Marxism and communism · Background: Germany — People | Cyber-Lenin

Marxism and communism Background: Germany Clear all

44 people

By birth A–Z List Cards

Karl Marx Karl Marx Author of Capital and leader of the First International Scholarship and theory 1818–1883
Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels Marx's co-author and patron; author of Socialism: Utopian and Scientific Scholarship and theory 1820–1895
Franz Erdmann Mehring Franz Mehring The elder theoretician of German Marxism: historian, literary critic, and Spartacus League co-founder Scholarship and theory · Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) 1846–1919
Clara Zetkin Clara Zetkin Creator of International Women's Day, she set women's liberation at the heart of class struggle Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1857–1933
Ernst Friedrich Däumig Ernst Friedrich Däumig German socialist and a leading figure in the workers’ council movement. Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1866–1922
Karl Liebknecht Karl Liebknecht The lone vote against the war; the revolution's first martyr Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1871–1919
Nikolai Ernestovich Bauman Николай Эрнестович Бауман The 'Rook' who flew across borders building the Iskra network, and the revolution's first martyr Social movements and organizing · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks 1873–1905
Vladimir Gustavovich Groman Владимир Густавович Громан The Menshevik statistician who designed Gosplan's early control figures and balance method, leading voice of genetic planning Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union 1874–1940
Wilhelm Pieck Wilhelm Pieck From the Spartacus League to GDR head of state, the sole founding member who lived the full arc of German communism Political and party leadership · East Germany 1876–1960
Richard Müller Richard Müller Lathe operator who led Berlin’s Revolutionary Stewards, chaired the council Executive in 1918 and later wrote the revolution’s history Social movements and organizing 1880–1943
Heinrich Brandler Heinrich Brandler KPD chairman who called off a revolution; co-founder of the International Right Opposition Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1881–1967
Paul Levi Paul Levi From Rosa Luxemburg's lawyer to KPD leader, his 'anti-putschism' took on Comintern adventurism Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1883–1930
August Thalheimer August Thalheimer Main theorist of the KPD and Bonapartist analyst of fascism Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany Opposition (KPO) 1884–1948
Vasily Vladimirovich Schmidt Василий Владимирович Шмидт The labour commissar who steered the statification of Soviet trade unions Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union 1886–1938
Ernst Thälmann Ernst Thälmann Hitler's personal prisoner, unbroken by eleven years in solitary Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1886–1944
Hugo Eberlein Hugo Eberlein German Communist who abstained on the Comintern’s founding at its first congress and was later shot in the Great Purge Social movements and organizing · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1887–1941
Willi Münzenberg Willi Münzenberg The 'Red Millionaire' who exposed Nazi terror through publishing, the Comintern's greatest propagandist, who broke with Stalin Ideology and propaganda · Comintern 1889–1940
Vasily Vasilievich Ulrikh Василий Васильевич Ульрих Presiding judge of the Moscow show trials, Stalin's 'judicial guillotine' Law and justice · Soviet Union 1889–1951
Otto Yulyevich Schmidt Отто Юльевич Шмидт Mathematician who mastered the Arctic through science and built Glavsevmorput Science and technology · Soviet Union 1891–1956
Max Fechner Max Fechner First East German justice minister, dismissed and imprisoned in 1953 after opposing the prosecution of striking workers Law and justice · East Germany 1892–1973
Wilhelm Zaisser Wilhelm Zaisser First East German Minister for State Security, purged in 1953 after trying to replace Ulbricht Security, intelligence and policing · East Germany 1893–1958
Hermann Matern Hermann Matern SED Politburo member and chairman of the Central Party Control Commission who stood by Ulbricht in 1953 Political and party leadership · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1893–1971
Walter Ulbricht Walter Ulbricht German communist leader who built the GDR and erected the Berlin Wall Political and party leadership · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1893–1973
Otto Grotewohl Otto Grotewohl The Social Democrat who led a divided state into being Government and administration · East Germany 1894–1964
Friedrich Ebert Jr. Friedrich Ebert junior A social democrat who moved from municipal politics into state power amid Germany's division Political and party leadership · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1894–1979
Richard Gustavovich Sorge Рихард Густавович Зорге The spy who stole the war’s timetable in Tokyo Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1895–1944
Georgy Erikhovich Langemak Георгий Эрихович Лангемак Father of the Katyusha rocket, the engineer who perfected the RS‑82 and RS‑132 and coined the word 'cosmonautics' Industry and production · Soviet Union 1898–1938
Ernst Wollweber Ernst Wollweber Communist who ran an anti-fascist sabotage network before the war and headed the Stasi from 1953 to 1957 Security, intelligence and policing · East Germany 1898–1967
Heinrich Rau Heinrich Rau Communist who chaired the German Economic Commission, the forerunner of the GDR government, and led East German economic policy Economy, finance and planning · East Germany 1899–1961
Fritz Selbmann Fritz Selbmann East German heavy-industry minister who faced the striking workers outside the House of Ministries on 16 June 1953 Industry and production · East Germany 1899–1975
Otto Braun Otto Braun “Li De”, the only Westerner on the Long March and the Comintern military adviser blamed at Zunyi Military command · Comintern 1900–1974
Hilde Benjamin Hilde Benjamin East German jurist who succeeded Fechner as justice minister after the 1953 uprising and led its harsh political trials Law and justice · East Germany 1902–1989
Rudolf Herrnstadt Rudolf Herrnstadt Editor of Neues Deutschland who helped draft the 1953 New Course, moved against Ulbricht and was purged as a “faction” Ideology and propaganda · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1903–1966
Fred Oelßner Fred Oelßner Economist and the SED’s chief ideologue until 1958, when he was expelled from the Politburo in the Schirdewan affair Ideology and propaganda · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1903–1977
Anton Ackermann Anton Ackermann German communist who drafted the KPD’s 1945 appeal and argued for a “special German road to socialism” Ideology and propaganda · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1905–1973
Erich Fritz Emil Mielke Erich Mielke East Germany's 'Master of Fear': the Stasi chief who ruled state security for 32 years Security, intelligence and policing · East Germany 1907–2000
Bruno Leuschner Bruno Leuschner East German planner who ran planning in the German Economic Commission and then chaired the State Planning Commission Economy, finance and planning · East Germany 1910–1965
Erich Honecker Erich Honecker The long-serving East German leader of the walled republic Political and party leadership · East Germany 1912–1994
Boris Viktorovich Rauschenbach Борис Викторович Раушенбах From labor camp to Vostok: pioneer of spaceflight control and guidance Science and technology · Soviet Union 1915–2001
Helmut Gröttrup Helmut Gröttrup From Peenemünde to Gorodomlya, the German rocket engineer who designed the conceptual ancestor of the R-7 Science and technology · Soviet Union 1916–1981
Wolfgang Leonhard Wolfgang Leonhard Youngest member of the Ulbricht Group who fled to Yugoslavia in 1949 and became a leading Western scholar of Soviet communism Ideology and propaganda · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1921–2014
Markus Wolf Markus Wolf A long-serving architect of Cold War intelligence Security, intelligence and policing · East Germany 1923–2006
Günter Schabowski Günter Schabowski The East German Politburo spokesman whose mistake brought down the Berlin Wall Ideology and propaganda · Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) 1929–2015
Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz Egon Krenz The last communist leader of East Germany, who succeeded Honecker, opened the Wall, and fell in 50 days Political and party leadership · East Germany 1937–