Eduard Fimmen
Encyclopedia
Eduard Carl Fimmen also known as Edo Fimmen, was a Dutch
trade union
ist.
From 1894 to 1889, Fimmen attended the Amsterdam Trade Public School (1894–1899). Fimmen, developed a talent for languageswriting and speaking French, German and English fluently. he was able to earn money as a translator following his father's death when he was sixteen. Following a tour of duty in the Dutch Army he was drawn to the Salvation Army
, through Christian commitment rather than a liking of military organisation. After meeting Lodewijk van Mierop, a member of the Dutch Reformed church
and Menno Huizinga, a baptist
- both theology
students - he became involved in a Christian Anarchist
magazine Vrede (peace) and the Rein Leven Movement, having his letters published under the pseudonym Edo. The group broought together young man of varying backgrounds, in term of education, employment, knowledge and faith, but who sgared a desire for complete purity of body and soul. Fimmen and Huizinga were principle editors to this group and fimmen devoted his spare time from 1901 - 1908 to the group. In particular they agitated against prostitution
. For most of this period he chaired the Amsterdam meetings and bi-annual conferences. However from 1905 disagreements arose over "free" and "bourgeois" marriages. By 1908 Fimmen was amongst a group who considered the movement as no longer anarchist and after rowing with Meirop he left.
Fimmen had also been active in the Society for the Suppression of the Neo-Malthusian using the names Nel Jaccard and Edo for articles in Tegen Leugen en Geweld (Against Lies and Violence), edited by Van Mierop. He translated material from the Conference of International Anti-militarist League (26–28 June 1904) held in Amsterdam. Encouraged by Domela Nieuwenhuis he chaired the last day of the conference where the Christian anarchists - as socialists, Christians and revolutionaries -advocated Conscientious objection and a general strike in the event of war.
He became ill, and in 1941 went to Cuernavaca
, Mexico
, where he died the following year.
From English:
From the French:
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist.
Early life
Fimmen was born in Nieuwer Amstel on June 18, 1881 on December 14, 1942. His father was a merchant, Eduard Hermann Johann Fimmen, and his mother was Therese Ansoul. They were both of German origin. He was the son of Johann Hermann Eduard Fimmen, merchant, and Therese Ansoul. He married Julie Lucie Cornelia (Nelly) Michen on 18 January 1906, and they were to have a daughter and son. In December he met the German journalist Alida Kammerer by whom he had two daughters while remaining married to his wife.From 1894 to 1889, Fimmen attended the Amsterdam Trade Public School (1894–1899). Fimmen, developed a talent for languageswriting and speaking French, German and English fluently. he was able to earn money as a translator following his father's death when he was sixteen. Following a tour of duty in the Dutch Army he was drawn to the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, through Christian commitment rather than a liking of military organisation. After meeting Lodewijk van Mierop, a member of the Dutch Reformed church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
and Menno Huizinga, a baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
- both theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
students - he became involved in a Christian Anarchist
Christian anarchism
Christian anarchism is a movement in political theology that combines anarchism and Christianity. It is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus...
magazine Vrede (peace) and the Rein Leven Movement, having his letters published under the pseudonym Edo. The group broought together young man of varying backgrounds, in term of education, employment, knowledge and faith, but who sgared a desire for complete purity of body and soul. Fimmen and Huizinga were principle editors to this group and fimmen devoted his spare time from 1901 - 1908 to the group. In particular they agitated against prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. For most of this period he chaired the Amsterdam meetings and bi-annual conferences. However from 1905 disagreements arose over "free" and "bourgeois" marriages. By 1908 Fimmen was amongst a group who considered the movement as no longer anarchist and after rowing with Meirop he left.
Fimmen had also been active in the Society for the Suppression of the Neo-Malthusian using the names Nel Jaccard and Edo for articles in Tegen Leugen en Geweld (Against Lies and Violence), edited by Van Mierop. He translated material from the Conference of International Anti-militarist League (26–28 June 1904) held in Amsterdam. Encouraged by Domela Nieuwenhuis he chaired the last day of the conference where the Christian anarchists - as socialists, Christians and revolutionaries -advocated Conscientious objection and a general strike in the event of war.
Fimmen becomes a Trade Unionist
Fimmen worked as a clerk, probably for the American Petroleum Company and during the 1903 strike joined the National Union of Commercial and Office Employees. Allied to G L Niermeyer, he was elected secretary. He was then obliged to give up his job, and supported himself through translation work for JC Dalmeyer. On 22 October 1905 he was one of the founder members of the General Confederation of Netherlands Trade and Office Employees. he was the treasurer from 1905–1907, and then Secretary from 1907 - 1916. He also edited Onze Strijd (Our Struggle) from 1909 - 1916. They successfully campaigned for equal pay for men and women in 1909.He became ill, and in 1941 went to Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where he died the following year.
Fimmen's Translations into Dutch
From German- De kunst van het arbeiden, Carl HiltyCarl HiltyCarl Hilty was a Swiss philosopher, writer and lawyer. He famously said "Peace is only a hair's breadth away from war."Carl Hilty was born in Chur, Switzerland, and studied at the Universities of Göttingen,...
, (1903) - Geluk, Carl Hilty, (1903)
From English:
- Nyria , Mrs. Campbell Pread, (1904);
From the French:
- Wat volwassen meisjes wel eens mogen weten, Ch. Burlureaux, (1905),
Books by Fimmen
- Labour's Alternative: The United States of Europa or Europe Limited (1924) Labour Publishing Company, London http://www.globallabour.info/en/labours_alternative_by_edo_fim/