Kurt von Schleicher

Kurt von Schleicher was a German general and politician who served as the last chancellor of the Weimar Republic. He joined the German army in 1900 and rose to prominence as a staff officer and political adviser during the First World War and the interwar period. He was a leading figure in the presidential government of Paul von Hindenburg, who appointed him as chancellor in December 1932. Schleicher tried to stabilize the political situation by forming a broad coalition that included the Nazis and the Social Democrats, but he failed to win the support of either party. He also attempted to undermine Adolf Hitler by offering him the vice-chancellorship and trying to persuade Gregor Strasser, a rival Nazi leader, to join his cabinet. However, his schemes backfired and he was forced to resign in January 1933, paving the way for Hitler's appointment as chancellor. Six months later, Schleicher was assassinated by the SS during the Night of the Long Knives, a purge of Hitler's opponents within and outside the Nazi Party. Schleicher is regarded as a controversial figure in German history, as some historians view him as a victim of Nazi terror, while others see him as an opportunist and a manipulator who contributed to the demise of democracy in Germany.^[1^]^[2^]