Clara Zetkin Medal
The Clara Zetkin Medal was a state award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was donated on February 18, 1954 by the Council of Ministers of the GDR in one step, to the life and work of Clara Zetkins , one of the most important women leaders in the history of German people. The medal was awarded for outstanding merits in shaping the developed socialist society, especially here in recognition of the achievements of working women, who reflected the new social position of women in socialism through exemplary fulfillment of professional tasks and through responsible performance of duties as mothers .
The medal itself was usually only awarded once to one and the same person, and only women were considered. The award procedures envisaged awards to individuals, collectives and institutions, among others. a. also for the maintenance of peace as well as for merits in the equality of men and women. A double award was excluded. Until 1964, the medal was awarded an annual honorary pension of 300 marks, after which there was only a one-off bonus of 2,500 marks for individuals and 500 marks for collective members. However, the maximum number of medals that could be awarded each year was limited. Until 1977 the medal could only be awarded 80 times a year, then 120 times from 1978 and then 150 from 1986, with collectives of up to 10 women each receiving the medal and certificate.
Eligibility for proposals and award procedure
The ministers and heads of central state organs, the chairmen of the district councils, the central leadership of the parties, the federal executive committee of the FDGB and the federal executive committee of the DFD were entitled to make proposals . The final decision was made by the GDR Council of Ministers in agreement with the DFD. The actual award was usually made on International Women's Day on March 8th.
Appearance and wearing style
First form
The shape of the silver medal with a diameter of 36 mm, bestowed between 1954 and 1958, showed on its obverse in the center the portrait of Zetkin's head, which was slightly to the left when viewed from the observer and which was enclosed by two narrow open laurel branches that were crossed at the bottom and curved upwards Make 3/4 of the circumference. The reverse of the medal, on the other hand, showed the four-line embossed inscription: FOR / PEACE, UNITY / DEMOCRACY AND / CONSTRUCTION and on the lower edge of the medal the engraver mark LAand the manufacturer’s mark M.B.for Mint Berlin with the punched 900 mark .
Second form
The second form of the medal, which was awarded from 1959 to 1972, remained almost identical, only that the medal now showed a different inscription on the lapel of the medal. From then on, the lettering was: FOR / PEACE / AND / SOCIALISM .
Third form
From 1973 to 1977 the Clara Zetkin Medal was then only made of silver-plated metal, with the maker's marks and engraver marks being retained.
Fourth form
The fourth and final form of the medal, which was awarded from 1978, brought some minor changes with it. The diameter of the medal was reduced by 1 mm to 35 mm and no longer had an inscription on its lapel, but the large state coat of arms of the GDR.
All medal forms were worn on a 35 mm large and approx. 18 mm high blue bow, which is tied in the middle with a 5 mm wide blue ribbon on the upper left side of the chest. At the ends of the bow, two 1.5 mm wide, silver-gray vertical central stripes have been woven in, with a distance of 2 mm from the hem and from each other. From 1978 these median strips were then more white. The interim clasp, also in the form of a bow, is of the same quality and shows in the center the silver miniature of the obverse of the medal.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Günter Tautz: Taschenlexikon orders and medals. State awards of the GDR (= BI pocket dictionary ). 2nd Edition. VEB Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1983, p. 14.
- ^ Frank Bartel, Jürgen Karpinski: Awards of the German Democratic Republic. Military Publishing House of the GDR, Berlin 1979, p. 150.