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| Order: | 26th Chancellor of Germany |
|---|---|
| Term of Office: | May 1 - May 23, 1945 |
| Predecessor: | Joseph Goebbels |
| Successor: | Konrad Adenauer |
| Date of Birth: | August 22, 1887 |
| Date of Death: | March 4, 1977 |
| Political Party: | none |
| Profession: | lawyer, civil servant |
Count Johann Ludwig (Lutz) Schwerin von Krosigk, EK, ( August 22, 1887– March 4, 1977) was a German politician. He was born in Rathmannsdorf in the Kingdom of Saxony, and studied law and political science in Halle, LausanneLausanne is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Leman , across from Evian-les-Bains, France, and about 60 km northeast of Geneva. It is the capital of the canton of Vaud. Population (as of December and OxfordThis is about the city of Oxford in England. See also other meanings, including other cities. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 ( 2001 census). Its latitude and longitude are 51°45'07" N a. During the first world war, he served in the Army, finally as a First LieutenantFirst Lieutenant is a military rank. The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see comparative military ranks), but in all cases it is common for it to be divided. In the United States Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, and was awarded the Iron Cross. He married baroness Ehrengard von Plettenberg in 1918.
A non-partisan conservative, he was appointed Minister of Finance by Franz von Papen in 1932, and continued in that office on request by Hindenburg, throughout the period of Nazi Rule. Several members of his family took part in assassination attempts against Hitler.
In May 1945, Krosigk was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Karl Dönitz after the suicides of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels. The two presided over the surrender to the Allies. His government was not recognised by the Allied powers and was dissolved when its members were captured by British forces on May 23, 1945 at Flensburg.
Krosigk referred to the ' Iron Curtain' coming down, a phrase which he had picked up from Goebbels anti-Soviet propaganda, and was later picked up by Winston Churchill in a speech that made the phrase famous. He died in Essen in 1977.