Kurt Löwenstein (18 May 1885 – 8 May 1939) was a German

USPD The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of anti-war members of t ...

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...

politician, socialist reform pedagogue and one of the founders of Socialist Youth of Germany - Falcons.

Family and education

Löwenstein was born in

Bleckede Bleckede (, Polabian language, Polabian ''Bleketsa'') is a town in the district of Lüneburg (district), Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, in northern Germany. It is situated mostly on the left bank of the Elbe, approx. east of Lüneburg. Bleckede is l ...

. His father Bernhard Löwenstein had a clothing shop, which brought the family a modest income. His mother Jeanette, born Blumenthal, died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in 1892. In 1895, Kurt Löwenstein went to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

private school in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

. In 1899, he went to high school where he earned tuition by delivering newspapers and holding after-classes where he helped school classmates with homework. Between 1904 and 1907, Löwenstein studied

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

and he was accepted into the orthodox Rabbi school in Berlin. At the same time he also attended philosophical and pedagogical courses at the

Friedrich-Wilhelm University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt, ...

. In 1908, he was offered the position of the Rabbi in Hanover but refused it because of religious doubts. On 29 April 1911, he married Mara Kerwel (1891–1969), a chemist. When they got married, they signed the following

marriage contract A prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement (commonly referred to as a prenup), is a written contract entered into by a couple before marriage or a civil union that enables them to select and control many of the legal ...

which is a proof of their progressive thinking and acting concerning

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

: §1 On 1 April 1911 both of the contracties, out of free choice and based on love, agree to found the marriage upon equal rights and responsibilities. §2 As long as the marriage will last, both contracties and their offspring will use the common name Kerlöw which derives from the marriage. §3 To legalise the use of this name, state permission should be pursued. If this permission is not given, the contracties promise to use the name in all non administrative areas of life. §4 To be lawfully wedded both of the contracties will also subject to the state marital contract. However, by a word of honour they declare that the responsibilities and rights, described in the state marital contract will not apply as they find them redundant. In 1910, he finished his Ph.D thesis on

Jean-Marie Guyau Jean-Marie Guyau (28 October 1854 – 31 March 1888) was a French philosopher and poet. Guyau was inspired by the philosophies of Epicurus, Epictetus, Plato, Immanuel Kant, Herbert Spencer, and Alfred Fouillée, and the poetry and literature ...

's pedagogic concepts.

Politics

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

, Löwenstein applied to join the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

in 1914 in

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

(

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

) where he took care of injured soldiers until 1918. In the meantime he joined ''Soldatenraete'', German Socialist soldier councils, and identified himself as a

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

. He joined the

Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of anti-war members of t ...

(''Unabhängigen Sozialdemokratischen Partei Deutschlands'' - USPD) and became active especially in forming the positions on education and educational politics of the party. In June 1920, he was elected as a member of the

National Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

until 1923 as a member of the USPD and from 1923 to 1933 as a Member of the SPD. In September 1920 he was elected an Educational Counselor of Berlin by Election Committee of the City Council. The Brunderburger president denied him of this position in 1920. From 1921, Löwenstein was responsible for education in the City Council of Berlin –

Neukölln Neukölln (), officially abbreviated Neuk, is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located south-east of Berlin's center and stretches from the inner city southward to the border with Brandenburg, encompassing the eponymous quarter of Neu ...

. In this time he organised progressive school tuition fees, providing more school meals for children. He organised special preparation classes for graduation for working class children. Together with Fritz Karsen they founded the Karl-Marx School, the first non-religious school in Berlin. From 1922 to 1934, Löwenstein was Vice-president and one of the co-founders of the Socialist Educational International (now the IFM-SEI). From 1922 to 1934, he was the president of the International Falcon Movement-Socialist Educational International. From 1924 to 1933 he was the president of German Children's friend movement (ReichsArbeitsGemeinschaft der Kinderfreunde), now the

Socialist Youth of Germany – Falcons Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and social ...

. In 1933, when the organisation was forbidden, it united 130,000 children, 10,000 guides and 60,000 parents.

Family and education

Politics

References

Further reading