Otto Roth

Dr. Otto Roth
Commissioner-in-Chief of the Banat Republic
In office 31 October 1918 – 17 January 1919
Preceded by	György Kórossy (as Alispán)
Succeeded by	Martin Filipon (as Župan)
Personal details
Born	(1884-12-06)December 6, 1884 Nagy-Mutnik, Transleithania, Austria-Hungary
Died	April 22, 1956(1956-04-22) (aged 71) Timișoara, Romanian People's Republic
Nationality	Hungarian Romanian Banatian
Political party	Social Democratic Party of Hungary
Other political affiliations	Romanian Social Democratic Party
Spouse	Rozalia Singer
Children	Roland Robert Roth and two others
Alma mater	Eötvös Loránd University Leipzig University Franz Joseph University
Occupation	Lawyer, journalist, trade unionist, civil servant
Nickname	R. Otto Lippai

Otto Roth, occasionally rendered as Willy Otto Roth^[1] or Dr. Rot^[2] (Hungarian: Róth Ottó; 6 December 1884 – 22 April 1956), was a Hungarian and Romanian lawyer, journalist and politician who served as the only Commissioner-in-Chief of the Banat Republic, between October 1918 and January 1919. Born a subject of the Kingdom of Hungary, Jewish but non-religious, he was thirteen when he debuted as a literary journalist and magazine editor, with Viribus Unitis. In his twenties, he put out publications and founded literary circles, frequenting Endre Ady, Gyula Juhász, and Zoltán Franyó. Roth entered politics with the Hungarian Social Democratic Party (MSZDP), and was a local councilor in Timișoara during most of World War I, emerging as a regional leader of the MSZDP before and during the Aster Revolution.

Roth is credited with proclaiming the Banat Republic on 31 October 1918—though the initiative was also attributed to Albert Bartha, who briefly served as its military leader. The state was an autonomous extension of the Hungarian Republic, set up in order to prevent invasion by the French Danube Army, but also aiming to preserve regional integrity against rival nationalisms. It was generally rejected by Romanians and Serbs, who organized their own representative institutions. Unlike Bartha, Roth acknowledged the terms of the Hungarian armistice, and was subsequently allowed to maintain his executive position by the Kingdom of Serbia, which occupied Timișoara in November. His post became largely symbolic, as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (also referred to as Yugoslavia), proclaimed that December, actively pursued an annexation of the Banat; the Commissioner's importance was revived once French forces intervened as peacekeepers. With Swabian support, Roth made an attempt at consolidating his Republic, but was ultimately chased out by Yugoslav soldiers in February 1919. Attempting to prevent the Banat's partition between Yugoslavia and the Kingdom of Romania, he formed alliances with the French and the Hungarian Soviet Republic during the subsequent Hungarian–Romanian War.

This episode ended with Roth's arrest by the new conservative republic in early 1920, though the Hungarian Regency cleared him of all charges, and released him. He was again imprisoned by Romanian troops, and released after promises to keep out of politics. He resumed his law practice in Timișoara, which remained on the Romanian side of the Banat partitions. His earlier activity was a subject of repeated criticism by Romanian nationalists, and became a topic of litigation. As reported by his friend Nicolae Brînzeu, Roth eventually went back on his pledge to remain apolitical; campaigning for Banat autonomy, he embraced "anti-Bolshevik communism" and anti-fascism, and supported another friend, Petru Groza, who was emerging as an important figure on the Romanian far-left. During the early stages of World War II, politician Constantin Argetoianu employed Roth as his contact with the Romanian left-wing circles. According to Brînzeu, Roth also sought to prevent clashes between Romania and Regency Hungary, and especially the rapprochement between Hungarian revisionists and Nazi Germany.

Defeated in this effort, Roth was also exposed to antisemitic persecution, and reportedly prepared himself and his Jewish community for resettlement in Madagascar. He was publicly defended by Groza during World War II, and also networked to have Groza released from prison in 1944. Following the King Michael Coup, he made a final return to politics, rallying with the Romanian Social Democratic Party. With Groza becoming Prime Minister, Roth received minor roles in either government or state-owned business, and continued to be involved in cultural affairs. Brînzeu however notes that he remained staunchly critical of the Soviet Union and the Romanian Communist Party, objecting to Groza's close relationship with both. Brînzeu and Roth were placed under surveillance by the Securitate.