Person

Josef Friedrich Matthes

1886–1943 · 20th century

Josef Friedrich Matthes was a German journalist and Rhenish separatist who led the provisional government of the Rhenish Republic in Koblenz in 1923, alongside Hans Adam Dorten. The republic depended on the tolerance of French occupation forces and collapsed within months. Matthes went into exile in France, and his citizenship was later revoked by the Nazi regime.

Josef Friedrich Matthes
Image: Bain News Service, publisher. Photo originally taken by Karl Albert Zimmermann (1885-1943), Lindstedt & Zimmerman... · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Rhenish Republic

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Josef Friedrich Matthes. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josef-friedrich-matthes
MLA
“Josef Friedrich Matthes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josef-friedrich-matthes. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Josef Friedrich Matthes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josef-friedrich-matthes.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Josef Friedrich Matthes’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josef-friedrich-matthes (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻