Papen, << PAH puhn, >> Franz von (1879-1969), was a German politician who helped make Adolf Hitler head of the German government in 1933. He persuaded Paul von Hindenburg, Germany’s president, to appoint Hitler chancellor. Papen did not belong to Hitler’s Nazi Party, which had become Germany’s largest political force by 1933. Papen, who had been forced to resign as chancellor in 1932, wanted to use the Nazis to stabilize Germany’s government and defeat German socialists. He hoped that he and his fellow conservatives would keep the real power, but Hitler quickly made himself dictator.
Papen was born on Oct. 29, 1879, in Werl, near Dortmund, to an aristocratic family. He gained political power through friendship with Hindenburg. When Hitler took power, Papen became vice chancellor. Papen served as Germany’s special minister and ambassador to Austria from 1934 to 1938 and as its ambassador to Turkey from 1939 to 1944. In Turkey, he organized Nazi spy operations during World War II (1939-1945). In 1946, Papen was found innocent of war crimes at trials held by the nations that defeated Germany in the war. But German courts imprisoned him until 1949 because of his deep involvement with Hitler and his long service to the Nazi regime. Papen died on May 2, 1969.
