On January 24, 1923, Fritz Thyssen was on trial for resisting the French occupying the Ruhr area. Rather unwittingly, he protected the Republic.
Opening the windows was an act of resistance – because from outside the voices of thousands penetrated into the Mainz courtroom: “Germany, Germany over everything,” the crowd chanted. And the “Wacht am Rhein”: “As long as a drop of blood still glows, a fist still draws the sword….” The cold rain pounded the pavement. It was January 24, 1923. The whole empire was looking to Mainz, where Fritz Thyssen, the extremely wealthy Ruhr baron, was standing before his French judges. From the men whose army wanted to plunder the German coalfields to enforce reparation payments.