Hans Westermann
Encyclopedia
Hans Westermann was a German Communist, politician and fighter in the German Resistance
against the Third Reich. He died in Nazi custody days after being arrested by the Gestapo
.
(SPD) in 1910, where he was a member of the left wing and volunteered in several capacities. in 1914, he was drafted into the navy, though opposed to the war. During this period, Westermann sympathized with the Spartacus League and the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
. In November 1918, during the German Revolution of 1918–1919, he was elected delegate of the minesweeper
flotilla in the Kiel Sailors' council
. In 1919, he joined the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD) and in 1921, became the full-time party secretary in Hamburg
, where he was primarily responsible for the Works council
.
In 1925, Westermann was briefly expelled from the KPD after he advocated a waiver of Ernst Thälmann
's candidacy in favor of Social Democrat Otto Braun
, a tactical move meant to thwart a victory by Paul von Hindenburg
in the second round of the German presidential election in 1925
. He was readmitted after the ultra-left leadership of Ruth Fischer
and Arkadi Maslow
was removed and in 1927, he was elected to the Hamburg district leadership of the KPD. A short time later, he was elected to the Hamburg Parliament
. Within the KPD, Westermann was considered to be a trade union
expert. He was aligned with the Conciliator faction
and was opposed to the increasingly militant verbal attacks by the ultra-left party leadership under Thälmann, particularly with regard to trade union policy, which was elevating the position of Revolutionary Trade Union Opposition policy. Westermann was also aligned with those in favor of closer ties and cooperative efforts with the SPD. These positions caused Westermann to be expelled from the party in 1930 along with Heinrich Stahmer and Albert Sanneck, also Conciliators. Westermann then resigned his parliamentary seat and, with his common-law wife, founded in Hamburg his own independent and unnamed Conciliator group, sometimes referred to the "Westermann Group".
After the Nazis seized power
in 1933, Westermann's group began working underground, focusing on dock and shipyard workers and employees. Westermann was arrested and kept in detention between June 1933 and August 1934. On his release, made contact with other Conciliator groups both within and outside the KPD, such as the Committee for Proletarian Unity, founded by Eduard Wald
. His relationships with the KPD improved and he and his group were again admitted into the party in 1935. Shortly after he had begun reorganizing the Hamburg party, which had been weakened by Gestapo attacks, Westermann and numerous others were arrested late March 5, 1935 or early March 6. A few days later, Westermann was killed at KoLaFu in Hamburg.
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
against the Third Reich. He died in Nazi custody days after being arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
.
Biography
Westermann was born in Hamburg and was trained as a tailor. He joined the Social Democratic Party of GermanySocial Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) in 1910, where he was a member of the left wing and volunteered in several capacities. in 1914, he was drafted into the navy, though opposed to the war. During this period, Westermann sympathized with the Spartacus League and the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of left wing members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
. In November 1918, during the German Revolution of 1918–1919, he was elected delegate of the minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
flotilla in the Kiel Sailors' council
Workers' council
A workers' council, or revolutionary councils, is the phenomenon where a single place of work or enterprise, such as a factory, school, or farm, is controlled collectively by the workers of that workplace, through the core principle of temporary and instantly revocable delegates.In a system with...
. In 1919, he joined the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD) and in 1921, became the full-time party secretary in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where he was primarily responsible for the Works council
Works council
A works council is a "shop-floor" organization representing workers, which functions as local/firm-level complement to national labour negotiations...
.
In 1925, Westermann was briefly expelled from the KPD after he advocated a waiver of Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Thälmann was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany during much of the Weimar Republic. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1933 and held in solitary confinement for eleven years, before being shot in Buchenwald on Adolf Hitler's orders in 1944...
's candidacy in favor of Social Democrat Otto Braun
Otto Braun
This article is about the Prime Minister of Prussia. For the German Communist and once the Comintern military adviser to the Chinese Communist revolution see Otto Braun ....
, a tactical move meant to thwart a victory by Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
in the second round of the German presidential election in 1925
German presidential election, 1925
The presidential election of 1925 was the first direct election to the office of President of the Reich , Germany's head of state during the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic. The first President, Friedrich Ebert, died on 28 February, 1925...
. He was readmitted after the ultra-left leadership of Ruth Fischer
Ruth Fischer
Ruth Fischer was a German Communist, a co-founder of the Austrian Communist Party in 1918. According to secret information declassified in 2010, she was a key agent of the American intelligence service known as "The Pond."-Life and work:Born in Leipzig, Ruth Fischer was the daughter of the...
and Arkadi Maslow
Arkadi Maslow
Arkadi Maslow , born Isaak Jefimowitsch Tschemerinski was a communist politician.-Early life and education:...
was removed and in 1927, he was elected to the Hamburg district leadership of the KPD. A short time later, he was elected to the Hamburg Parliament
Hamburg Parliament
The Hamburg Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parliament, representing a relatively equal amount of constituencies...
. Within the KPD, Westermann was considered to be a 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...
expert. He was aligned with the Conciliator faction
Conciliator faction
The Conciliator faction was an opposition group within the Communist Party of Germany during the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. In East Germany, after World War II, the German word for conciliator, Versöhnler, became a term for anti-marxist political tendencies.- Background :The faction...
and was opposed to the increasingly militant verbal attacks by the ultra-left party leadership under Thälmann, particularly with regard to trade union policy, which was elevating the position of Revolutionary Trade Union Opposition policy. Westermann was also aligned with those in favor of closer ties and cooperative efforts with the SPD. These positions caused Westermann to be expelled from the party in 1930 along with Heinrich Stahmer and Albert Sanneck, also Conciliators. Westermann then resigned his parliamentary seat and, with his common-law wife, founded in Hamburg his own independent and unnamed Conciliator group, sometimes referred to the "Westermann Group".
After the Nazis seized power
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in 1933, Westermann's group began working underground, focusing on dock and shipyard workers and employees. Westermann was arrested and kept in detention between June 1933 and August 1934. On his release, made contact with other Conciliator groups both within and outside the KPD, such as the Committee for Proletarian Unity, founded by Eduard Wald
Eduard Wald
Eduard Wald was a Communist politician, trade unionist and member of the German Resistance against Nazism.- Biography :...
. His relationships with the KPD improved and he and his group were again admitted into the party in 1935. Shortly after he had begun reorganizing the Hamburg party, which had been weakened by Gestapo attacks, Westermann and numerous others were arrested late March 5, 1935 or early March 6. A few days later, Westermann was killed at KoLaFu in Hamburg.