Ribbentrop, Joachim von

Ribbentrop in the Reichstag

Childhood, education, training

Born in the city of Wesel in Rhine Prussia in the family of officer Richard Ulrich Friedrich Joachim Ribbentrop. He had a brother Lothar a year older and a sister of Ingeborg (born 1896). Mother (Johanna Sophie Gertwig, born 1860) was a good-natured woman, unlike a strict father, who often punished children for poor performance. She died in 1902 from tuberculosis. Since 1904, his father continued his service in the city of Metz as an adjutant to the general - commander of the fortress. He got married again. In Metz, Joachim mastered the French language. He was a good athlete and violinist, but a bad student: he did not graduate from high school and barely knew how to write. In 1908, Joachim's father left military service. The family moved to Arosu, Switzerland. The children were trained by the teachers hired by their father. In Switzerland, Joachim often saw wealthy tourists who enjoyed climbing and bobsledding. He began to desire to become a wealthy person, to see the world. The father sent both sons to study in England [1] .

Activities before World War I

In 1910, Joachim and Lothar went to Canada. Mother left her sons an inheritance and Joachim went into business - the supply of German wine to Canada [2] . In Canada, his kidney was removed: "he got infected through the milk of a patient with tuberculosis of a cow" ^[7] .

World War I

During World War I, he returned to Germany to participate in hostilities. He served in the Torgaus hussar regiment. He made friends with Wolf-Heinrich von Helldorf ^[8] , the future Fuhrer of the Nazi attack aircraft in Berlin. In the fall of 1914, he joined the 125th Hussar Regiment, where he served with Oscar von Hindenburg and Franz von Papen . In the war, Ribbentrop rose to the rank of lieutenant and was awarded the Iron Cross ^[9] . He served on the Eastern , and then on the Western Front . In 1918 he was sent to Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey ) as an officer of the General Staff , where he met Franz von Papen [3] .

Commercial Activities After World War I

In 1919, Ribbentrop left the service. He opened his own company for the production of wines and liquors. In mid-1919 in Berlin, through a client relationship, he met Otto Henkel, the owner of Henkell & Co, a major wine producer. On July 5, 1920, in Wiesbaden, Joachim married Otto Henkel's daughter, Anna Elizabeth (Annelis) Henkel (born 1896). Father-in-law introduced him to his circle of friends - wealthy wine producers. These connections and entrepreneurial skills helped Joachim develop the beverage business in the mid-1920s, which became one of the largest in Germany. In 1923, in Berlin, he built an elegant villa with a tennis court and pool. The villa had cocktail parties. The color of the Berlin society — nobles, financiers, industrialists — was invited to the meetings. Including rich Jews. Ribbentrop met with collectors of objects of art and values [4] .

Noble lineage

The Ribbentrop family did not belong to the nobility, but had distant kinship with some aristocratic and even royal houses, which Joachim admired as a child. On May 15, 1925, Ribbentrop was adopted by his distant relative Gertrude von Ribbentrop (1863-1943), whose father Karl Ribbentrop received the nobility in 1884 and subsequently began to bear the name "von Ribbentrop". As a result, Joachim Ribbentrop got the opportunity to use the noble prefix "von" to his surname, as well as use the family coat of arms of von Ribbentropov, in return for the contract, he undertook to pay Gertrude von Ribbentrop pension for 15 years. It was later claimed that Ribbentrop received the nobility for his merits in the First World War. In 1933, Ribbentrop in the SS questionnaire stated that he was admitted to the nobility to protect his family’s aristocratic line from fading, but without mentioning Karl Ribbentrop’s merit year. After some time, Ribbentrop wanted to join an exclusive club in Berlin, whose members were mostly noblemen. Despite the intercession of his friends von Helldorf and von Papen, his application was rejected. Later, when Ribbentrop took the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1938, he tried to send the responsible diplomat Friedrich von Lieres and Wilkau to the concentration camp .

Political career

In the summer of 1932, Joachim von Ribbentrop was actively involved in politics. Through the mediation of Wolf-Heinrich von Helldorf, he was invited to Hitler in Berchtesgaden . Ribbentrop tried to convince the latter to enter into negotiations with Hindenburg and Papen in order to achieve chancellorism ^[8] . In January 1933, he provided Hitler with his villa for secret negotiations with von Papen .

The meetings in our house were kept in the deepest secrecy, which was important for a successful outcome of the formation of the government ^[10]

In 1932, the balance of power in Europe looked like this: in the center of Europe there was an absolute vacuum of power that arose due to the complete disarmament of Germany. The impotence of the German Reich created a certain “temptation”, which Lenin formulated as follows: “He who owns Berlin, he also owns Europe” ^[11] . The Charter of the League of Nations obliged each member to have the minimum armament necessary for national security. The solution of the “armament issue” was of vital importance for the Reich, created a “European counterweight” to Stalin’s expansion, as well as a deterrent to the aggressive interests of Jozef Pilsudski . In “Weimar times” Pilsudski repeatedly appealed to France for safety in a planned attack on Germany: in 1923, French Marshal Foch was in Warsaw and negotiated with Pilsudski about the so-called “Foch Plan” - an operation of the Polish armed forces against Upper Silesia , Pomerania and East Prussia . In 1933, Pilsudski again “probed” Paris on the issue of a possible military action against the Reich ^[12] . Given the threats, it was necessary through negotiations to find a way to achieve equality: disarm states with high military capabilities, rearm the low ones, or go for a combination of both. Hitler entrusted the solution of this crucial issue to Joachim von Ribbentrop. The first official post of the latter was called the “Special Commissioner for Disarmament Affairs” ^[13] .

On the instructions of Hitler, with the active assistance of Himmler, who helped with money and staff , he created the organization “Ribbentrop Apparatus”, one of the tasks of which was to monitor unreliable diplomats . The main mission of the "Ribbentrop Apparatus" was to solve the armament problem according to the "German Equality" formula - to prepare the international community for the opinion of the need for limited rearmament of Germany. To this end, "German-English" and "German-French" societies were founded. Societies included influential people. So, Sir Robert Gilbert Wansitart was a member of the "German-English" society ^[14] . Ribbentrop tried to come to an agreement allowing the rearmament of Germany under international control. However, every time this initiative met with opposition from France. On March 17, 1934, the French government rejected the British offer of compromise. Hitler took advantage of the stubbornness of France for his militaristic purposes. He decided that Germany from now on is free "from all obligations with respect to the Treaty of Versailles and can arm itself at its discretion, without restriction and control, relying on the enthusiastic approval of its people" ^[15] .

At the end of May 1935, an invitation was received to send an authorized naval negotiator to London. Hitler appointed Ribbentrop “special envoy” and sent to London. He hoped "voluntary limitation of German naval weapons to create the prerequisites for a long-term agreement with Britain" on joint policy ^[16] . The result of the activities of Joachim von Ribbentrop was the conclusion on 18 June 1935 of the Anglo-German Maritime Agreement .

In the summer of 1936, Ribbentrop suggested Hitler to "stay away from Spanish affairs," since it was necessary to be wary of complications in relations with England. Ribbentrop noted that the French bourgeoisie is a reliable guarantee against the Bolsheviks of the country. However, Hitler had a different opinion. He claimed:

If (Stalin) really succeeds in creating a communist Spain, then in the current situation in France, Bolshevization of this country as well is only a matter of short time and then Germany can “reel fishing rods” ^[17]

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Joachim von Ribbentrop wrote that it was difficult to give decisive arguments contrary to Hitler's ideological principles.

In August 1936, Joachim von Ribbentrop was appointed ambassador to London. Ribbentrop himself suggested that Hitler be appointed ambassador in order to continue "a broadly conceived attempt to enter into serious negotiations with the British on an alliance in European politics." Ribbentrop in his letter to W. Hassel (the German ambassador in Rome) wrote that “one of the main tasks of our diplomacy in London is to enlighten the British about the real danger of Bolshevism” ^[18] . Before leaving, Ribbentrop met with British Deputy Foreign Secretary R. Wansitart at the Kaiserhof hotel in Berlin. He tried to understand the position of R. Wansitart regarding the union of Germany and England. Ribbentrop recalled ^[19] :

I had a feeling that from the very beginning I was turning my speeches to the wall. Vansitart calmly listened to everything, but remained closed and avoided any attempt of mine to call for a frank exchange of views

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R. Vansitart has long held unshakable prejudices against Germany and the Germans. Ribbentrop was familiar to A. Crowe - the ideological inspirer of English diplomats, including R. Vansitarta. On the eve of World War I, he called on the World to unite to defend themselves against the German “nightmare”: intentions to establish hegemony in Europe, dominance at sea and the creation of German India in Asia Minor ^[20] .

On October 26, 1936, an agreement was concluded between Germany and fascist Italy. Ribbentrop noted that the rapprochement between National Socialism and fascism was inevitable, as opposed to Bolshevism. He tried to convince that cooperation with Italy did not jeopardize the negotiation process with England. In confidential correspondence, Ribbentrop wrote:

paramount importance in every foreign policy step is given to the opposites of fascism and national socialism, on the one hand, and Bolshevism, on the other

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On November 5, 1936, the Anti-Comintern Pact was signed - the Japanese-German international treaty "on defense against communism." Joachim von Ribbentrop noted that anti-Comintern politics is a way out of Germany’s isolation, a way to find partners without losing their goal - an agreement with England ^[7] . He tried to convince E. Eden (British Foreign Secretary) that:

the pact is not directed against anyone except against world communism, and that the annexation of England would also not meet with obstacles. However, I came across Eden's complete inability to understand what was at stake: they did not want to see the communist danger in England ^[21]

The main thing for England is the inviolability of the British Empire. The re-equipment of Germany was already unbalancing the "balance of power" in the English sense. At the turn of 1937-1938, Hitler faced a problem: having decided unilaterally in the pro-Western (anti-Soviet) course, he realized that England did not want rapprochement. He “sat between two chairs” ^[22] . There was only one thing left - strengthening the German position by increasing armaments. On February 4, 1938, in Berlin, Hitler appointed Joachim von Ribbentrop the Imperial Minister for Foreign Affairs. Before the appointment, Hitler said:

Germany, thanks to the creation of the Wehrmacht and the occupation of the Rhine region, has won a new position for itself. She again entered the circle of equal nations, and now it is time to begin to solve certain problems with the help of a strong Wehrmacht, in no case through its use, but thanks only to its presence. A country that is not also strong militarily cannot pursue any foreign policy at all. We have seen enough of this over the past years. Now our goal should be to establish clear relationships with our neighbors ^[23]

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Hitler named Ribbentrop four main problems: Austria and the Sudetenland , Memel and the Danzig corridor .

In March 1938, Ribbentrop paid a farewell visit to London. The events of the Anschluss (the inclusion of Austria in Germany) took him by surprise:

an example of Hitler’s work style, which always left a final decision and sometimes made it at a moment that no one expected in his immediate environment ^[24]

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Hitler believed that "he is obliged to respond to unexpected developments - as in this case to the announced intention of the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg with the help of a plebiscite to perpetuate the separation of Austria and Germany."

In October 1938, Karl Schnurre [5] , head of the Eastern Department of Economics of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conducted intensive negotiations with the head of the Soviet trade mission Skosyrev about a new loan agreement for 200 mil Reichsmarks for a period of 6 years with a condition for the supply of strategic raw materials 3/4 from the agreed amount ^{[25] [26]} . Since Rapallo, trade has not stopped. German firms provided loans to the USSR under the guarantee of the Reich . In turn, the USSR, as a customer, allocated allocated funds in Germany ^[27] .

The total value of Soviet orders placed in Germany in 1931 reached a record high of 919.2 million Reichsmarks. If several important German engineering companies, especially in the field of equipment manufacturing, withstood the depression, and Hitler managed to get them back to work in his quest for re-equipment after 1933, this was solely due to Soviet orders that kept these companies afloat. For example, in the first half of 1932, the USSR purchased 50 percent of pig iron and steel exported by Germany, 60 percent of all earthmoving equipment and dynamos, 70 percent of all metalworking machines, 80 percent of cranes and sheet metal, 90 percent of all steam and gas turbines and steam forging machines.

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В конце декабря 1938 года в Берлине было подписано новое германо-советское торговое соглашение (ежегодное продление сделок) ^[28] . Учитывая договоренности, Риббентроп дал указание Шнурре в середине января 1939 года из Варшавы, не привлекая внимания, направиться в Москву для переговоров с Микояном о поставках. Встреча в Москве была намечена на 31 января 1939 года. В то же самое время, в Варшаве Риббентроп обсуждал с Беком, министром иностранных дел Польши , вопрос о Данциге , данцигском коридоре и о позиции Польши по отношению к СССР. Однако, благодаря утечке информации (публикации в Daily Mail ), переговоры с Микояном были приостановлены. Риббентроп был шокирован: воспринял публикацию о «большой германской делегации в Москву», как средство срыва переговоров в Варшаве. Повторная попытка Риббентропа договориться с польской стороной также не увенчалась успехом. 21 марта 1939 года Бек вновь был приглашен для переговоров. Однако он направился не в Берлин, а в Лондон где получил обещание гарантий, которые побудили официально отвергнуть германские предложения и начать мобилизацию польской армии ^[25] . Неудача немецко-польских переговоров доказала невозможность создания «восточноевропейского антибольшевистского блока под германским руководством». Риббентроп понял, что немецкая политика должна была найти «новую концепцию». На обратном пути из Варшавы он заявил ^[29] :

Теперь у нас, если мы не хотим быть полностью окружены, остается лишь один выход: объединиться с Россией

23 августа 1939 года Риббентроп прибыл в Москву и был принят Сталиным . Вместе с наркомом иностранных дел СССР Вячеславом Молотовым подписал договор о ненападении между Германией и Советским Союзом сроком на 10 лет, известный как Пакт Молотова-Риббентропа .

27 сентября 1939 года фон Риббентроп прибыл в советскую столицу во второй раз. Его приветствовали ряд высокопоставленных чиновников и командиров Красной армии, а также почётный караул. Переговоры со Сталиным и Молотовым состоялись поздно вечером. Переговоры продолжились на следующий день и завершились утром 29 сентября 1939 года подписанием договора о границе и дружбе , на котором стояла официальная дата 28 сентября 1939 года. Основной смысл договора состоял в том, что два правительства соглашались на раздел сфер влияния, как это предлагал Сталин. ^[thirty]

Взаимоотношения с коллегами по национал-социалистической партии

Своими изысканными манерами ^[31] Гиммлер настолько поразил Риббентропа, что тот вскоре вступил сначала в НСДАП , а позже — и в СС . 30 мая 1933 года Риббентропу было присвоено звание штандартенфюрера СС, а Гиммлер стал частым гостем на его вилле. Но через некоторое время отношения между Риббентропом и Гиммлером испортились. Причиной этого стало грубое вмешательство Гиммлера и его подчинённых (в первую очередь Гейдриха ) в дела внешнеполитического ведомства, причём действовали они весьма дилетантски.

Раздор ещё более усилился после того, как Риббентроп уличил сотрудников СД , работавших в посольствах в качестве полицейских атташе , в использовании каналов дипломатической почты для отправки доносов на сотрудников посольств.

В ноябре 1939 года Риббентроп резко выступил против плана Гейдриха выкрасть из Нидерландов двух британских разведчиков, однако Гитлер так яростно защищал СД, что Риббентропу пришлось уступить:

Да, да, мой фюрер, я сразу придерживался такого же мнения, но с этими бюрократами и юристами в министерстве иностранных дел просто беда: они слишком тугодумы.

Управу на Гиммлера удалось найти только в январе 1941 года , после того как СД самостоятельно попыталась свергнуть румынского диктатора Антонеску ( мятеж «Железной Гвардии» ). 22 января , когда положение стало критическим, Антонеску послал запрос в немецкое посольство, чтобы узнать, пользуется ли он ещё доверием Гитлера. Риббентроп немедленно ответил:

Да, Антонеску должен действовать как считает необходимым и целесообразным. Фюрер же советует ему поступить с легионерами так же, как он в своё время обошёлся с рёмскими путчистами .

Антонеску разгромил путчистов и стал их преследовать. Но тут вмешалась СД, укрыв руководство « Железной гвардии » и тайно вывезя его за границу.

Узнав об этом, Риббентроп немедленно доложил Гитлеру, представив произошедшее как чудовищный заговор СД против официальной внешней политики Третьего рейха ^[31] . Ведь представитель СД в Румынии был подстрекателем путча, а руководитель румынской группы немцев Андреас Шмидт , назначенный на эту должность начальником центра по работе с фольксдойче обергруппенфюрером СС Лоренцем , укрывал путчистов. Риббентроп также не забыл упомянуть, что Шмидт является зятем Готтлоба Бергера , начальника Главного управления СС . Таким образом, у Гитлера создалось впечатление, что к заговору причастно высшее руководство СС.

Воспользовавшись гневом фюрера, Риббентроп начал действовать. Он назначил нового посланника в Румынии, который тут же отправил в Германию полицейского атташе, проведшего по возвращении несколько месяцев в застенках гестапо . Также Риббентроп стал требовать от Гейдриха прекратить вмешательство в дела внешнеполитического ведомства. 9 августа 1941 года было достигнуто соглашение о том, чтобы служебная переписка полицейских атташе шла через посла.

И в дальнейшем Риббентроп старался уязвить Гиммлера по любому поводу. Так, узнав о намерении Гиммлера посетить Италию , он сообщил, что визиты высшего руководства осуществляются только по согласованию с министерством иностранных дел. Послами в странах Юго-Восточной Европы были назначены выжившие в « Ночь длинных ножей » представители СА . А группенфюреру СС Вернеру Бесту , перешедшему на дипломатическую службу из СД, Риббентроп сказал, что теперь Бест подчиняется только ему, а не Гиммлеру.

К весне 1945 года Риббентроп потерял всякое доверие у Гитлера. В соответствии с «Политическим завещанием Адольфа Гитлера» в новом правительстве Германии пост рейхсминистра иностранных дел должен был занять Артур Зейсс-Инкварт , но он сам отказался от этой должности, о чём и заявил при личной встрече новому рейхспрезиденту Германии Карлу Дёницу ^[32] . Новым рейхсминистром иностранных дел по совместительству стал новый рейхсканцлер Лютц Шверин-Крозиг .

14 июня 1945 года был арестован американскими войсками в Гамбурге . Затем был предан Международному военному трибуналу в Нюрнберге, 1 октября 1946 года приговорён к смертной казни и повешен 16 октября 1946 года в нюрнбергской тюрьме.

Иоахим фон Риббентроп казнён через повешение 16 октября 1946 года по приговору Нюрнбергского трибунала .

Последними словами Риббентропа на эшафоте были:

God save Germany. God, be merciful to my soul. My last wish is that Germany regains its unity, that mutual understanding between East and West leads to peace on Earth. Original text (German) Gott schütze Deutschland. Gott sei meiner Seele gnädig. Mein letzter Wunsch ist, dass Deutschland seine Einheit wiederfindet, dass eine Verständigung zwischen Ost und West kommt für den Frieden der Welt.

After the execution, the body of Joachim von Ribbentrop, along with the bodies of the rest of the executed, and the suicide of G. Goering, were cremated and the dust was scattered .

• 1983 - mini-series, USA). The role of Ribbentrop was played by Anton Diffring ^[33] .
• 2013 - Ambassador of the USSR (film, Poland). The role of Ribbentrop was played by Adam Darsky . ^[34]

From the memoirs of the adviser to the German Embassy in the USSR G. Hilger :

“This was a person in a responsible position for whom he did not have any talents, knowledge or experience, and he himself knew and felt it very well. ... At the same time, he tried to hide his sense of inferiority with arrogance, which often seemed unbearable. It was unheard of for the minister to yell at the gray-haired adviser until his voice broke, until von Ribbentrop introduced the language and rude tone of the non-commissioned officer in the drill class at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Moreover, Ribbentrop was under the control of a mentally unhealthy passion to constantly stick out and live in the most chic style possible. ”

- G. Hilger, A. Meyer “Russia and Germany. Allies or Enemies? ”, M: CJSC Centerpolygraph, 2008 - 415 p., P. 356

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• Non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact)
• Anti-Comintern Pact
• Vienna Protocol
• Ribbentrop Battalion

• Ribbentrop, Joachim von / Vishlev OV // Motherwort - Rumcherod. - M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2015 .-- S. 466-467. - (The Big Russian Encyclopedia : [in 35 vols.] / Ch. Ed. Yu. S. Osipov ; 2004—2017, vol. 28). - ISBN 978-5-85270-365-1 .
• Hyune H. Black Order of the SS. History of security detachments . - M .: OLMA-PRESS , 2003 .-- 542 p. - 6000 copies. - ISBN 5-224-03843-X .
• Joachim von Ribbentrop. Between London and Moscow. - M .: Thought , 1996 .-- 334 p. - ISBN 5-244-00817-X .