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Robert Ley

File:Robert_Ley_(cropped).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Robert Ley

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Also known as Dr. Ernst Distelmeyer

German Nazi politician; indicted by the International Military Tribunal for war crimes (1890-1945)

OverviewAI-generated

Robert Ley (1890–1945) was a German politician, chemist, aircraft pilot, and writer. A member of the Nazi Party, he held the rank of lieutenant and served Nazi Germany during World War I and World War II. Ley was educated at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the University of Bonn, and the University of Münster. He worked in Münster and Berlin and spoke German. His writings include *Organization book of the NSGWP*, *Unser Sozialismus--der hass der Welt*, *Autarkie oder Exportförderung?*, *Roosevelt verrät Amerika!*, and *Warum wir kämpfen und siegen!*

Ley received several awards, including the Golden Party Badge, Iron Cross, West Wall Medal, and Order of Saint Alexander. He died by suicide via hanging in Nuremberg on October 25, 1945. His archives are held by the German Federal Archives.

Synthesized by Vinony from 38 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, Wikiquote, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
1890
Died
1945
Works
31

Top works

  • Organization book of the NSGWP
  • Unser Sozialismus--der hass der Welt
  • Autarkie oder Exportförderung?
  • Roosevelt verrät Amerika!
  • Warum wir kämpfen und siegen!

via Open Library + Wikidata

Key facts

Preceded by
Adolf Hitler
Succeeded by
Position abolished
Leader
Adolf Hitler
1940 1945
Reichskommissar for Social Housing Construction
1933 1945
Member of the Prussian State Council
June december 1932
Reichsinspecteur of the Nazi Party
1930 1933
Member of the Reichstag
Born
( 1890-02-15 ) 15 February 1890, Niederbreidenbach , Germany
Died
25 October 1945 (1945-10-25) (aged 55), Nuremberg , Germany
Cause of death
Suicide by hanging
Party
Nazi Party
Spouse s
Elisabeth Schmidt ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1921 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1938 ) ​ , Inge Spilcker ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1938 ; died 1942 ) ​
Alma mater
University of Jena University of Bonn University of Münster
Known for
Head of the German Labour Front (1933–1945)
Allegiance
German Empire
Branch service
Imperial German Army
Years of service
1914–1920
Rank
Leutnant

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
Robert
Gender
male
Citizenship
Germany
Place of death
Nuremberg
Occupation
writer
Political party
Nazi Party
Languages spoken
German
Conflict
World War II
Military rank
lieutenant
Image
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2008-0922-501, Robert Ley.jpg
Work location
Münster
Show 9 more facts
Commons category
Robert Ley
date of birth
1890-02-15
date of death
1945-10-25
manner of death
Suicide
cause of death
hanging to death
name in native language
Robert Ley
allegiance
Nazi Germany
floruit
1942-00-00
Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~21 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Robert Ley ( German: [ˈʁoːbɛʁt ˈlaɪ]; 15 February 1890 – 25 October 1945) was a German Nazi politician and head of the German Labour Front during its entire existence, from 1933 to 1945. He also held many other high positions in the Nazi Party, including Gauleiter, Reichsleiter and Reichsorganisationsleiter.

The son of a farmer from the Rhine Province, Ley saw action in both the eastern and western fronts of the First World War and received the Iron Cross Second Class. After the war, he resumed his studies in chemistry, obtained his doctorate, and worked for IG Farben as a food chemist. Radicalised following the French occupation of the Ruhr, Ley joined the Nazi Party in 1925 and subsequently became the Gauleiter of Southern Rhineland (later Rhineland). Steadily rising through the ranks, he was elected to the Reichstag in 1930, and replaced Gregor Strasser as Reichsorganisationsleiter in 1932.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Robert Ley” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (8)