Kurt Hager
Encyclopedia
Kurt Hager was an East German statesman, member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
, was known as the Chief Ideologist of his Party and decided about many cultural and educational policies in East Germany.
and Socialist Federal Student, worked as a journalist and entered the KPD
in 1930, and the Red Front fighters covenant in 1932. In 1933 he took part in a sabotage against Hitlers
first speech on the radio ( "Cable assassination"), was arrested and came into the KZ Heuberg. After a brief detention, he emigrated 1936.
Until 1937, he worked as a courier for the Communist youth organization of Germany in Switzerland, France and the CSR. 1937-1939 he participated in the Spanish Civil War
as a journalist, where he worked for the "German freedom broadcasting station" and the foreign radio program from Madrid.
In 1939 he was detained in France and then emigrated to England
. There he was responsible for the international organization of the KPD active, writing under the pseudonym "Felix Albin". After the outbreak of war, he was interned
, first in Huyton
near Liverpool
, and later on the Isle of Man
.
Upon his return, he was deputy chief editor of the "Forward" and graduated 1948, a lecturer in the course of the Parteihochschule "Karl Marx" Kleinmachnow
and in 1949 he became a full professor for philosophy
at the Humboldt University in Berlin.
1946 he joined the SED, became head of the party Training Division, 1949 Head of the Propaganda Department. 1950 candidate, 1952 Head of the Science Division of the Code of SED, 1954 member and 1955 secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, in this capacity is responsible for science, popular education and culture. 1959 he was a candidate and 1963 Member of the Politburo of the CC of SED and the Ideologischen committee of the Politburo. He was 1958 member of the Public Chamber and 1967 chairman of the Public Education Committee. He was also 1976-1989 Member of the Council of State and 1979-1989 member of the National Defense Council. In SED-Politbüro was Hager as "Chefideologe" and the supreme cultural responsible.
In speeches and writings Hager denied the existence of a single German cultural nation and a common German history. 1987, in an interview with the German magazine Stern
about the reforms of Gorbachev in the former Soviet Union Hager gave the answer:Would you, if your neighbor repapers his apartment, feel like you should also repaper your apartment?. This rejection of the policy of glasnost
and perestroika
of the Soviet military power has met an angry reception both in the party base, as well as in the population of the GDR. Wolf Biermann titled Hager - probably out of this occasion, in his song "The Ballad of the corrupt old men" scornfully as "Professor Tapeten-Kutte". In a spontaneous encounter with GDR-journalists - when they came into his residence, the "Wachobjekt Wandlitz", for the first time - Hager said, he was placed there against his will at the climax of the Cold War. It had "the decisions of the party bent," said Hager in the presence of his wife. Wandlitz, which after 1989 became the epitome of the duplicity of DDR-Oberen made a name for himself had he described as its seventh internment camp, in which he had come.
In November 1989 Hager was removed from his functions, and in 1990 expelled from the SED- PDS.
Hager won numerous awards. He received 1956 Hans-Beimler-Medaille, 1962 Banner of Labor
, 1964 Vaterländischer Verdienstorden
, 1969 entitled hero of the work, as well as 1972, 1977 and 1982 Karl-Marx-Orden.
His daughter Nina Hager, joined somewhat in the footsteps of her father. She is vice chairman of the German Communist Party
(DKP), a member of the National Executive and there are other positions.
His grave is located on the Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde
.
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
, was known as the Chief Ideologist of his Party and decided about many cultural and educational policies in East Germany.
Life
The son of a laborer, Hager passed the high school exam (Abitur) in 1931, after a visit of Primary and High School. He was a member of the YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
and Socialist Federal Student, worked as a journalist and entered the KPD
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...
in 1930, and the Red Front fighters covenant in 1932. In 1933 he took part in a sabotage against Hitlers
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
first speech on the radio ( "Cable assassination"), was arrested and came into the KZ Heuberg. After a brief detention, he emigrated 1936.
Until 1937, he worked as a courier for the Communist youth organization of Germany in Switzerland, France and the CSR. 1937-1939 he participated in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
as a journalist, where he worked for the "German freedom broadcasting station" and the foreign radio program from Madrid.
In 1939 he was detained in France and then emigrated to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. There he was responsible for the international organization of the KPD active, writing under the pseudonym "Felix Albin". After the outbreak of war, he was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
, first in Huyton
Huyton
Huyton is a suburb of Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, with some parts belonging to the borough of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It is part of the Liverpool Urban Area and has close associations with its neighbour, Roby, having both formerly been part of the Huyton with...
near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and later on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
East Germany
In 1945 Hager returned to Berlin. Until 1946 he first worked as forestry worker and welder, and later as a journalist for the magazine "Freie Tribüne".Upon his return, he was deputy chief editor of the "Forward" and graduated 1948, a lecturer in the course of the Parteihochschule "Karl Marx" Kleinmachnow
Kleinmachnow
Kleinmachnow is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:It is situated southwest of the centre of Berlin, immediately neighbouring the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, and east of Potsdam...
and in 1949 he became a full professor for philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Humboldt University in Berlin.
1946 he joined the SED, became head of the party Training Division, 1949 Head of the Propaganda Department. 1950 candidate, 1952 Head of the Science Division of the Code of SED, 1954 member and 1955 secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, in this capacity is responsible for science, popular education and culture. 1959 he was a candidate and 1963 Member of the Politburo of the CC of SED and the Ideologischen committee of the Politburo. He was 1958 member of the Public Chamber and 1967 chairman of the Public Education Committee. He was also 1976-1989 Member of the Council of State and 1979-1989 member of the National Defense Council. In SED-Politbüro was Hager as "Chefideologe" and the supreme cultural responsible.
In speeches and writings Hager denied the existence of a single German cultural nation and a common German history. 1987, in an interview with the German magazine Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
about the reforms of Gorbachev in the former Soviet Union Hager gave the answer:Would you, if your neighbor repapers his apartment, feel like you should also repaper your apartment?. This rejection of the policy of glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
and perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
of the Soviet military power has met an angry reception both in the party base, as well as in the population of the GDR. Wolf Biermann titled Hager - probably out of this occasion, in his song "The Ballad of the corrupt old men" scornfully as "Professor Tapeten-Kutte". In a spontaneous encounter with GDR-journalists - when they came into his residence, the "Wachobjekt Wandlitz", for the first time - Hager said, he was placed there against his will at the climax of the Cold War. It had "the decisions of the party bent," said Hager in the presence of his wife. Wandlitz, which after 1989 became the epitome of the duplicity of DDR-Oberen made a name for himself had he described as its seventh internment camp, in which he had come.
In November 1989 Hager was removed from his functions, and in 1990 expelled from the SED- PDS.
Hager won numerous awards. He received 1956 Hans-Beimler-Medaille, 1962 Banner of Labor
Banner of Labor
The Banner of Labor was an order issued in the German Democratic Republic .It was given for "outstanding achievements of many years which stabilized and strengthened the country, and in particular for high results of working in the national economy"....
, 1964 Vaterländischer Verdienstorden
Orders, decorations, and medals of East Germany
After the establishment of the German Democratic Republic the new country prohibited the wearing of all pre-1945 German awards and created a new system of various decorations that was inspired by those of the USSR....
, 1969 entitled hero of the work, as well as 1972, 1977 and 1982 Karl-Marx-Orden.
His daughter Nina Hager, joined somewhat in the footsteps of her father. She is vice chairman of the German Communist Party
German Communist Party
The German Communist Party is a Marxist-Leninist party in Germany.-History:The DKP was formed in West Germany in 1968, in order to fill the place of the Communist Party of Germany , which had been banned by the Federal Constitutional Court in 1956...
(DKP), a member of the National Executive and there are other positions.
His grave is located on the Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde
Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde
The Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery , also known as the Memorial to the Socialists , is a cemetery in the borough of Lichtenberg in Berlin. When the cemetery was founded in 1881 it was called the Freidrichsfelde Municipal Cemetery Berlin...
.