Kurt Löwenstein
Encyclopedia
Kurt Löwenstein was a German USPD
/SPD
politician, Socialist reform pedagogue and one of the founders of Socialist Youth of Germany - Falcons
.
in 1892. In 1895 Kurt Löwenstein went to Jewish
private school in Hanover
. In 1899 he went to high school where he earned tuition by delivering newspapers and holding after-classes where he helped school classmates with homework.
Between 1904 and 1907 Löwenstein studied Theology
and Philosophy
in Halberstadt
and he was accepted into the orthodox Rabbi school in Berlin. At the same time he also attended Philosophical and Pedagogical courses at the Friedrich-Wilhelm University
. In 1908 he was offered the position of the Rabbi in Hanover but refused it because of religious doubts.
On 29th of April 1911 he married Mara Kerwel (1891-1969), a chemist. When they got married, they signed a following marriage contract
which is a proof of their progressive thinking and acting concerning gender equality
:
§1 On the 1st April 1911 both of the contracties, out of free choice and based on love, agree to found the marriage upon equal rights and responsibilities.
§2 As long as the marriage will last, both contracties and their offspring will use the common name Kerlöw which derives from the marriage.
§3 To legalise the use of this name, state permission should be pursued. If this permission is not given, the contracties promise to use the name in all non administrative areas of life.
§4 To be lawfully wedded both of the contracties will also subject to the state marital contract. However by a word of honour they declare that the responsibilities and rights, described in the state marital contract will not apply as they find them redundant.
In 1910 he finished his Ph.D thesis on Jean-Marie Guyau
's pedagogic concepts.
, Löwenstein applied to join the Red Cross in 1914 in Grodno (Belarus
) where he took care of injured soldiers until 1918. In the meantime he joined Soldatenraete, German Socialist soldier councils, and identified himself as a Socialist
. He joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
(Unabhängigen Sozialdemokratischen Partei Deutschlands - USPD) and became active especially in forming the positions on education and educational politics of the party.
In June 1920 he was elected as a member of the National Parliament
until 1923 as a member of the USPD and from 1923 to 1933 as a Member of the SPD. In September 1920 he was elected an Educational Counselor of Berlin by Election Committee of the City Council. The Brunderburger president denied him of this position in 1920.
From 1921 Löwenstein was responsible for education in the City Council of Berlin – Neukölln
. In this time he organised progressive school tuition fees, providing more school meals for children. He organised special preparation classes for graduation for working class children. Together with Fritz Karsen they founded the Karl-Marx School
, the first non-religious school in Berlin.
From 1922 to 1934 Löwenstein was Vice-president and one of the co-founders of the Socialist Educational International (now part of the IFM-SEI).
From 1922 to 1934 he was the president of the International Falken Movement. From 1924 to 1933 he was the president of German Children's friend movement (ReichsArbeitsGemeinschaft der Kinderfreunde). In 1933, when the organisation was forbidden, it united 130,000 children, 10,000 guides and 60,000 parents.
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...
/SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
politician, Socialist reform pedagogue and one of the founders of Socialist Youth of Germany - Falcons
Socialist Youth of Germany - Falcons
The Socialist Youth of Germany – Falcons is a voluntary organization of children and young people. Like the Jusos the Falcons are member of the International Union of Socialist Youth, the Young European Socialists and the International Falcon Movement.As a political organisation with a history of...
.
Family and education
Löwenstein's father, Bernhard Löwenstein, had a clothing shop, which brought the family a modest income. His mother Jeanette, born Blumenthal, died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1892. In 1895 Kurt Löwenstein went to Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
private school in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. In 1899 he went to high school where he earned tuition by delivering newspapers and holding after-classes where he helped school classmates with homework.
Between 1904 and 1907 Löwenstein studied 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...
and 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...
in Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
and he was accepted into the orthodox Rabbi school in Berlin. At the same time he also attended Philosophical and Pedagogical courses at the Friedrich-Wilhelm University
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
. In 1908 he was offered the position of the Rabbi in Hanover but refused it because of religious doubts.
On 29th of April 1911 he married Mara Kerwel (1891-1969), a chemist. When they got married, they signed a following marriage contract
Prenuptial agreement
A prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement, commonly abbreviated to prenup or prenupt, is a contract entered into prior to marriage, civil union or any other agreement prior to the main agreement by the people intending to marry or contract with each other...
which is a proof of their progressive thinking and acting concerning gender equality
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
:
§1 On the 1st April 1911 both of the contracties, out of free choice and based on love, agree to found the marriage upon equal rights and responsibilities.
§2 As long as the marriage will last, both contracties and their offspring will use the common name Kerlöw which derives from the marriage.
§3 To legalise the use of this name, state permission should be pursued. If this permission is not given, the contracties promise to use the name in all non administrative areas of life.
§4 To be lawfully wedded both of the contracties will also subject to the state marital contract. However by a word of honour they declare that the responsibilities and rights, described in the state marital contract will not apply as they find them redundant.
In 1910 he finished his Ph.D thesis on Jean-Marie Guyau
Jean-Marie Guyau
Jean-Marie Guyau was a French philosopher and poet.Guyau was inspired by, amongst others, the philosophies of Epicurus, Epictetus, Plato, Immanuel Kant, Herbert Spencer, and Alfred Fouillée, and the poetry/literature of Pierre Corneille, Victor Hugo, and Alfred de Musset.- Life :Guyau got his...
's pedagogic concepts.
Politics
A pacifistPacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
, Löwenstein applied to join the Red Cross in 1914 in Grodno (Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
) where he took care of injured soldiers until 1918. In the meantime he joined Soldatenraete, German Socialist soldier councils, and identified himself as a Socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. He joined 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...
(Unabhängigen Sozialdemokratischen Partei Deutschlands - USPD) and became active especially in forming the positions on education and educational politics of the party.
In June 1920 he was elected as a member of the National Parliament
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
until 1923 as a member of the USPD and from 1923 to 1933 as a Member of the SPD. In September 1920 he was elected an Educational Counselor of Berlin by Election Committee of the City Council. The Brunderburger president denied him of this position in 1920.
From 1921 Löwenstein was responsible for education in the City Council of Berlin – Neukölln
Neukölln
Neukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city and was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city...
. In this time he organised progressive school tuition fees, providing more school meals for children. He organised special preparation classes for graduation for working class children. Together with Fritz Karsen they founded the Karl-Marx School
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
, the first non-religious school in Berlin.
From 1922 to 1934 Löwenstein was Vice-president and one of the co-founders of the Socialist Educational International (now part of the IFM-SEI).
From 1922 to 1934 he was the president of the International Falken Movement. From 1924 to 1933 he was the president of German Children's friend movement (ReichsArbeitsGemeinschaft der Kinderfreunde). In 1933, when the organisation was forbidden, it united 130,000 children, 10,000 guides and 60,000 parents.
Further reading
- Heinrich Eppe: Kurt Löwenstein. Ein Wegbereiter der modernen Erlebnispädagogik? Neubauer, Lüneburg 1991, ISBN 3-88456-081-6.
- Heinrich Eppe: Erziehung für eine Zukunft, die nicht kam? Zur Bedeutung und Aktualität der politischen Pädagogik Kurt Löwensteins. 3. Auflage. Archiv der Arbeiterjugendbewegung, Oer-Erkenschwick 1993, ISBN 3-926734-04-3.
- Gerd Radde (Hrsg.): Schulreform – Kontinuitäten und Brüche. Das Versuchsfeld Berlin-Neukölln. Band 1: 1912 bis 1945. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 1993, ISBN 3-8100-1129-0. (Darin: Werner Korthaase: Neuköllner Schulpolitik im Dienste der Arbeiterschaft. Dr. Kurt Löwenstein als Kommunalpolitiker. S. 130–145. Dorothea Kolland: Kurt Löwensteins Konzept kultureller Bildung am Beispiel der Musik. S. 153–160.)
- Edgar Weiß: Radikaldemokratisch engagiert und brutal verfolgt, wiederholt verdrängt und bemerkenswert aktuell – der sozialistische Pädagoge Kurt Löwenstein. In: Martin Dust (Hrsg.): Pädagogik wider das Vergessen. Festschrift für Wolfgang Keim. Götzelmann, Kiel 2000, ISBN 3-9805016-8-X, S. 469–489.
- Roland Gröschel (Hrsg.): Auf dem Weg zu einer sozialistischen Erziehung - Beiträge zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte der sozialdemokratischen „Kinderfreunde“ in der Weimarer Republik. Festschrift für Heinrich Eppe. Klartext, Essen 2006, ISBN 3-89861-650-9.