Lily Braun (2 July 1865 – 8 August 1916), born Amalie von Kretschmann, was a German

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

writer and politician of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(SPD).

Life

She was born in

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

, in the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merge ...

, the daughter of , General of the Infantry in the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

, and his wife Jenny, née von Gustedt (1843–1903). Her maternal grandmother, the writer Jenny von Gustedt (1811–1890), was an illegitimate daughter of

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 1 ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's brother who was

King of Westphalia King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

, and his mistress

Diana Rabe von Pappenheim Diana Rabe von Pappenheim ( Freiin Waldner von Freundstein; 25 January 1788–18 December 1844) was the royal mistress of Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, from 1810 until 1813, by whom she most likely had a daughter in 1811. Early l ...

. Lily Braun's great-niece, Marianne von Kretschmann, married

Richard von Weizsäcker Richard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker (; 15 April 1920 – 31 January 2015) was a German politician ( CDU), who served as President of Germany from 1984 to 1994. Born into the aristocratic Weizsäcker family, who were part of the German nobilit ...

, President of Germany from 1984 to 1994. Raised according to the

Prussian virtues Prussian virtues (German: ) are the virtues associated with the historical Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918). They were derived from Prussia's militarism and the ethical code of the Prussian Army as well as from bourgeois values such as honesty an ...

of order and discipline at changing places throughout her father's military career, she nevertheless developed a direct and open personality, encouraged in particular by her grandmother . She was considered to be highly ambitious, and her family provided her with a broad education by numerous private teachers. From an early age on, she began to question her parents'

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

values as influenced by

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

and

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

as well the position of women in Prussian society. When her father retired in 1890, she had to establish a sustainable livelihood herself. From 1893 Lily Braun was briefly married to , a professor of philosophy at the

Frederick William University Friedrich Wilhelm University (German: ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'') may refer to: * Humboldt University of Berlin, called ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'' from 1828 to 1949, and sometimes known in English as Frederick William University * ...

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 ...

, who was associated with the Social Democratic Party without however being a member. Together with him she was involved in the

ethical movement The Ethical movement, also referred to as the Ethical Culture movement, Ethical Humanism or simply Ethical Culture, is an ethical, educational, and religious movement that is usually traced back to Felix Adler (1851–1933).

, which sought to establish a system of morality in place of the traditional religions. Also, she became concerned with the ideas of

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and the

feminist movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for Radical politics, radical and Liberalism, liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality b ...

, working as a journalist for the feminist newspaper ' (The Women's Movement) issued by

Minna Cauer Wilhelmine Theodore Marie Cauer, née Schelle, usually known as Minna Cauer (1 November 1841 in Freyenstein – 3 August 1922 in Berlin) was a German pedagogue, activist in the so-called "radical" wing of the German bourgeois feminist movement ...

. After her first husband's death, she married in 1896

Heinrich Braun Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Braun (1 January 1862 – 26 April 1934) was a German surgeon remembered for his work in the field of anaesthesiology. He was a native of Rawitsch, Province of Posen (today called Rawicz, Poland). Braun attended the K ...

, who was a Social Democratic politician and a publicist. The couple had one son, , a highly talented poet who was killed at the Western Front in the last months of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Lily Braun joined the SPD at an early age and became one of the leaders of the German

. Within the party, she belonged to the revisionist opposition within the SPD, which did not believe in the theories of

historical materialism Historical materialism is the term used to describe Karl Marx's theory of history. Marx locates historical change in the rise of class societies and the way humans labor together to make their livelihoods. For Marx and his lifetime collaborat ...

, but aimed for a gradual change in society, rather than a socialist revolution. Her attempts to mediate between proletarian and bourgeois feminist circles were heavily criticised; likewise, her proposals on reconciliation of family and working life were rejected. Her answers to

the woman question "The woman question", which is translated from the French term ''querelle des femmes'' (literally, "dispute of women"), refers both in historiography to an intellectual debate from the 1400s to the 1700s on the nature of women and feminist campai ...

were especially slammed by socialist authors like

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 ...

, while middle-class circles considered her ideas too radical. Like her fellow political activist

Helene Stöcker Helene Stöcker (13 November 1869 – 24 February 1943) was a German feminist, pacifist and gender activist. She successfully campaigned keep same sex relationships between women legal, but she was unsuccessful in her campaign to legalise aborti ...

, Lily Braun was strongly influenced by

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

; she and her husband wanted the SPD to focus on the development of personality and individuality instead of levelling everybody. Women should have their own personality and should not have to be only regarded as (future) mothers and wives. She wanted

economic freedom Economic freedom, or economic liberty, is the ability of people of a society to take economic actions. This is a term used in economic and policy debates as well as in the philosophy of economics. One approach to economic freedom comes from the l ...

for women and advocated new types of personal relations up to the abolition of legal marriage. Deeply concerned about the fate of her son, Lily Braun died in Zehlendorf (today part of Berlin) from the consequences of a stroke at the age of 51, in the midst of World War I. After her death, her second husband Heinrich Braun married Julie Braun-Vogelstein,Guide to the Julie Braun-Vogelstein Collection, 1743-1971AR 25034 / MF 473
/ref> who was also the editor of Lily Braun's ''Collected Works''.

Works

* ''Die Frauenfrage: Ihre geschichtliche Entwicklung und ihre wirtschaftliche Seite '' (The Women's Question: historical development and economic aspect) (1901) *''Wahrheit oder Legende: Ein Wort zu den Kriegsbriefen des Generals von Kretschman'' (Truth or Legend: A word on the war letters of General von Kretschmar) * ''Die Mutterschaftsversicherung: Ein Beitrag zur Frage der Fürsorge für Schwangere und Wöchnerinnen '' (Maternity Insurance: an article on the question of care for pregnant women and those in childbed) *''Die Frauen und die Politik '' (Women and Politics) *''Memoiren einer Sozialistin - Lehrjahre'' (Memoirs of a Socialist - Apprenticeship years) (Novel) *''Memoiren einer Sozialistin - Kampfjahre'' (Memoirs of a Woman Socialist – Years of Struggle) (Novel) * ''Mutterschaft: Ein Sammelwerk für die Probleme des Weibes als Mutter'' (Motherhood: A collection of works on the problems of women as mothers) *''Die Liebesbriefe der Marquise'' (The Marchioness's Loveletters) *''Die Frauen und der Krieg'' (Women and the War) *''Im Schatten der Titanen: Erinnerungen an Baronin Jenny von Sustedt '' (In the Shadow of the Titans: Recollections of Baroness Jenny von Sustedt) (1908) - a biography of Braun's grandmother; the "Titans" of the title were

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, who was von Sustedt's uncle, and

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

, with whom she came in contact in her

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

childhood. *''Lebenssucher'' (Searchers for Life) *''Frauenarbeit und Beruf'' (Women's Work and Career)

External links

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Lily 1865 births 1916 deaths 19th-century German people 19th-century German writers Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians German religious humanists Feminist writers Feminism and history Prussian nobility People from the Province of Saxony People from Halberstadt German socialist feminists 19th-century German women writers German people of French descent German people of Italian descent