Fritz von Unruh was one of the best-known and most outspoken dramatists of the German expressionist movement. His career began with a work that glorified Prussian militarism, but his experiences in World War I made him a pacifist. In many impassioned speeches he opposed the rapidly expanding war machine and spoke out against fanatical nationalism. Despite later criticism of his style, which remained virtually unchanged since the height of his fame during the period 1910 to 1920, his contribution to the expressionist movement remains an important one.

Fritz Wilhelm Ernst von Unruh was born on 10 May 1885 in Koblenz. His father, Karl von Unruh, a Protestant and a colonel in the Prussian infantry, insisted that his sons be brought up as Protestants; his daughters were brought up in the Catholic faith of their mother, Mathilde Klehe von Unruh. The value that Unruh's parents attached to religious instruction is reflected in all...