Carl von Ossietzky
German journalist and pacifist (1889–1938)
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Key Takeaways
- Carl von Ossietzky ( German: [ˈkaʁl fɔn ɔˈsi̯ɛtskiː] ; 3 October 1889 – 4 May 1938) was a German journalist and pacifist.
- As editor-in-chief of the magazine Die Weltbühne , Ossietzky published a series of exposés in the late 1920s detailing Germany's violation of the Treaty of Versailles by rebuilding an air force (the predecessor of the Luftwaffe) and training pilots in the Soviet Union.
- Ossietzky continued to be a vocal critic of German militarism after the Nazis' rise to power.
- His brutal torture after his arrest was documented by the International Red Cross.
- After enduring five years of mistreatment in Nazi concentration camps, Ossietzky died of tuberculosis in a Berlin hospital in 1938.
Carl von Ossietzky (German: [ˈkaʁl fɔn ɔˈsi̯ɛtskiː] ; 3 October 1889 – 4 May 1938) was a German journalist and pacifist. He was the recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in exposing the clandestine German rearmament.
As editor-in-chief of the magazine Die Weltbühne, Ossietzky published a series of exposés in the late 1920s detailing Germany's violation of the Treaty of Versailles by rebuilding an air force (the predecessor of the Luftwaffe) and training pilots in the Soviet Union. He was convicted of treason and espionage in 1931 and sentenced to eighteen months in prison, but was granted amnesty in December 1932.
Ossietzky continued to be a vocal critic of German militarism after the Nazis' rise to power. Following the 1933 Reichstag fire, Ossietzky was again arrested and sent to the Esterwegen concentration camp near Oldenburg. His brutal torture after his arrest was documented by the International Red Cross. He was awarded the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize in 1936, but was forbidden from travelling to Norway to accept it. After enduring five years of mistreatment in Nazi concentration camps, Ossietzky died of tuberculosis in a Berlin hospital in 1938.
Early life
Ossietzky was born in Hamburg, the son of Carl Ignatius von Ossietzky (1848–1891), a Protestant from Upper Silesia, and Rosalie (née Pratzka), a devout Catholic who wanted her son to enter Holy Orders and become a priest or monk. His father worked as a stenographer in the office of a lawyer, and of senator Max Predöhl, but died when Ossietzky was two years old. Ossietzky was baptized as a Roman Catholic in Hamburg on 10 November 1889 and confirmed in the Lutheran Hauptkirche St Michaelis on 23 March 1904.
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