political anti fascism

8/12/2019 Political Anti Fascism

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Political Anti-Fascism in the German Democratic Republic

Political Anti-Fascism in the German Democratic Republic Journal of

Contemporary History, Vol. !, "umber !, #on$on, April, %&&', pp !('-

%'

by Jan Herman BrinksFestschrift for Prof. Paul Valkenburgh in honour of his retirement

In 1961 the East German writer Hedda Zinner wrote her stage-play (the"ballad of Raensbr!#$%(1%& 'his anti-fasist play was an homage to theapproimately 1)*&+++ female prisoners who were interned in thisonentration amp and the more than ,+ oter amps dring the seondworld war&(*% Hedda Zinners$ play is ery athenti and tells abot the reseof the prisoner. /era& 'he remar#able featre of this play is. that the sitation

in the onentration amp Raensbr!# is desribed in a ery differentiatedway& 0ne of the nommon traits is that it tells abot the tensions between theso alled "riminal" and "politial" prisoners& 'he play was praised in EastGermany not only by the media. bt also by the general pbli& aybe thepainfl reognition of many sriors was a reason for this appreiation&

In onnetion with the fortieth anniersary of the apitlation of the 'hirdReih in 1923. a ersion of was reated for East German teleision& 4ddenlyhoweer. orders from politial speriors were issed to stop the prodtion&/hat had happened sine the first performane in 1961. that old 5stify sha sppression It beame eident that 0tto 7n#e. hairman of the EastGerman "8ommittee of anti-fasist resistane fighters". had sed his infleneto stop the '-arrangement& 7n#e arged now. that the role of the "non-politial" and "antisoial" prisoners was emphasi:ed too mh& ;ording to7n#e the play also displayed too prominently the fat that a politial prisonerollapsed nder the pressre from the 44 and ommitted treason. while an"anti-soial" prisoner behaed heroially& 7inally. there was tal# of a iew of the44 that was. so 7n#e. too differentiated&

Hedda Zinner arged in ain that she had researhed ery thoroghly. and thatheroworship is the worst enemy of the heroi& Zinner$s protest howeer

appeared to be of no se. the sppression of the play was pheld& 'hisensorship in 1923 of a an anti-fasist stage play that had been praised in1961. reflets the East German eoltion from a legitimate to a legitimatinganti-fasism& 'he idea of anti-fasism was sarified little by little on the altar ofideology& In East Germany the politial itims of etshlands (4E>% and the G>R& 'he non party ommnistitims of the 'hird Reih. howeer. had to remain in the ba#grond&

0n the part of the goernment. the G>R did not ma#e any attempt to denythis poliy& 0n the ontrary. on ;gst *?. 192) for eample. the 4E> ptforward in a resoltion with regard to a reorgani:ation of the ahn nd


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Geden#st@tten (i&e& the memorial plaes% Ahenwald and Raensbr!#. thefollowing instrtionB "7ormer German women of Raensbr!# are honored forthe o-operation dring the anti-fasist demorati reoltion. and the bildingof soialism in the G>R. and also for their fight for the preseration andsafegarding of the peae& 'he anti-fasist basis of the G>R as a soialist stateof the wor#ing men and farmers is emphasi:ed&"()% 'hat the East German

athorities saw former onentration amps aboe all in relation to their ownpolitial dotrine and not for "non-politial" itims also beame eident in4eptember 192?& 'wenty lesbians were on their way to isit the formeronentration amp Raensbr!#& Howeer. they were he#led by members ofthe East German seret serie and. on their way from the railway station tothe former amp. they were arrested and pt in tr#s on the asation of$nlawfl assembly$(?%& 'he lawfl interpretation of and assoiation with anti-fasism in East Germany had beome an elsie party affair&Howeer. shortly after the end of the 4eond /orld /ar. anti-fasism had apositie meaning& It emphasi:ed the strggle of people. inlding many

German ommnist party members. against


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meetings with anti-fasist eterans. and the massie proessions of the ngeioniere. also in former onentration amps. were part of the anti-fasisteremony& ;lso in 5enile literatre the heritage of anti-fasism was present&;n eample of this was the boo# of >ieter ie ;benteer des /erner Holt&(2% 'his boo# is a treatise abot the adentres of a boy who stays in theHitler gend and beomes a soldier dring the last two years of the war& 'his

wor# had to ontribte to the "proletarian" and "anti-fasist" edation= thestory had a politially orret moral& R. with thespposed heroi side of the 'hird Reih& 4ome ppils may hae been simplyrios to #now how ;dolf Hitler loo#ed& ;s. photos of Hitler were ndesirablein East German history-teahing& 0f orse. in many ases this edation hadthe desired reslts= not in the ideologial. bt in the ethial senseB yongstersnderstood that the 'hird Reih had been an eil power& Howeer. some effetsof this anti-fasist agitation and propaganda were probably also partly onter-

prodtie& It was self-eident in a way. that one old oppose the party andthe state throgh "sabotage" of the anti-fasist lt& 4o. some yongstersbeame latent "anti-anti-fasists"&

8losely onneted with the "anti-fasist battle" was the permanent ladatio ofthe 4oiet Dnion& Indeed. the 4oiet Dnion had liberated the German peoplefrom the "fasist" yo#e& At this new freedom was settled in East Germany inthe shape of a ditatorship that was present eerywhere& 7or many this #ind ofanti-fasism beame a gift from the onFeror& 'he G>R presented itself fromthe ery beginning as the only and tre anti-fasist state on German soil& 'he

East German state as well as the poplation were more or less offiiallydelared as o-itors of the 4eond /orld /ar& In the East-German sitationyo old not spea# of an "inapaity to morn". as ;leander and argareteitsherlih (9% one had fied for the /est German sitation. bt rather of anoffiial prohibition to do so& 4inere East German anti-fasists. who. foreample. ared abot right wing iolene of yongsters in the G>R. weresometimes wathed by the seret serie. the inisterim f!r 4taatssiherheit(74%& 'he 4E>-reasoning was ery simple and logialB "He who gets eitedabot this. worries also abot other things". a o-wor#er of


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'he East German party-ommnists held the iew that the eonomiorgani:ation of a soiety. its sbstrtre. determines its sperstrtre. or theimmaterial aspets of a soiety& 'he 4E> started from the priniple thatRntil 1963. 1*&2+, persons were sentened as the reslt of


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that the se of words in the press and propaganda of the G>R deiated fromthe ommentary of other soialist ontries& 4ome tteranes orrespondedeen literally with remar#s in former R"& Gerstner. also. beame a member of the ; on ay 1.19))& >ring the war he wrote. among other things. a brohre entitlederniggertes 7ran#reih&

;nother pbliation onerning personal ontinities between R that deseres attention is the boo# Aranbh >>R. pblished in1921 by 0laf appelt& 'his boo# ontains a list of 9++ former R&(19%

'he integration of some former hief eeties with a ;-past dring thefifties was probably failitated by the anti-Zionism that was inserted into theoffiial East German party-dotrine at the beginning of the 193+s& ;ording to


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the East German translation of the omplete wor#s of 4talin. 4talin /er#e.pblished in East Aerlin in 193+. Zionism was a "reationary nationalistimoement that had its followers among the ewish borgeoisie. the intelletalelite and the ba#ward strata of the ewish masses of wor#ers& 'he Zionistsstroe for the isolation of the ewish masses of wor#ers from the olletiestrggle of the proletariat"&(*+%

At there was also another. more international immediate ase for the anti-Zionist orse of the East German goernment in the beginning of the fifties&'hat was the asations against the leading 8:eh-4loa# party-fntionary4lans#y& 4lans#y and his so alled "grop" were ased in 193* of a "Zionistonspiray"& 0n >eember *+. 193*. the 8entral 8ommittee of the 4E>prolaimed the "lessons from the trial against the grop of plotters arond4lans#y"& In this prolamation. the 8entral 8ommittee of the 4E> issed thefollowing statementB "4ailing nder the ewish-nationalisti flag. and disgisedas a Zionist organi:ation and as diplomats of the ;merian assal-goernment

of Israel. these ;merian agents pratied their trade& 7rom the orgentha-;heson-plan that was reealed dring the trial in rage it appearsnmista#ably that ;merian imperialism organi:es and spports its espionageand sabotage atiities in the eople$s repblis ia the state of Israel with theassistane of Zionist organi:ations&"(*1%

'here was. net to anti-Zionism. another reason whih may hae failitated theintegration of some former ;-members in the East German soiety& Infat. 8ommnist party members and ie /elt of 7ebrary 9.19?+. that appeared in 4to#holm. Dlbriht wrote in referene to this German-

4oiet allianeB "any wor#ers who desire soialism. welome the patpartilarly. bease it reinfores the friendship with the great ontry ofsoialism&" 'he real enemy. on the other hand. was. for Dlbriht. Great Aritain&In the same artile he argedB "Aoth. the German people and those peopleswho are admitted to the German mltinational state (the opied territoriesL=HA%. mst ma#e the (following. HA% hoieB not together with English highfinane in faor of the etension of the war and a new ersailles. bt togetherwith the 4oiet Dnion for peae. for the national independene and thefriendship of all peoples& 'he wor#ing-lass. the farmers and the wor#ingintelletals of Germany. ;stria. 8:ehosloa#ia and oland will be thestrongest garantee for the 4oiet-German alliane and the defeat of theEnglish plan&" 'he strggle against


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imperialism"&(**%

7rom his eile in osow. Dlbriht ollaborated in the liFidation of rebelliosommnists on the home front& He did this by planting ertain irlar lettersinto the hands of Himmler$s Gestapo& In osow. Dlbriht managed to disreditGerman ommnists who had fled to the 4oiet Dnion= some of whom were

etradited to Germany& 'his was the fate whih met. among others. argareteAber-. aording to the ditionary. ame intobeing "in the ;nti-7asist->emorati Reoltion as a demoratial lower-

middle-lass party" and "deeloped to a pbli fore of the soialist reoltionin the G>R"& 'he >-members "learned the lessons of the past. and bro#ewith fasism and imperialism"&(*?% Dnfortnately howeer. these "lessons ofthe past" sometimes too# eeptional shapes& In their party program of ne1931 they arged for eampleB ";meria iolated the 'reaty of otsdam andplnged s Germans with malie prepense in the biggest national distress ofor history (&&&% At the ;merian war may and shall not ta#e plaeL Germanymst lieL 'hat$s why we emorats demandB the ;merians to;meria& Germany for the GermansL 'he 7ederal Repbli of Germany is a hildof national treason&&& 'hat$s why we emorats demandB Germannity oer the head of the goernment of national treason in Aonn. as a basisfor peae. independene and prosperity for or entire German fatherland"&(*3%'hese were remar#able words for new "anti-fasists" who had "learned the


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lessons of the past"&

0biosly it was not tre that the G>R was the best eample of an "anti-fasist" state& In reality the idea of anti-fasism in East Germany was Fi#lyhollowed ot& In politial pratie "anti-fasism" was a slogan pressed into theserie of the party and the state& ;nti-fasism was a fondation myth(*6%.

that asserted an identity. bt. atally. it was simply watered down to beomean instrment of lass-strggle& 'he lima of this legitimating anti-fasismwas the bilding of the "anti-fasist protetion wall" in 1961 in Aerlin& 'heoffiial prpose was to protet the G>R against "fasism" in the 7RG& At inreality many East Germans were fleeing a totalitarian state that tried tolegitimate itself with the dotrine of "anti-fasism"&

Notes

1& 4eeB armat:. &. Raensbr!#er Aallade oder 7ashismsbew@ltigng in der >>R. Aerlin.199*&

*& ;t least *+&+++. bt probably ?+&+++ male prisoners were also interned in Raensbr!# andthe oter amps& 'he nmber of people who died in this onentration amp is estimatedbetween 3+&+++ and 9*&+++& 7alenbah. A&. a&o&. Empfehlngen :r >R. Aerlin. 1991. p& 21&

3 & /alter /immer arged for eampleB $;nti-fasism&&& belongs to the strongest traditions ofthe G>R& It forms a onstitent element of or soialist state$& /immer. /&. Geshihtlihe

/r:eln des /erdens nd /ahsens nserer Repbli#. Einheit. of ne. 11. 19?3= in Geshihte&ehrbh f!r lasse 1+. Aerlin (East%. 1923. page 33&

1*& ehrpl@ne f!r die Grnd- nd 0bershlen in der 4ow5etishen Aesat:ngs:one>etshlands. 1& li 19?6. Aerlin. p& ) and ?&

1)& ;ssheer. '&. and 4ar#owi:. H&. Rehtsradi#ale in >etshland& >ie alte nd die neeRehte. !nhen. 199*. page 11&


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1?& Ibidem. page 1+9.11+&

13& /ippermann. /&. ";ntifashisms in der >>RB /ir#lih#eit nd Ideologie". Aeitr@ge :m'hema /iderstand. 16. Informations:entrm Aerlin& Geden#- nd Aildngsst@tte4taffenbergstrasse. Aerlin (/%. 192+. page *&

16& 4iegler. A&. ;ferstanden as Rinen. page 1+*&

1,& Alletin des resse- nd Informationsamtes der Andesregierng. "ann ohne Gewissen"&Dlbriht als nbefgter Rihter - >ie rote >i#tatr lOste nr die brane ab& Einebemer#enswerte ergangenheit. ay 1*. 196+. o#mentation der >etshland-Aerihte& !dishes >o#mentations:entrm. 4imon /iesenthal 8entre. /ien&

19& appelt. 0&. Aranbh >>R& >R. Elisabeth Reihmann erlag. Aerlin. 1921.?*? pages. I4A< )-9*)1),-++-1&

*+& 4talin. &. /er#e. ol& *. Aerlin. 193+. page )6?&

*1& ehren as dem ro:eN gegen das ershwOrer:entrm 4lans#y& AeshlN desZentral#omitees der 4o:ialistishen Einheitspartei >etshlands& >eember. *+. 193*. inBatern. Hermann. Qber die >rhf!hrng des Aeshlsses des Z der 4E> "ehren as demro:eN gegen das ershwOrer:entrm 4lans#y". 1)& 'agng des Zentral#omitees der4o:ialistishen Einheitspartei >etshlands ay. 1)-1?. 193). p& ?2-,+= here p& 31& In thesame resoltion the German ommnist al er#er was ased of being an agent ofZionism. who ated "in the same way as the riminals in 8:ehosloa#ia"& er#er. who dringhis eile in eio from 19?* to 19?6 too# the fate of the ews to heart. had reFiredrestittion payments from the German state for ewish Germans& 'he German >emoratiRepbli. neither aeded to this demand. nor than#ed him for his efforts& 'he resoltionstatedB "It an no longer be dobted that er#er is an agent of the D4 finanial oligarhy.whose demand for ompensation for ewish properties is only designed to infiltrate D4 finanialapital into Germany&

'hat is the real reason for his Zionism&&&He demands the displaement of German nationalwealth with the wordsB $'he ompensation for the harm that has been done to ewish iti:enswill be gien both to those who retrn and to those who want to stay abroad$& er#er illiitlytransformed the maimm profits sFee:ed ot of German and foreign wor#ers by monopolyapitalists into alleged property of the ewish people& In reality $;ryani:ation$ of this apitalmerely transferred the profits of $ewish$ monopoly apitalists to $;ryan$ monopoly apitalists"&Ibidem. p& 33 and 36&

**& otation inB ;denaer-blletin& 4ee alsoB Dlbriht. /alter. Hilferding !ber den JJ4inn des

riegesKK. >ie /elt. Zeitshrift f!r oliti#. /irtshaft nd ;rbeiterbewegng. 4to#holm. er detshe ommnisms& >o#mente.Oln. Aerlin. 196)= hereB /alter Dlbriht :m 4talin-Hitler-a#t. p& )6? - )6,= espeially p& )66and )6,&

*)& Ibidem&

*?& /Orterbh der Geshihte. -Z. >iet: erlag. Aerlin (East%. 192?. page ,*6 and ,*,&

*3& ;ssheer. '&. and 4ar#owi:. H&. Rehtsradi#ale in >etshland. page 11*&

*6& 4ee alsoB Arin#s. &H&. >ie >>R-Geshihtswissenshaft af dem /eg :r detshen

Einheit& ther. 7riedrih II nd Aismar# als aradigmen politishen /andels. 8amps.7ran#frtC


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;lsoB Arin#s. &H&. >e rehterflan# an >itsland (Germanys$ right wing%. Aoom. ;msterdam.199?&

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