Franz, Günther, 1902-1992

Günther Franz (13 May 1902 – 22 July 1992) was a German historian and academic known for his work in agricultural history and the history of the German Peasants' War. He was a leading figure in shaping postwar German agrarian history alongside contemporaries such as Wilhelm Abel and Friedrich Lütge, and his book Der deutsche Bauernkrieg was long regarded as a standard work on the subject. Franz held professorships at several universities, including Heidelberg, Jena, and the Reichsuniversität Straßburg during World War II, where his research and academic roles intersected with National Socialist institutions. During the Nazi era, he was a member of the Nazi Party and the SS, and some of his work from that period incorporated ideological elements aligned with Nazi expansionist and antisemitic views. After the war, Franz underwent denazification, later resumed an academic career, and served as rector of the University of Hohenheim, where he continued to influence the fields of agricultural economics and agricultural history.