Der Senator Hans Otto Roth im Dienste der deutschen Gemeinschaft in Rumänien (September–Oktober 1944)
Senator Hans Otto Roth in the Service of the German Community in Romania (September – October 1944)

Summary/Abstract: Hans Otto Roth (1890, April 29 – 1953, April 1) was an important public figure of the German community in Romania who distinguished himself as a leader of the Transylvanian Saxons by a prestigious intellectual formation and an exemplary civic conduct. As a politician he demonstrated qualities such as balance and wisdom, that were acknowledged both by the German group, who designated him as a parliament member and party chief, and by the Romanians, who appreciated his visionary attitude and fair position. This paper presents the senator and minister Hans Otto Roth in a dramatic historic moment – the summer and autumn of 1944 –, when he contributed (as much as possible) by his appeal to calm and loyalty to the identification of peaceful solutions that would ease the tension in the relations with the Romanian authorities facing great pressure from the Soviets. An important issue was the deportation of the German ethnic population to the Soviet Union, a hard trial in the lives of many fellow countrymen. Hans Otto Roth intervened in this matter, asking for understanding and moderation. As a leader belonging to the generation of the Great Union, the Transylvanian Saxon liberal-minded jurist and fine intellectual paid with his life for his commitment to the humanist and democratic values he served.

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