münzer was generally apolitical, but politics began to catch up with him in 1933 in the form of the law that sought to dismiss communists, "non-aryans", and opponents of the nazi party. civil servants appointed before 1914 were officially exempt, but his biographers attribute his continued employment to the intercession of influential colleagues and former students. in january 1935 a new law required the removal of all lecturers and professors over the age of 65 (a move to make available more posts for nazi sympathizers), and münzer formally retired on 23 july 1935.