Wilhelm Koenen (7 April 1886 – 19 October 1963) was a German communist activist and an

East German 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 ...

politician. He was married to

Emmy Damerius-Koenen Emmy Damerius-Koenen (15 March 1903 – 21 May 1987) was an East German politician. She was married to Helmut Damerius from 1922 to 1927 and later, was married to Wilhelm Koenen. She was a member of the Communist Party of Germany and spent most o ...

and was the father of Heinrich Koenen and Johanna Koenen.

Biographical details

Koenen was born in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

,Brief biography of Wilhelm Koenen
Freundeskreis "Ernst-Thälmanns-Gedenkstätte" e.V. Ziegenhals. Received December 17, 2011 the son of a

socialist 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 ...

carpenter and a cook. After finishing

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 (' ...

, he continued his education, taking classes in business from 1900 to 1903. Koenen 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) in 1903.Wilhelm Koenen
German Federal Archives, historical files from the Weimar Republic

Reich Chancellery The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared s ...

In 1904, he found employment at a book shop in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

. In addition, he took courses at the workers' school in Hamburg and the

Social Democrat Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

Party school in Berlin. In 1907, he became a newspaper correspondent in Kiel and then in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

. In 1911, he became editor of the

social democrat Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

newspaper, ''Volksblatt'', in Halle. In 1913, he became a member of the local district SPD leadership and with the majority of the local membership, joined 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 ...

(USPD) in 1917. During 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 ...

, Koenen was the commissar of the Worker and Soldiers' Council of the Halle-Merseburg district. In the

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

-1920 German federal election, he was elected to the

Weimar National Assembly The Weimar National Assembly (German: ), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly (), was the popularly elected constitutional convention and de facto parliament of Germany from 6 February 1919 to 21 May 1920. As part of its ...

. On 16 July 1919, in the National Assembly, he called for the adoption of a constitutional provision that would exclusively grant to the authorities and charitable organizations the right to hold public film screenings for adolescents so that youth would be protected from the wheeling and dealing of "the capitalists". In 1919, Koenen was a member of the board of the USPD's

central committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

, but in 1920, he joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

(''Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands'', or KPD), where he became part of the left wing. Between the 1920 and 1932, he was a representative in the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

Reichstag and, in addition, from 1926 to 1932, a city councilor in Berlin. In 1932, he became a representative in the

Preußischer Landtag The Landtag of Prussia (german: Preußischer Landtag) was the representative assembly of the Kingdom of Prussia implemented in 1849, a bicameral legislature consisting of the upper House of Lords (''Herrenhaus'') and the lower House of Representat ...

. From 1924, he was a member of the "Middle Group" (''Mittelgruppe'') and in 1925, actively supported the leadership group headed by

Ernst Thälmann Ernst Johannes Fritz Thälmann (; 16 April 1886 – 18 August 1944) was a German communist politician, and leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) from 1925 to 1933. A committed Marxist-Leninist and Stalinist, Thälmann played a major r ...

. Koenen was the political secretary of the KPD for the district of Halle-Merseburg from 1929 to 1931, when internal politics forced him into the background and he lost his party function in Halle and what had been his secure place on the

party list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

. Koenen was one of some 40 people at the meeting of the KPD central committee on 7 February 1933, at the Sporthaus Ziegenhals, just a week after the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

seized power and was the last time that Thälmann, chairman of the KPD, spoke to the central committee. Koenen left Germany in June 1933 on the decision of the party leadership, first going to 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 ...

, then still under foreign occupation. He then went to France, where he was involved in the "

Lutetia The Gallo-Roman town of ''Lutetia'' (''Lutetia Parisiorum'' in Latin, in French ''Lutèce'') was the predecessor of the modern-day city of Paris. It was founded in about the middle of the 3rd century BCE by the Parisii, a Gallic tribe. Tra ...

circle", trying to build a popular front against the Hitler régime. From 1935 to 1938, he lived in

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

, where he was married to Emmy Damerius. They moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, where they were both taken into custody as an "enemy aliens" in 1940. She was sent to the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

until 1941; he was shipped to an internment camp in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

until 1942. In 1943, he was a founding member of the "Free Germany" movement in London. In 1944, he worked at the British

black propaganda Black propaganda is a form of propaganda intended to create the impression that it was created by those it is supposed to discredit. Black propaganda contrasts with gray propaganda, which does not identify its source, as well as white propaganda ...

radio station,

Soldatensender Calais __NOTOC__ Soldatensender Calais (G.9) (, ''Soldiers' Radio Calais'') was a British black propaganda broadcaster during the Second World War operated by the Political Warfare Executive. It pretended to be a station of the German military broadcasti ...

. In 1945, he returned to Germany and took part in rebuilding the KPD. After the forced merger of the SPD and the KPD into the

Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (german: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, ; SED, ), often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East German ...

(''Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands'', or SED), he took part in building the SED 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 ...

. Until 1946, he also worked as the chief editor of the KPD newspaper, ''Freiheit'' in Halle, forerunner of the ''

Mitteldeutsche Zeitung The ''Mitteldeutsche Zeitung'' (''Central German Newspaper'') is a regional daily newspaper for southern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Published in Halle with several local versions, the paper is owned by M. DuMont Schauberg, Cologne. History and p ...

''. In 1946, he became part of the board of the SED, as well as its central committee. Between 1946 and 1949, Koenen was a representative in the Saxon

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

. From 1949 until his death, he was a member of the

Volkskammer __NOTOC__ The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany). The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house ...

and was leader of the Secretariat. In May 1953, he was accused of "a lack of vigilance" and was reprimanded by the SED leadership. In 1955, he became the chairman of the ''Interparlamentarischen Gruppe'' (Interparliamentarian Group)

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 ...

. In 1956, Wilhelm Koenen was decorated with the

Karl Marx Order 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 ...

Personal

Koenen's son

Heinrich Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

at the home of

Ilse Stöbe Ilse Frieda Gertrud Stöbe (17 May 1911 – 22 December 1942) was a German journalist and anti-Nazi resistance fighter. She was born and died in Berlin. Life Ilse Stöbe grew up in a working-class home in Berlin. Stöbe was the only daughter of ca ...

on 29 October 1942, and in February 1945 was shot at

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners ...

. His brother, Bernard Koenen was arrested briefly during the

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Nikolay Yezhov, Yezhov'), was General ...

.Peter Erler
"'Moskauer-Kader der KPD in der SBZ"
in: Manfred Wilke (ed.), ''Die Anatomie der Parteizentrale: Die KPD/SED auf dem Weg zur Macht''. Berlin: Akademie Verlag (1998), p. 239, footnote 58. Retrieved December 6, 2011 He and his brother are both buried at the Socialists' Memorial at the Berlin cemetery,

Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde The Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery (german: Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde) is a cemetery in the borough of Lichtenberg in Berlin. It was the cemetery used for many of Berlin's Socialists, Communists, and anti-fascist fighters. History W ...

. A street in

Sangerhausen Sangerhausen () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. east of Nordhausen, and west of Halle (Saale). About 26,000 people live in Sangerhausen (2 ...

is named after Wilhelm Koenen.

Sources

* Horst Neumann: ''Wilhelm Koenen'', Bibliographisches Institut: Leipzig 1971 * Asja Braune: ''Konsequent den unbequemen Weg gegangen. Adele Schreiber (1872–1957) Politikerin, Frauenrechtlerin, Journalistin'' 2002 in 2 Bänden = Diss. HU Berlin 2003.- Kap. 7 online
Das Exil
mit Ausführungen zur Freien Deutschen Bewegung (FDB) und über die Freie Deutsche Hochschule in Großbritannien

References

External links

*
Brief biography
(PDF) Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Koenen, Wilhelm 1886 births 1963 deaths Politicians from Hamburg Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Independent Social Democratic Party politicians Communist Party of Germany politicians Members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany Members of the Weimar National Assembly Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic Members of the Provisional Volkskammer Members of the 1st Volkskammer Members of the 2nd Volkskammer Members of the 3rd Volkskammer Members of the Landtag of Saxony German male writers German male journalists Exiles from Nazi Germany Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver Recipients of the Banner of Labor 20th-century German journalists