his time in the Reichstag* (May 1928 to July 1932), Ko¨hler belonged
to the chamber's budget committee. He thereafter reverted to private business
and served as a financial advisor to the potash industry.
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