1. February 1915

King Ludwig III. of BavariaGerlich is made a civil servant by King Ludwig III, he becomes „district archive assessor with an annual salary of three thousand Marks".

1915 - 1919

Gerlich contributes Articles to the "Süddeutsche Monatshefte" (Southern German monthly papers) published by Paul Nikolaus Cossmann.

1916

Gerlich becomes a member of the "Volksausschuss für rasche Niederkämpfung Englands" (people's committee for the swift victory over England), a high-level circle linked to the pan-German movement in Munich. The committee advocates extensive war aims and the unrestricted submarine war against England.

20. February 1917

Kaiser Wilhelm II calls to arms: “An das deutsche Volk” (to the German People), poster 6. August 1914. Establishment of the periodical „Die Wirklichkeit" (The Reality), “German newspaper for law and order”. The founding members are Fritz Gerlich, Emil Lieke, Kurt Freksa und Karl Ludwig Graf von Bothmer. Gerlich publishes numerous articles in the “Wirklichkeit".

19. July 1917

Gerlich appears as public speaker in Bavaria on behalf of the newly established "Deutsche Vaterlandspartei" (German Fatherlands Party).

29. September 1917

The „Wirklichkeit" newspaper is abolished by the Bavarian War Ministry.

November 1918

As the revolution begins in Bavaria, Gerlich becomes involved in the committee of the " Landesverband der Beamten bayerischer Anstalten für Wissenschaft und Kunst" (Association of civil servants of Bavarian scientific and cultural institutions).

In parallel he works in the „Antibolschewistische Liga" (Anti-Bolshevist League) and in the "Vereinigung zur Bekämpfung des Bolschewismus" (Association for the Fight against Bolshevism).

7. April 1919

The government of the first
Soviet RepublicHis exposed position in the confrontation with Bolshevism forced Gerlich to flee upon the establishment of the South-Bavarian Soviet Republic.

After the defeat of the Soviet Republic Gerlich gets involved with the "Heimatdienst Bayern für Wiederaufbau" (Home service Bavaria for reconstruction). In this context he also edits the publication "Feurio. Heimatdienst Bayern für Ordnung, Recht und Aufbau" (Feurio, Home service Bavaria for law and order).

He publishes the book „Der Kommunismus als Lehre vom Tausendjährigen Reich"(Communism as the Theory of the Thousand Year Reich), where Gerlich categorises communism as a type of redemption religion. A whole chapter is dedicated to denouncing anti-Semitism, which had gained ground because of the leading positions of many Jews in the Revolution and Soviet Republic.

Gerlich enters the committee of the Reichsbürgerrat (Reich Citizen Council), a liberal, anti-communist civil movement, and writes its manifest.

9. November 1923

Gustav Ritter von Kahr"Hitlerputsch" in Munich. Gerlich is present at the event the evening before in the Löwenbräu cellars, because he who co-wrote the speech of Generalstaatskommissar (General State Commissioner, with dictatorial powers) Gustav von Kahr.

Following this event Gerlich turns against Hitler and National Socialism and attacks him in his paper, the "Münchner Neueste Nachrichten".

1925

Paul Nikolaus Cossmann, supported by the newspaper, starts the "Dolchstoßprozess" (Stab-in-the-Back court case), with which he wants to prove that socialism was to blame for Germany's defeat in WW1.

 

 

Floor plaque in memory of the policemen killed during Hitlerputsch

1925 - 1928

Gerlich pushes through a moderate editorial policy at the "Münchner Neueste Nachrichten" and supports the foreign policy of Stresemann. 

1920

Dietrich Eckart (ca. 1900)Dietrich Eckart, later Hitler's mentor, calls Gerlich („Gerson Ehrlich") in his publication "Auf gut deutsch" (In plain German) a „Judentzer" (Judaiser) and is fined upon Gerlich's appeal.

7. May 1920

Gerlich is nominated as candidate to the Bavarian (Landtag) and German parliament (Reichstag) for the left-liberal Deutsche Demokratische Partei (German Democratic Party).

6. October 1920

Gerlich becomes editor in chief of the „Münchner Neueste Nachrichten" (Munich's Newest News). The largest daily in Southern Germany had just recently been bought by a group of Rhenish-Westfalian industrialists. Paul Nikolaus Cossmann was the shareholders' representative, he was also the publisher of the "Süddeutsche Monatshefte" (Southern German Monthly Paper), to which Gerlich regularly had contributed articles. Gerlich ensures his editorial independence in his employment contract. Despite that over the years there were attempts at having greater editorial influence.

1922

Cossmann starts the "Kriegsschuldprozess" (war responsibility case), a legal dispute about who was responsible for WW1, with editorial support from the newspaper.

1927

Therese NeumannGerlich lives through a deep personal crisis, which forces him to stay at a sanatorium for several weeks.

14. September 1927

First visit to Therese Neumann in Konnersreuth.

15. February 1928

Gerlich leaves the newspaper after stormy conflicts with the management and Paul Nikolaus Cossmann.

22. October 1929

Gerlich is promoted to Staatsoberarchivar (State Upper Archivist) . November 1, he returns to his job as archivist, which had been on hold during his time as editor in chief.