Hermann Fleissner (16 June 1865,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

– 20 April 1939,

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 ...

) was a

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 ...

Social Democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...

politician.

Before the First World War

After the

Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primary (' ...

, Fleissner undertook an apprenticeship as a carpenter. He worked as a journeyman until 1895 and then for a short time as an independent carpenter in

Pirna Pirna (; hsb, Pěrno; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as ...

. In 1884, Fleissner joined the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

(SPD), and in 1895 he became a member of the Woodworkers' Association. From 1885 to 1898 he was chairman of the local SPD in Pirna. From 1897 Fleissner was employed as a reporter for various Social Democratic newspapers and was later editor of the '. From 1913 to 1917, Fleissner was a member of the central party committee of the SPD and chairman of the

party organisation. He belonged to the left wing of the party before the war. Between 1900 and 1903, Fleissner was alderman in

Löbtau Löbtau is a quarter or ''Stadtteil'' in south-west Dresden, Germany. It is part of the ''Stadtbezirk'' Cotta. It borders the quarters of Friedrichstadt, Cotta, Gorbitz Gorbitz is an area in south-west Dresden, Germany. It is part of the '' Stad ...

and 1905-1909 city councillor in Dresden. From 1909 to 1920 he was a member of the

Landtag of the Free State of Saxony The Landtag of Saxony (german: Sächsischer Landtag), also known in English as the Saxon State Parliament, is the legislature of the Free State of Saxony, one of Germany's sixteen states. It is responsible for legislation, control of the gover ...

During the First World War and the German Revolution

Fleissner was involved in founding the

Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was establish ...

(USPD) when it was established on April 6, 1917 in

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

. He represented Dresden on the Control Committee. He was the Dresden party chairman until 1921. He also sat temporarily in the central council of the party and served as editor of the party press (''Unabhängige Volkszeitung''). In 1920 Fleissner belonged to the minority of those who at the extraordinary party congress in Halle , rejected applying for membership of the

Communist International The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by a ...

. This he did not join the KPD but remained with the USPD until they rejoined the SPD. In November 1918, during the

German Revolution 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 ...

Fleissner was a member of the Council of the People's Deputies of Saxony. On 10 November 1918, Fleissner declared the Republic of Saxony in the premises of the Circus Sarrasani. He joined the cabinet of Richard Lipinski as Minister for Military Affairs. He held this office until 16 January 1919. Between 1920 and 1924 he was Minister of State for National Education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleissner, Hermann 1865 births 1939 deaths Members of the Landtag of Saxony Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Ministers of the Saxony State Government