Margaretha "Greta" Kuckhoff ( Lorke; 14 December 1902 – 11 November 1981) was a
Resistance member in
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, who belonged to the illegal
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
and the
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
spy ring
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...
that was dubbed the
Red Orchestra by the
Abwehr
The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...
. She was married to
Adam Kuckhoff
Adam Kuckhoff (, 30 August 1887 – 5 August 1943) was a German writer, journalist, and German resistance to Nazism, German resistance member of the anti-fascist resistance group that was later called the Red Orchestra (espionage), Red Orchestra ...
, who was executed by the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. After the war, she lived in the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, where she was president of Deutsche Notenbank from 1950 to 1958.
Life
Kuckhoff was born Margaretha Lorke in
Frankfurt on the Oder
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...
["Porträts von Frauen im Widerstand"](_blank)
geschichtsforum.de Retrieved January 29, 2012 [Bernd-Rainer Barth, Helmut Müller-Enbergs]
Bundesunmittelbare Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts. ''Wer war wer in der DDR?'', 5th edition, Volume 1 Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2010, into a poor Catholic family.
[Claus Donate]
''Aus den Lebenserinnerungen einer Widerstandskämpferin''
''Die Zeit
''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles.
History
The ...
'', No. 13 (March 23, 1973). Note: The article is an OCR scan of the original print version and has numerous typos. Retrieved January 29, 2012 Her father was a carpenter
[Joanne Sayner]
''Women without a past?: German autobiographical writings and fascism''
Rodopi B.V. Amsterdam, New York (2007), pp. 209–210. and built musical instruments;
her mother was a seamstress.
She later wrote warmly about her childhood; she attended Kleist School, wrote poems for the
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
and attended the ''
Lyzeum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the ...
'' and ''Oberlyzeum'' in her hometown.
Education
After training to be a teacher, in 1924, Kuckhoff began to study
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
and
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
at
Humboldt University
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of ...
in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and at the
University of Würzburg
The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...
.
From 1927 to 1929, she studied abroad in the United States at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, where, at the "Friday Niters Club", Friday evening gatherings organized by
John R. Commons
John Rogers Commons (October 13, 1862 – May 11, 1945) was an American institutional economist, Georgist, progressive and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Early years
John R. Commons was born in Hollansburg, Ohio on ...
, she met
Mildred and
Arvid Harnack.
While in
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
, she became an
honorary fellow
Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
of the sociology department. She graduated in 1929.
Between 1930 and 1932, she lived in
Zurich, Switzerland, working for R. Rosendorf, a lawyer
and as a language teacher and freelance translator in the area of business law. Returning to Germany, she became
Karl Mannheim
Karl Mannheim (born Károly Manheim, 27 March 1893 – 9 January 1947) was an influential Hungarian sociologist during the first half of the 20th century. He is a key figure in classical sociology, as well as one of the founders of the sociolo ...
's secretary at the
Institut für Sozialforschung in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
. In 1933, she studied briefly at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
and made arrangements in preparation for Mannheim's escape from Germany.
In 1933, she met the writer
Adam Kuckhoff
Adam Kuckhoff (, 30 August 1887 – 5 August 1943) was a German writer, journalist, and German resistance to Nazism, German resistance member of the anti-fascist resistance group that was later called the Red Orchestra (espionage), Red Orchestra ...
. They were married on 28 August 1937. Their son, Ule, was born on 8 January 1938.
Resistance
Her first involvement in
opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
activities was during this period, when she and her husband decided to work against the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. They got back in touch with the Harnacks
and became involved with
Harro and
Libertas Schulze-Boysen
Libertas "Libs" Schulze-Boysen, born Libertas Viktoria Haas-Heye (20 November 1913 in Paris – 22 December 1942 in Plötzensee Prison ) was a German aristocrat and resistance fighter against the Nazis. From the early 1930s to 1940, Libs attem ...
and the
Red Orchestra.
In acts of
civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hen ...
working to convince others to oppose the Nazis, Kuckhoff held lectures and wrote articles analyzing politics and the economy.
Within her sphere, she had contact with other Resistance groups, including the
Herbert Baum
Herbert Baum (February 10, 1912 – June 11, 1942) was a Jewish member of the German resistance against National Socialism.
Life
Baum was born in Moschin, Province of Posen; his family moved to Berlin when he was young. After he graduated fr ...
group, who were Jewish; the Bonheffer brothers,
Dietrich and
Klaus
Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas.
Notable persons whose family name is Klaus
* Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseba ...
; and the
White Rose
The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...
, whom she knew through Arvid Harnack's brother
Falk. Also through Harnack, she met
Hans von Dohnanyi
Hans von Dohnanyi (; originally ''Johann von Dohnányi'' ; 1 January 1902 – 8 or 9 April 1945) was a German jurist. He used his position in the Abwehr to help Jews escape Germany, worked with German resistance against the Nazi régime, a ...
from the
Kreisau Circle
The Kreisau Circle (German: ''Kreisauer Kreis'', ) (1940–1944) was a group of about twenty-five German dissidents in Nazi Germany led by Helmuth James von Moltke, who met at his estate in the rural town of Kreisau, Silesia. The circle was com ...
. She was also friendly with others in her own group, such as
Adolf Grimme
Adolf Berthold Ludwig Grimme (31 December 1889 – 27 August 1963) was a German politician, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was Cultural Minister during the later years of the Weimar Republic and after World War II, during the ...
.
In 1935, she joined the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
(''Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands'', or KPD).
In fact she joined the KPD/SED after World War II and her move to east Berlin to facilitate a life in the nascent GDR. Party politics and the re-writing of history to fit the lore dictated by Moscow made officials pre-date her party membership to 1935.
Through a professional contact, she began working freelance for the
Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (; RMVP), also known simply as the Ministry of Propaganda (), controlled the content of the press, literature, visual arts, film, theater, music and radio in Nazi Germany.
The ministry ...
, translating Nazi Party congress speeches and articles about Nazi
racial policy.
In 1939, she worked for
James Vincent Murphy
James Vincent Murphy (7 July 1880 – 4 July 1946) was an Irish translator, writer, lecturer and journalist, who published one of the first complete English translations of '' Mein Kampf'' in 1939.
Murphy attended St Patrick's College, Maynoot ...
on the English translation of Hitler's ''
Mein Kampf
(; ''My Struggle'' or ''My Battle'') is a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The work describes the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germ ...
'',
hoping the translation would educate the British public about Hitler.
The Red Orchestra's activities were discovered in 1942 and arrests began on 30 July. In the following weeks, the organization was crushed as dozens of people were arrested. Kuckhoff was arrested by the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
at her apartment on 12 September 1942; her husband in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
on the same day.
On 3 February 1943, she was sentenced to death as an "accomplice to high treason and
orfailure to report a case of espionage". Her sentence was lifted on 4 May. A few months later, however, in a second trial on 27 September 1943, her
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
were revoked for "abetting the progress of an organization of high treason and encouraging the enemy". She was sentenced to 10 years in a labor prison and served her sentence first at the women's
Zuchthaus in
Cottbus
Cottbus (; Lower Sorbian: ''Chóśebuz'' ; Polish: Chociebuż) is a university city and the second-largest city in Brandenburg, Germany. Situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree, Cottbus is also a major railway junction with exten ...
; on 4 February 1945 she was sent to
Waldheim Zuchthaus,
where she was liberated by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
on 8 May 1945. Her husband was executed at
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison (german: Justizvollzugsanstalt Plötzensee, JVA Plötzensee) is a juvenile prison in the Charlottenburg-Nord locality of Berlin with a capacity for 577 prisoners, operated by the State of Berlin judicial administration. The d ...
; she learned of his death from the prison
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
.
After World War II
In 1945, Greta Kuckhoff re-joined the KPD and in May 1945, was appointed the leader of the postwar reconstruction Bureau of
Denazified
Denazification (german: link=yes, Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by remov ...
and Abandoned Factories (''Amtsstelle für die entnazifizierten und herrenlosen Betriebe'') in Berlin.
In April 1946, she became a member of the
Socialist Unity Party (''Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, or SED'') when the KPD leadership forced a merger with the East German Social Democrats.
She,
Adolf Grimme and
Günther Weisenborn
Günther Weisenborn (10 July 1902 – 26 March 1969) was a German writer and fighter in the German Resistance against Nazism. He was notable for collaborating with Bertolt Brecht, along with Hanns Eisler, Slatan Dudow, on the play, '' The Mother ...
attempted to gain legal redress against the former Nazi judge who had convicted them all,
Manfred Roeder
Manfred Roeder (6 February 1929 – 30 July 2014) was a German lawyer and Neo-Nazi terrorist. Roeder was a prominent Holocaust denier. He has also been described as an early representative of the ''Reichsbürger'' movement.
Life
Born in Berl ...
. After years of delays by the
Lüneburg
Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...
state's attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
, the case was dropped at the end of the 1960s.
Beginning in 1946, Kuckhoff worked in business and government within the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(GDR), working within the SED and organizations. From 1949 to 1958, she was a representative in the provincial
Volkskammer
__NOTOC__
The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany).
The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house ...
; from 1950 to 1958, she was the president of the central bank that preceded the GDR's
Staatsbank
250px, Headquarters of the East German Central Bank
The State Bank of the GDR (german: Staatsbank der DDR) was the central bank of East Germany. It was established on 1 January 1968 from the and took over the majority of the same tasks.
The Sta ...
.
In 1958, she had a disagreement within the SED and was forced out of the bank, though officially, she stepped down for her health. Following her removal from the bank, she became active in the . In 1964, she became vice president of the Council and a member of the
World Peace Council
The World Peace Council (WPC) is an international organization with the self-described goals of advocating for universal disarmament, sovereignty and independence and peaceful co-existence, and campaigns against imperialism, weapons of mass ...
.
In 1972, she published her memoirs under the title, ''Vom Rosenkranz zur Roten Kapelle''.
Kuckhoff died in
Wandlitz
Wandlitz is a municipality in the district of Barnim, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 25 km north of Berlin, and 15 km east of Oranienburg. The municipality was established in 2004 by merger of the nine villages ''Basdorf'', ' ...
, aged 78.
She was cremated and honoured with burial in the ''Pergolenweg''
Ehrengrab
An ''Ehrengrab'' (English: 'grave of honor') is a distinction granted by certain German, Swiss and Austrian cities to some of their citizens for extraordinary services or achievements in their lifetimes. If there are no descendants or instituti ...
section of Berlin's
Friedrichsfelde Cemetery.
Legacy
There are streets in Berlin,
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
,
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
and
Lützen
is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Geography
Lützen is situated in the Leipzig Bay, approximately southwest of the Leipzig city limits and northeast of Weißenfels. The town has access to the Bundesstraße 8 ...
named Kuckhoffstraße, after Greta and Adam Kuckhoff. The installation of a
stolperstein
A (; plural ; literally 'stumbling stone', metaphorically a 'stumbling block') is a sett-size, concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution.
The project, initiat ...
for Greta Kuckhoff in Frankfurt on the Oder is planned for 5 May 2012.
Verlegung 2012
Stolpersteine Frankfurt (Oder). Retrieved January 30, 2012
Awards and honors
* 1955 Clara Zetkin
Clara Zetkin (; ; ''née'' Eißner ; 5 July 1857 – 20 June 1933) was a German Marxist theorist, communist activist, and advocate for women's rights.
Until 1917, she was active in the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She then joined the ...
Prize
* 1955 Patriotic Order of Merit
The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
in silver
* 1958 Medal for Fighters against Fascism
* 1965 Patriotic Order of Merit in gold
* 1967 Honorary citizen, City of Frankfurt (Oder)
* 1968 Carl von Ossietzky
Carl von Ossietzky (; 3 October 1889 – 4 May 1938) was a German journalist and pacifist. He was the recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in exposing the clandestine German re-armament.
As editor-in-chief of the magazine ''Die ...
Prize of the
* 1972 Star of People's Friendship
The Star of People's Friendship (german: Stern der Völkerfreundschaft), Star of Nations' Friendship, was an order awarded by the German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Ge ...
in gold
* 1973 Honorary doctorate from Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...
* 1977 Thomasius Plaque from Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg
* 1980 Karl Marx Order
The Order of Karl Marx () was the most important order in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The award of the order also included a prize of 20,000 East German marks.
The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of Karl Marx's 135t ...
Literature
* ''Rote Kapelle.'' In: ''Aufbau'', Aufbau-Verlag
Aufbau-Verlag is a German publisher. It was founded in Berlin in 1945 and became the biggest publisher in the GDR. During that time it specialised in Socialist literature, socialist and Russian literature.
It is currently led by Matthias Koch ...
, East Berlin 1948, Heft 1, pp. 30–37
*
*
*
*
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
Footnotes
References
External links
*
Short biography of Greta Kuckhoff
German Resistance Memorial Center
The German Resistance Memorial Center (german: Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand) is a memorial and museum in Berlin, capital of Germany. History
It was opened in 1980 in part of the Bendlerblock, a complex of offices in Stauffenbergstrasse (fo ...
Biography
My History-Blog. Retrieved January 29, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuckhoff, Greta
1902 births
1981 deaths
People from Frankfurt (Oder)
People from the Province of Brandenburg
Communist Party of Germany politicians
Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians
Members of the Provisional Volkskammer
Members of the 2nd Volkskammer
Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime members
Communists in the German Resistance
Red Orchestra (espionage)
People condemned by Nazi courts
Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg alumni
Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp)
Women sentenced to death