President Paul von Hindenburg Preceded by Hugo Schaffer Political party Non-partisan Name Friedrich Syrup Education University of Rostock Succeeded by Franz Seldte | Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher Nationality German Alma mater University of Rostock Role German Politician Party Independent politician Resigned January 30, 1933 | |
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Full Name Friedrich Heinrich Karl Syrup Born 9 October 1881
Luchow, German Empire ( 1881-10-09 ) Died August 31, 1945, Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Oranienburg, Germany | ||
Friedrich Heinrich Karl Syrup (9 October 1881 – c. 31 August 1945) was a German jurist and politician.
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Life
Syrup was born in Luchow, Dannenberg district, in the Prussian Province of Hanover. The postal official's son studied engineering science as well as law and political science. In 1905, he joined the Prussian Industrial Inspection Service, staying until 1918, and making a name for himself in this time with various scientific publications on issues such as occupational health and safety and the work force's social status. In November 1918, Syrup was delegated by the Prussian Ministry for Trade and Industry to the Demobilization Ministry, where he was responsible for reintegrating former soldiers into civilian industrial life. While in this job, Syrup created the Reich Office for Work Placement, whose president he was appointed in 1920. From 1927 until the end of 1938, he was president of the Reich institution for Work Placement and Unemployment Insurance. When the central office of the hitherto autonomous institution was integrated into the Reich Ministry of Labour, Syrup was appointed State Secretary in this ministry.
In Kurt von Schleicher's cabinet, the last before Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Syrup was Reich Minister for Labour (independent); however, he was sent back to his old job by Hitler. Hermann Goring, in his capacity as Commissioner of the Four Year Plan, appointed Syrup in 1936 leader of the Geschaftsgruppe Arbeitseinsatz (Labour Deployment Business Group). After the 1938 Aktion Arbeitsscheu Reich, he ordered the fatigue duty of all jobless Jews in Germany. An appointed member of the Prussian State Council since 1939, on 2 May 1941 he attended the state secretary meeting on the Hunger Plan in preparation of the Operation Barbarossa invasion of the Soviet Union.
In 1941, Syrup suffered a complete breakdown. After a long illness, he took up work once again, but only part-time. This was the deciding factor in appointing the Gauleiter of Thuringia, Fritz Sauckel, to the General Plenipotentiary for Labour Deployment on 21 March 1942, effectively putting Syrup under Sauckel.
When the war ended, Syrup stayed in Berlin, although he could have fled. On 7 June 1945, he was deported to the NKVD special camp Nr. 7 in Sachsenhausen where he died a few months later.