Johannes “Hans” von Seeckt (22 April 1866 – 27 December 1936) was a German military officer who served as Chief of Staff to Field Marshall August von Mackensen and to Enver Pasha of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Von Seeckt was criticized by other Germans for turning a blind eye to the Armenian Genocide. Although a Christian he believed that a nation must be united, above all, to fight a war. The Armenians were creating a rift in the Ottoman Empire that would be detrimental to it’s war effort, and winning was the most important thing.
After World War I von Seeckt began training the German Army in ways to expand it’s might in spite of the Treaty of Versailles. He encouraged officers to join the reserves, trained and equipped the border police as soldiers. He sought to retain his officers and NCOs and trained them to lead much larger, not yet manifested units. He showed pictures of soldiers being punished by laying on the floor and reciting scripture to mislead inspectors. He looked forward to the next World War that would help Germany regain it’s former territories and secretly trained a professional military.
Von Seeckt was an adamant anti Semite and ordered Jews would not be allowed in the Reichswehr.
He is not so bad and is an old parliamentarian. For this post he seems quite unsuitable, especially as a Jew; not only because this is in itself provocative, but because the Jewish talent is purely critical, hence negative and can never help in the construction of a state. This is no good– Hans von Seeckt 19 May 1919
Von Seeckt turned the Reichswehr into it’s own political identity; a state within a state. The organization was loyal to him, not the Wiemar Republic. Von Seeckt refused the democratic governments orders to suppress the Kapp Putsch in 1920. The effort failed after the government, having fled Berlin, called for a general strike. Von Seeckt ordered the officers of the Putsch to stand down.
In 1921 Seeckt founded the Arbeitskommandos, civilian work crews he was training as soldiers under the guise of civil service; a way around the limits of troop numbers imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. He and other generals also formed the “Black Reichswehr” to punish or murder those deemed as traitors who gave out the locations of arms caches hidden from the eyes of the League of Nations or names of members.
Von Seeckt believed an alliance with the Soviet Union was the best way to keep up with military technology while under the Treaty of Versailles and to counter France in the future war.
He used his forces to put down Hitler and Ludendorf’s Beer Hall Putsch. He recognized Hitler wanted to overthrow the government that was submitting to the Treaty of Versailles but believed the result would be a French invasion and occupation of more of Germany’s territories. According to von Seeckt; “We must become powerful, and as soon as we have power, we will naturally take back everything we have lost.” Hitler was jailed for a short time and received visitors from the German military elite. He was then released and later became the leader of von Seeckt’s dream of a New Germany, when it was deemed the time was right.
Hans von Seeckt died on 27 December 1936.
Paul Schell born Paul Ervin Schlachtenhaufen (October 8, 1937 – July 27, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1998 to 2002. Schell was an over achiever who sponsored art projects and building renovations in Seattle. He saved historic Pike’s Place Market from destruction and supported other civil projects in the State.
During his tenure the 1999 “Battle for Seattle” WTO protests took place. He previously stated the protests would be peaceful which turned out to be incorrect. He declared a civil emergency so the Governor could mobilize the National Guard and imposed a curfew. During the 2001 Seattle Mardi Gras Riot a young man was beaten to death while police stood by and didn’t intervene. This cost him his re election bid.
Paul Schell was a major mover in the Cascadia Movement, a liberal secessionist movement that sought to form it’s own political identity with parts of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana.
The “Main Street Cascadia” transportation corridor concept was formed by former mayor of Seattle Paul Schell during 1991 and 1992. Schell later defended his cross-border efforts during the 1999 American Planning Association convention, saying “that Cascadia represents better than states, countries and cities the cultural and geographical realities of the corridor from Eugene to Vancouver, B.C. Wikipedia
This movement contrasts the far right wing Northwest Territorial Imperative secessionist movement claiming a similar region.
Schell died after heart surgery in July of 2014
Related
- The Cascadia Movement 4dforum.org
- The Northwest Territorial Imperative 4dforum.org
- Case Study 53