Victor Stern (29 October 1885 – 27 March 1958) was an Austrian philosopher, teacher and communist politician. He was active in communist parties in Austria and Germany until 1923 when he was forced to exile. He settled first in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

and then in the

Soviet Union 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, ...

. From 1946 he lived in

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 ...

where he stayed until his death.

Early life and education

Stern was born in

Třešť Třešť (; german: Triesch) is a town in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrat ...

, Bohemia,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, on 29 October 1885. His father was a pastor in the

Jewish community Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. Between 1904 and 1908 he studied philosophy in Vienna and obtained a PhD.

Career and activities

Following his graduation Stern taught mathematics, physics, logic and psychology at a private school. He joined the

Austrian Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

in 1904. He became a member of the

Independent Social Democratic Party 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 ...

in Germany in 1919 and a member of the

German Communist Party The German Communist Party (german: Deutsche Kommunistische Partei, ) is a communist party in Germany. The DKP supports left positions and was an observer member of the European Left. At the end of February 2016 it left the European party. His ...

in 1920. From 1921 to 1923 he acted as the leader of communists in Austria. He was the editor-in-chief of a journal entitled ''Die Rote Fahne'' in Vienna for one year between 1921 and 1922. During this period he represented the Austrian communists at the fourth Comintern meeting held in 1922. Stern was made political editor of the German communist journal ''Volksblatt'' in 1923 when its three editors were dismissed due to their opposition to the affiliation with the Comintern. However, Stern was extradited from Germany immediately following his appointment. He exiled into Czechoslovakia where he lived until 1935. Then he settled in the Soviet Union where he worked as a teacher at the

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 ...

in the period 1935–1945. In the mid-1930s he also taught at the Comintern schools. Stern returned to Czechoslovakia and then, settled in East Germany where he joined the ruling party, Socialist Unity Party. In 1947 Stern was appointed to the Advanced Training Institute for Functionaries 'Karl Marx'. In 1952 he was promoted to the professorship.

Later years and death

Stern retired in 1955 as a result of his long-term illness. He died in

Potsdam-Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palac ...

on 27 March 1958.

Awards

Stern was the recipient of the Soviet Order of the Red Star which was awarded to him before he left the Soviet Union in 1945.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Victor 20th-century Austrian journalists 20th-century Austrian politicians 1885 births 1958 deaths Austrian people of Jewish descent Comintern people Social Democratic Party of Austria politicians Exiled politicians Independent Social Democratic Party politicians Communist Party of Germany politicians Socialist Unity Party of Germany members People from Třešť Recipients of the Order of the Red Star