A member of the Catholic Centre Party, he had little popular following, and his appointment as Chancellor (1932) came as a surprise. To gain Nazi support he lifted the ban on the Brownshirts, but Hitler remained an opponent. Attempts to undermine Nazi strength failed and he resigned. He persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler (January 1933) as his Chancellor, but as Vice-Chancellor he could not restrain him. He became ambassador to Austria (1934), working for its annexation (Anschluss) in 1938, and to Turkey (1939–44). He was tried as a war criminal (1945) but released.