Otto Schön (9 August 1905 – 15 September 1968) was a German resistance fighter against National Socialism, politician and party functionary of the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (, ; KPD ) was a major Far-left politics, far-left political party in the Weimar Republic during the interwar period, German resistance to Nazism, underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and minor party ...

(KPD) and

Socialist Unity Party The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Ma ...

(SED). Schön began his political career during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

as a regional party functionary of the KPD in Saxony. After the Nazis rose to power, he was arrested and detained in

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

until 1937. He served in the German resistance in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

after a brief service in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

. He rose through the ranks of the

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, eventually serving on the powerful Secretariat of the Central Committee as Secretary responsible for the Leading Organs of the Party and Mass Organizations Department. Though he lost that role after the 1953 uprising, he remained head of the powerful Office of the Politburo until his death in 1968.

Life and career

Early career

The son of a farm laborer and a potter's apprentice, Schön attended primary school in

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

and secondary school in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. From 1920 to 1923, he trained as an insurance and banking clerk and worked in this profession in Berlin until 1928. Schön joined the

(KPD) and the Red Aid organization in 1925, having already been a member of the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name ''YCL of ountry' originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YCLs includ ...

since 1922, during his apprenticeship. He started being a full time party functionary in the late 1920s, initially in

Berlin-Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990, it has ...

, being transferred to the East Saxony party organization in 1928. There, he served as political leader of the Freital sub-district until 1930, after which he became a leading functionary of the Red Aid organization in Saxony.

Nazi Germany

Because of his involvement with the Red Aid organization, he was arrested in May 1933, shortly after the

Nazi seizure of power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...

. He was initially imprisoned in Bautzen Prison, a political prison for former SPD and KPD politicians. He was transferred to

Sachsenburg concentration camp Sachsenburg was a Nazi concentration camp in eastern Germany, located in Frankenberg, Saxony, near Chemnitz. Along with Lichtenburg, it was among the first to be built by the Nazis, and operated by the SS from 1933 to 1937. The camp was ...

in 1936. After his release in 1937, he worked as a metal laborer in

. He was drafted into the

in 1942, but was discharged the following year after being wounded. From July 1943, he collaborated with the resistance group around Georg Schumann. Until 1945, he worked as a commercial clerk in Leipzig and was again active in illegal political activities.

Soviet occupation zone

After the war, he became secretary of the KPD in Leipzig. From 1946 to 1947, following the forced merger of the SPD and KPD, he was head of the SED in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, also serving on its city council until 1950. In 1947, he was promoted to Second Secretary of the

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

SED state association.

SED Central Committee

Schön's largest career advancement came with the III. Party Congress of the SED in late July 1950. He was made a full member of the SED Central Committee and its powerful

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

. In the Secretariat of the Central Committee, he was responsible for the Organization Instructor Department, a department that became a lot more powerful after being merged with several others to form the Leading Organs of the Party and Mass Organizations Department. Schön, however, had to step down during the reshuffling of offices following the June 1953 uprising. From 1950 until his death, he remained head of the powerful Office of the Politburo, becoming a close associate of

Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; ; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar republic, Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later in the early development ...

. From

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

, he additionally was a member of the

Volkskammer The Volkskammer (, "People's Chamber") was the supreme power organ of East Germany. It was the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs were subservient to it. The Volkskammer was initia ...

, nominally representing a constituency in northwestern

Bezirk Dresden The Bezirk Dresden was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany that lasted from 1952 to 1990. Dresden would be reabsorbed back into Saxony after the reunification of Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Dresden. History The di ...

Death

Schön passed away in 1968 at the age of 63. His urn was interred in the ''Memorial of the Socialists'' at the

Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery The Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery () 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 When the cemetery was founded in 1881 it ...

Berlin-Lichtenberg Lichtenberg () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of Berlin in the homonymous borough (''Bezirk'') of Lichtenberg. Until 2001 it was an autonomous district with the localities of Fennpfuhl, Rummelsburg, Friedrichsfelde and Karlshorst. History The ...

References

Notes

External links

*{{Commons category-inline 1905 births 1968 deaths German Army soldiers of World War II Politicians from Königsberg Politicians from East Prussia Communist Party of Germany politicians Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians German resistance members Members of the Volkskammer Members of the 3rd Volkskammer Members of the 4th Volkskammer Members of the 5th Volkskammer Members of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in gold Recipients of the Order of Karl Marx German communists