Lothar Popp (7 February 1887 – 27 April 1980) was a German revolutionary and a leader of the

sailors' revolt in Kiel The Kiel mutiny () was a major revolt by sailors of the German High Seas Fleet on 3 November 1918. The revolt triggered the German revolution which was to sweep aside the monarchy within a few days. It ultimately led to the end of the German E ...

in 1918.

Education and party membership

Lothar Popp was born 7 February 1887 in the small German town

Furth im Wald Furth im Wald (in Czech ''Brod nad Lesy'', resp. ''Bavorský Brod'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany, near the Czech border in the Bavarian Forest, northeast of Cham, and southwest of Domažlice. The city is known as ''Drachenstadt'' (Dragon City) ...

as son of a lower public servant (royal Bavarian station master); he was Catholic by denomination but left church later.

Schröder Schröder (Schroeder) is a German language, German surname often associated with the Schröder family. Notable people with the surname include: * Arthur Schröder (1892–1986), German actor * Atze Schröder, stage name of German comedian Hubertu ...

: Sozialdemokratische Parlamentarier (social-democratic members of parliament). He attended public school and did an apprenticeship as shop assistant in Augsburg. At the age of sixteen he ran away from home.

Ullrich Ullrich (), is a German surname of Germanic origin. Other variants include Ulrich, Ulrych/Ullrych, Ulryk/Ullryk, and many more. Notable people with the surname include: * Alexander Ulrich (born 1971), German politician *Anton Ullrich (1826–1895 ...

: Interview-notes First he went to Leipzig, where he tried to make ends meet by selling shoe strings.

Kuhl KUHL (1440 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station that is City of license, licensed to Santa Maria, California and serves the Santa Maria, California, Santa Maria—Lompoc, California area. The station is owned by Knight Broadcasting ...

: Article – Lothar Fertig's memories of Lothar Popp. From 1904 until 1914 he was a worker and merchant in Hamburg. His father died early and he got his mother to join him in Hamburg. In the year 1906 he became a member of the (an association of libertines) and 1912 he joined the

SPD 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 ...

. By that time he had come to know that

August Bebel Ferdinand August Bebel (22 February 1840 – 13 August 1913) was a German socialist politician, writer, and orator. He is best remembered as one of the founders of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany (SDAP) in 1869, which in 1875 mer ...

and

Wilhelm Liebknecht Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht (; 29 March 1826 – 7 August 1900) was a German socialist and one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

: Streitgespräch (disputation).

First World War and stay in Kiel

When on 4 August 1914 the SPD parliamentary faction approved of the war loans for the

First World War 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 ...

, Popp joined the German Peace Society (Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft). After the death of his mother in 1916 he moved to Kiel, where he was able to take over three cigarette shops. According to Otto Preßler he operated a "Bonbon-Laden" (sweets shop) in the Holstenstrasse and another one in the Elisabethstrasse. According to Gertrud Voelcker he had a sweets sale, whereby the sweets were manufactured in Bordesholm (nearby Kiel) by a sympathiser. In 1915 he became a private for twenty months; in early 1917 he was dismissed as unfit for service to Kiel, to become a mobilised fitter working at the Germania ship yard. At first he was active for the

. Amongst others he took part in a strike in March 1917 although he had not yet a leading role. He lived near the Wilhelmplatz in the Ringstrasse. Popp founded in Kiel with about one thousand men the "Sozialdemokratischer Verein Gross Kiel — alte Richtung" (Social-democratic Association Kiel and Outskirts — Old Direction), a local organisation which existed only in Kiel. Chairman was W. Sens, who had an artificial leg and could not be recruited. Other chairpersons were besides Popp: Palavizini and Güth. Later the association joined the USPD (Independent SPD). Chairman of the USPD region Wasserkante (water edge) was a member of the Reichstag from Bremen Alfred Henke. During the January strike 1918 in Kiel, at a large rally he founded the first ''Arbeiterrat'' (workers' council). He was proposed as chairman and elected per acclamation. After the first meeting of the council one or two days later he was apprehended and sentenced to two months in prison for conducting an illicit meeting, which he had to serve in Neumuenster. After being released from prison the ship yard did not allow him to continue working there. The USPD shop stewarts tried several days until they managed to find work for him at Gebrueder Genimb-Motorenwerke. There he worked for nine days and then reported sick. Until the revolution started he did not go back, which he could do because he was financially secured. In November 1918 he and

Karl Artelt Karl Artelt (31 December 1890 – 28 September 1981) was a German revolutionary and a leader of the sailors' revolt in Kiel. Birth and education Karl Artelt was born on 31 December 1890 in the German village of Salbke, at Repkowstr. 12, whic ...

led the marines' mutiny in Kiel, which triggered the

German Revolution of 1918–1919 The German Revolution or November Revolution (german: Novemberrevolution) was a civil conflict in the German Empire at the end of the First World War that resulted in the replacement of the German federal constitutional monarchy with a dem ...

. Popp took part in negotiations between sailors, SPD and USPD party delegates and navy admirals especially

Wilhelm Souchon Wilhelm Anton Souchon (; 2 June 1864 – 13 January 1946) was a German admiral in World War I. Souchon commanded the ''Kaiserliche Marine''s Mediterranean squadron in the early days of the war. His initiatives played a major part in the entry o ...

. After Karl Artelt had spoken as a representative of the soldiers' councils, Popp presented comprehensive minimum demands to the military and political leadership: abolishment of the crown, abolition of all German monarchies, a free people's republic, a just election legislation, freedom of the press and complete release of all political prisoners. Wette:

Gustav Noske Gustav Noske (9 July 1868 – 30 November 1946) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as the first Minister of Defence (''Reichswehrminister'') of the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1920. Noske has been a cont ...

, S.207-208 Popp ensured that the initially spontaneously formed, unstructured soldiers' councils had a solid base through elections in all units, and the establishment of the Supreme Soldiers' Council (Oberster Soldatenrat, OSR) on 6 and 7 November. Popp was elected chairman of the OSR. He was succeeded by Karl Artelt on 10 December. He remained, however, a political advisor in the OSR. This, however, probably only pro forma, because he emphasized in later interviews that he had not cared about the Soldiers' Council since the decision for the National Assembly had been made. The effects of his then work he evaluated 1978 in retrospect as follows: "We were not revolutionaries, because we did not fight for a cause but we wanted to terminate a crazy thing. When we suddenly held the power, I wanted to make something out of the collapse of the Kaiserreich. In some votings I could beat Noske, who had come to strangle everything, but during practical work my group became inferior. We became tired. The revolutionaries did not want the revolution, they wanted the constituent national assembly in Berlin." Lothar Popp views this shift of political responsibility from the workers' and soldiers' councils to the

national assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

, which — as he concedes was approved by the workers and soldiers — as "the first step into the collapse of the Weimar Republic".

Michels Michels is a surname, derived from Michaels, which in turn is derived from the given name Michael. Notable people with the surname include: * Birgit Michels (born 1984), German badminton player * David Michels, British businessman *Jan Michels, Dut ...

: Wir waren keine Revolutionäre. Popp went back to Hamburg in the beginning of 1919. He became a street hawker and a carny at the ''

Hamburger DOM The Hamburger Dom is a large fair held at Heiligengeistfeld fair ground in central Hamburg, Germany. With three fairs (spring, summer and winter) per year it is the biggest and the longest fair throughout Germany and attracts approximately ten mil ...

'' and he founded the association of the ambulant tradespersons and the carnies. He rejoined the SPD at the unification party congress in Halle (1922). He was a member of the

Hamburg Parliament The Hamburg Parliament (german: Hamburgische Bürgerschaft; literally “Hamburgish Citizenry”) is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parli ...

1924–1931 and attempted unsuccessfully to become a member of the Reichstag.

Nazi period

In 1931–32, he moved to Danzig (now Gdansk), where he sold toys and self-manufactured cleaning powder. When in 1933 the situation became more and more critical, he went to Prag in the Czech Republic. When the Nazis marched in, he went by train via Linz and Switzerland to Paris. When France was occupied by the Nazis, he fled to Marseille. He was expatriated by the Nazis; however, his name does not appear in the expatriation lists. Instead an Ernst Ferdinand Popp is mentioned, who is probably one of his six sons. Michael Hepp, Ausbürgerungen deutscher Staatsbürger, München 1985 In 1941, he sailed to Martinique on board the ''Winnipeg''. The ''Winnipeg'' had brought on two tours fighters for the Spanish republic to South America; a planned third tour could not take place because the Northern coast was blocked. Then

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

's organisation used the ship to help people escape from the Nazis. Popp managed to get on board one day before sailing, because he knew one of the sailors. Breitscheid and Everding were arrested, before they could get on board and later were handed over to the Nazis. The ''Winnipeg'' however did not make it to Martinique but was seized by a British ship and rerouted to Trinidad. "Once again the emigrants were placed behind barbed wire". After some time, those who possessed US visas were allowed to proceed. Fittko: Escape through the Pyrenees. Fry: Surrender on demand. Popp went to New York. In the New York passenger lists, 1820–1957 the following entry was made: Lothar Popp, 54 years, single, merchant, born in Furth, Germany, visa issued in Marseille, France, last permanent residence: France, Marseille arrives at 6 June 1941 on board the ''S.S. Evangeline'' from Trinidad.BWI. in New York (accessible via ancestry.de). He was received by

Max Brauer Max Julius Friedrich Brauer (3 September 1887 – 2 February 1973) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the first elected First Mayor of Hamburg after World War II. Life In 1923, Brauer was mayor of the independe ...

Herbert Weichmann Herbert Weichmann (23 February 1896 – 9 October 1983) was a German lawyer and politician (Social Democratic Party) and First Mayor of Hamburg (1965–1971). In his position as mayor of Hamburg, he served as President of the Bundesrat (1968 ...

and

Rudolf Katz Rudolf Katz (23 November 1895 – 23 July 1961) was a German politician and judge. He was Vice President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. Biography Katz was born in Złocieniec, Falkenburg, Farther Pomerania (modern Złocieniec, ...

and could stay temporarily in a house rented by SPD emigrants. Popp became a US citizen and started the business "Lothar Popp Import and Export, Manufacturer of Educational Toys Microscopes and Musical Instruments, 446 East Str. 84th Street New York". Additionally, he established together with Richard Kramer the small shop "ELK Company" at 240 East 86th Street in New York, where they manufactured and sold sweets, especially

marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzi ...

. He wrote articles for the ''

Neue Volkszeitung The ''Neue Volkszeitung'' (New People's Newspaper) was a German-language newspaper issued from New York City, United States. The paper had a moderate social democratic orientation and is remembered as a leading anti-Nazi American publication in th ...

'' (New Peoples Newspaper), which was published in the USA.

After WW II

In 1949–50 he came back to Germany, but stayed only for some months, because he wanted to keep his

American citizenship Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

. Thereafter he came back often to stay for some months, the family also visited him in the States until he finally settled in Hamburg again. Meanwhile, legislation was changed so he could do so without losing his American citizenship. He kept his American citizenship until he died. He became honorary chairman of the association of ambulant tradespersons and carnies. His son, Werner Popp after the second world war became chairman for some time. Ernst Harberger, Lothar Popp's half brother became after second world war chairman of the professional work group for the ambulant tradespersons until he died. Harberger himself ran a fruit stall in front of the Klosterburg opposite the main station. After the death of his first wife Anna he married again in 1957 and ran a cafe together with his new wife. He was still an active member of the SPD. He died on 27 April 1980 in Hamburg.

Tribute

Lothar Popp was interviewed for German television documentaries regarding his role during the sailors' mutiny in Kiel.

Publications

* Lothar Popp unter Mitarbeit von Karl Artelt: ''Ursprung und Entwicklung der November-Revolution 1918. Wie die deutsche Republik entstand'', Behrens, Kiel 1919, Reprint als Sonderveröffentlichung 15 der Gesellschaft für Kieler Stadtgeschichte, Kiel 1983. Im Jahr 2020 leicht gekürzt und kommentiert veröffentlicht in: IG Metall Bezirksleitung Küste (Hrsg.): ''Matrosenaufstand und Novemberrevolution 1918.'' Hamburg 2020, S. 96–115, ISBN 978-3-96488-063-5. * Lothar Popp: ''Das Gesundheitsbrevier — Lange und glücklich leben durch vernünftig leben'', Möven-Verlag, Hamburg 1977

References

Sources and literature

* Klaus Kuhl: ''Streitgespräch mit Lothar Popp (Disputation with Lothar Popp)'', Sep. 1978
(PDF-Datei; 463 kB) * Schröder, Wilhelm, Heinz: ''Sozialdemokratische Parlamentarier....'', Droste Verl., Düsseldorf 1995. Short version available online: http://www.bioparl.de/ BIOSP - Letter P. * Michael Hepp (Hrsg.): ''Die Ausbürgerung deutscher Staatsangehöriger 1933-1945 nach den im Reichsanzeiger veröffentlichten Listen (2 Bände)'' K. G. Säur Verlag, München 1985 * Volker Ullrich: ''Interview-Notizen Lothar Popp'', aufbewahrt in der Forschungsstelle für Zeitgeschichte
also available as PDF
/cite> * Klaus Kuhl: ''Gesprächsnotizen — Lothar Fertig, Erinnerungen an meinen Vater Lothar Popp'', 2009, Auszüge veröffentlicht in Kuhl, Streitgespräch * Dirk Dähnhardt: ''Revolution in Kiel. Der Übergang vom Kaiserreich zur Weimarer Republik''. Karl Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster, 1978, *

Wolfram Wette Wolfram Wette (born 11 November 1940) is a German military historian and peace researcher. He is an author or editor of over 40 books on the history of Nazi Germany, including the seminal ''Germany and the Second World War'' series from the Ge ...

: ''Gustav Noske. Eine politische Biographie'', 2. Auflage, Düsseldorf 1988 * Bernd Michels: ''Kieler Matrosenaufstand von 1918 — „Wir waren keine Revolutionäre"'', in „Sozialdemokrat Magazin", Heft 11/12 November /Dezember 1978 * Lisa Fittko, ''Escape through the Pyrenees.''. Northwestern University Press, . *

Varian Fry Varian Mackey Fry (October 15, 1907 – September 13, 1967) was an American journalist. Fry ran a rescue network in Vichy France that helped approximately 2,000 to 4,000 anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees to escape Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. ...

, ''Surrender on Demand,'' first published by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, 1945. Later edition published by Johnson Books, in 1997 in conjunction with the U.S. Holocaust Museum. * Eric Jennings: "Last Exit from Vichy France: The Martinique Escape Route and the Ambiguities of Emigration." ''The Journal of Modern History'' 74 (June 2002): 289–324