Helene "Lene" Berg born Helene Veser (10 April 1906 – 21 February 2006) was a German communist politician and a
resistance activist against
National Socialism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
.
Between 1958 and 1989 she was a member of the Central Committee of the ruling
SED (party) in the
German Democratic Republic (East Germany), where she was also director of the
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 ...
based
Academy for Social Sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...
.
[
]
Life
Early years
Helene Veser was born in Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
, in the Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.
It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...
on 10 April 1906. Her father, formerly a miller, owned a timber business while her mother was in domestic service
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
. Helene successfully completed her schooling in 1923 and entered a dressmaking apprenticeship, remaining in this type of work in Mannheim till 1928.[
]
Activism
In 1921 she became a member of the SAJ (''Sozialistische Arbeiter-Jugend''), which was in effect the youth wing of the country's SPD (Germany's party of the moderate left). In 1922 she joined the German clothing workers' Trades Union, and in 1924 she joined the Young Communists (KJVD). She became a regional leader for the KJVD in what was at that time the Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...
district. During this period Veser took part in anti-militaristic actions with regard to the French army of occupation in the Palatinate (Rhineland) region across the river from Mannheim, and undertook so-called spoiling missions (''"Zersetzungsarbeit"'') involving the police there. In 1926 she attended the ADGB Trades Union confederation College in the Tinz quarter of Gera
Gera is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of cit ...
. Then in October 1927, a few months after her twenty-first birthday, Helene Veser joined the Communist Party (KPD).
Till 1928 Veser held her KJVD Baden regional leadership position. Then she relocated to Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
where she attended the International Lenin School
The International Lenin School (ILS) was an official training school operated in Moscow, Soviet Union, by the Communist International from May 1926 to 1938. It was resumed after the Second World War and run by the Communist Party of the Soviet Unio ...
till 1931,[ taking ]Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
and, in 1929, becoming a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
"Hymn of the Bolshevik Party"
, headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow
, general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last)
, founded =
, banned =
, founder = Vladimir Lenin
, newspaper ...
.[ She returned to Germany in 1931, now taking on more senior positions within the ]KPD
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 ...
. In 1931/32 Veser was an instructor with the party's Agitation and Propaganda department 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 ...
.[ Then, in 1932, she took on the position of Agitation and Propaganda secretary for the KPD in the ]Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
district, in the north of the country. This lasted till 1933 and the Nazi seizure of power
Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...
which was quickly followed by a ban on non-Nazi political parties.[
Veser continued with her (now illegal)][ work for the party till 1935. In 1933 she became the Agitation and Propaganda secretary in the party's Halle leadership team and later in the same year took over from Max Opitz the party leadership for the ]Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...
region.[ 1934/35 found her operating under the cover name "Lotte" as a party instructor in the ]Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
.[ In 1935 she escaped to ]France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
from where she emigrated to the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
where she was given the "party name", "Helene Berg",[ a name to which she switched and which she officially retained after the ]war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
ended.
Moscow
Between 1935 and 1937, using the cover name "Lene Neckar", Helene Berg was the deputy head of the German sector at the ILS, at the same time teaching in Moscow the history of (1) the Russian Communist Party Communist Party of Russia might refer to:
* Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, founded in 1898 – the forerunner of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
* Communist Party of the Soviet Union, formally established in 1912 and known origina ...
and of (2) the German Workers' Movement.[ In 1938 she took a job with "Ino-Radio" in Moscow, and later worked as a consultant with the Moscow-based " Soyuz Jetfilm" children's film studio.][
Till 1941 she worked with Rudolf Lindau creating collections on KPD history. When war broke out, using the cover name "Lene Ring" she had taken over the leadership of the German group at the ]International Lenin School
The International Lenin School (ILS) was an official training school operated in Moscow, Soviet Union, by the Communist International from May 1926 to 1938. It was resumed after the Second World War and run by the Communist Party of the Soviet Unio ...
, the Comintern
The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...
School that temporarily moved to Ufa
Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...
during the invasion. In September 1941 she was put in charge of the German section of the German section of the Antifa School["Antifa-Schule" (Antifa school)=''Antifaschistischen Frontschulen'')] for prisoners of war at Taliza,[ while still continuing to teach at the party ]academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
in Moscow.
Back to (East) Germany
In April 1946 Berg returned to Germany, settling in the Soviet occupation zone
The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a c ...
which by now was in the process of becoming 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 ...
. Berg became a member of the new country's ruling SED (party) and took a position as a teacher at the prestigious Karl Marx Academy in Liebenwalde
Liebenwalde is a town in the Oberhavel district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 16 km northeast of Oranienburg, and 39 km north of Berlin (centre).
In 2003, the administrative boundaries were expanded to include Freienhagen, Ha ...
.[ Between 1946 and 1951 she undertook various functions in the party's regional leadership in ]Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
, working closely with Bernard Koenen. In 1951 she briefly became acting director of the Karl Marx Academy, before accepting a professorial directorship at the Party Central Committee's Social Sciences Institute, remaining in this post till 1958.[
From 1954 till 1958 Berg was a candidate for the party central committee, which she joined in 1958, retaining her membership till 1989. Between 1958 and 1971 she was the ]German
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 ...
party's editor and representative for the 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 ...
based international ideological newspaper World Marxist Review (WMR / "Problems of Peace and socialism" / ''"Проблемы мира и социализма"'').[ Between 1972 and 1974 she was deputy director of the party's central committee's Opinion Research Institute, succeeding the institute's founder-director, ]Karl Maron
Karl Maron (1903–1975) was a German politician, who served as the interior minister of East Germany. He also assumed different posts in East Germany's government.
Early life and education
Maron was born in Berlin on 27 April 1903 and was educa ...
, in 1974. She resigned from that position in 1979, by when she was 73. Between 1979 and 1989 she acted as a consultant to the Central Committee's Department for International Relations.
In 1990, following German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
, the old East German SED (Party) was succeeded by the PDS
PD, P.D., or Pd may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''People's Democracy'' (newspaper), weekly organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
* ''The Plain Dealer'', a Cleveland, Ohio, US newspaper
* Post Diaspora, a time frame in the ''Honorverse'' ...
, and Berg became a member of the reborn party's "Council of old people".
Personal
Berg was married to East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
's first Minister for Education, Paul Wandel
Paul Wandel (February 16, 1905, Mannheim – June 3, 1995, Berlin) was a German communist politician and statesman in the German Democratic Republic who served as the first Minister of People's Education.
Biography
In 1919 Wandel completed his ...
. He died in 1995 but she died just seven weeks short of her one hundredth birthday on 21 February 2006.[
]
Awards
*1955 Clara Zetkin-Medal
*1956 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
*1965 Banner of Labor
The Banner of Labor () was an order issued in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
It was given for "excellent and long-standing service in strengthening and consolidating the GDR, especially for achieving outstanding results for the national e ...
*1966 Order of Karl Marx
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 ...
*1968 Patriotic Order of Merit in Gold
*1971 Patriotic Order of Merit - Gold Honour clip
*1976 Honorary doctorate from the Social Sciences Academy of the Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
Central Committee
*1976 Star of People's Friendship
The Star of People's Friendship (german: Stern der Völkerfreundschaft), Star of Nations' Friendship, was an Order (decoration), order awarded by the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR).
Established 20 August 1959, it was given to i ...
in Gold
*1981 Great Star of People's Friendship in Gold
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Helene
1906 births
2006 deaths
Politicians from Mannheim
People from the Grand Duchy of Baden
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Communist Party of Germany politicians
Members of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany) politicians
German emigrants to the Soviet Union
Communists in the German Resistance
Refugees from Nazi Germany in the Soviet Union
International Lenin School alumni
Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp)
Recipients of the Banner of Labor