Heinrich Brüning

A Christian social activist and political scientist, Brüning entered the Reichstag in 1924 and was appointed chancellor in 1930 just as the Depression hit. With most deputies against him, he governed by emergency decrees from President Hindenburg, bypassing parliament altogether. His deflation policies drove up unemployment and poverty. The emergency rule lasted until May 1932, when a land distribution plan angered Hindenburg, who withdrew his backing. Brüning resigned. After Hitler took power he fled in 1934, eventually landing at Harvard, where he taught from 1937 to 1952. He returned to Germany briefly to teach at Cologne, then moved back to the United States in 1955 and spent his final years in Vermont. Historians still argue whether he was the Weimar Republic's last defender or its undertaker - probably both.