Free socialist youth

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Under the name of Free Socialist Youth (also: Free Socialist Workers' Youth , Free Socialist Youth ), various youth associations were founded in the German Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century . They existed until the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Weimar Republic . The aim of the organizations was to protect “the economic, legal and intellectual interests of apprentices, young workers”.

Due to the different legal requirements within the German Empire, they were either openly or covertly close to the goals of German social democracy .

background

The eight-grade elementary school was available for education for the majority of children and young people from the working class . Religious instruction, arithmetic, reading and history lessons were offered there. In the city's elementary schools, basic knowledge of the natural sciences, drawing and gymnastics lessons were added. For many children, however, school was already over at the age of ten or twelve as they had to help support the family.

According to Kaiser Wilhelm II, the aim of attending school was "to lay the foundation for a healthy understanding of state and social conditions by cultivating the fear of God and love for the fatherland".

There was no statutory vocational training around 1900 in the form we know today. According to the trade regulations valid at that time , the authority to raise children was passed from the father to the teacher . Thus the teacher had the right to reprimand the apprentice and determine how the apprentice spent his free time. In addition, it was common for the apprentice to live in the master's house, which meant that the apprentice had to help with the household in addition to his apprenticeship work, which led to working hours of 13 to 14 hours.

With the rapid industrialization from the beginning of the 20th century, the craft fought against the competitive pressure from industrial companies. To survive, the teachers hired up to ten apprentices and used them as cheap labor. The apprentices received low wages for their work or they had to pay apprenticeship fees.

After the end of the apprenticeship, most of the apprentices were dismissed without any prospect of finding a job in their learned trade. So they had no choice but to earn a living in the factories.

In the early years of the labor movement this problem was not dealt with in depth. It was not until the fifth congress of the Second International in Paris in 1900 that the subject was addressed and passed a resolution on the education and organization of young people. In the following years this also became a topic at the SPD party conventions (e.g. in 1904 in Bremen, 1905 in Jena, 1906 in Mannheim).

Creation of the Free Socialist Youth

Memorial plaque on the house, Berolinastraße 12, in Berlin-Mitte

Independent of the discussion in the social democracy, the youth union was established in Offenbach in 1903 by immigrant Austrian young workers . The youth union had the association of young workers of Austria as a model. From the association he obtained the newspaper The Young Worker . Based on the work of the youth union, the association of free youth workers' associations in Hesse was finally founded in 1904 .

Under Social Democratic Initiative was founded in 1904 in Mannheim the association of young workers Mannheim . The association had the Belgian Jeunes Gardes as a model. The driving force was the SPD politician Ludwig Frank . Ludwig Frank formulated the goals for the association: "... to introduce young people to the world of ideas of socialism and to educate them to be capable fighters in the workers' liberation struggle." One of the main speakers on political education was Karl Liebknecht .

Like the founding in Offenbach, the one in Mannheim led to a "wave of foundings" in other places in southern Germany. On February 11, 1906, they formed the Association of Young Workers in Germany . The newspaper Die Junge Garde appeared on April 1, 1906 as the newsletter of the Association of Young Workers in Germany . By May 1908, 4,500 young people were organized in the association.

The social democratic newspaper Das neue Mondagsblatt took up the suicide of the apprentice Paul Nahring in June 1904, and as a response, many letter writers demanded that they stand up for the apprentices. This led to the founding of the Association of Apprentices and Young Workers Berlin on October 10, 1904 by 24 young workers. The forward also took up the topic and called for a public meeting, which was followed by over 800 people. In the period that followed, the association grew to over 500 members and had to be divided into "clear" groups. To keep the young workers informed, the newspaper Die Arbeitende Jugend appeared for the first time on January 1, 1905, with a print run of 10,000 copies. In the period that followed, the clubs expanded in northern Germany and in 1906 they founded the umbrella organization Association of Free Youth Organizations in Germany . At that time they had 3,800 members.

Political repression

Until the passing of the Reich Association Law on April 8, 1908, the individual federal states in the German Empire were responsible for association legislation.

Due to the prohibition of the political activity of young people in associations in Prussia , no political issues were allowed to be discussed at meetings of the local socialist youth as long as apprentices and students were present. The clubs also had to inform the police of the membership lists and the names of the board members. Under political activity, the Reichsgericht defined discussions on the constitution, administration, legislation, civil rights and international relations. Since the policemen supervising had to assess when political issues were to be dealt with, and thus the apprentices and students had to leave the meeting, legal proceedings often ensued as a result.

In southern Germany and in the Hanseatic cities , however, young people were allowed to get involved in politics.

The teachers also tried to keep their apprentices away from the youth organizations, which was done, among other things, through bans within the apprenticeship contracts. However, these reprisals reinforced the young people in their demands.

Break in the youth movement

The left in social democracy, on the other hand, wanted to encourage the youth to be active themselves, to educate them in anti-militarism and to make them active campaigners for the rights of workers. The free youth organizations that had emerged in all industrial cities since the beginning of the century have now been dissolved by the central office because they were political.

The local associations of the workers' youth , which followed the left and its spokesman Karl Liebknecht , opposed the dissolution, deleted socialism from the association name for the sake of form and continued their work: Political and general education, hikes, youth days in cooperation with left of the elderly Generation. Academics such as Hermann and Käte Duncker worked together with self-taught workers such as Wilhelm Schwab , Jacob Walcher , Edwin Hoernle , Friedrich Westmeyer , Friedrich Notz , Max Hammer , Käte Duncker, Otto Krille , Karl Lüpnitz , Fritz Rück in the educational work , Helene Hörnle , Georg Stetter . They trained important political figures on the anti-militarist left.

Youth associations after the First World War

After the war, the political division in the labor movement solidified. The Social Democrats organized the Kinderfreunde , the Falken and the Socialist Workers Youth , the Communists the Young Partakus League and the Communist Youth Association . There were also numerous smaller left youth organizations. The free trade unions of the General German Trade Union Federation (ADGB) and the AfA-Bund created union youth groups in large numbers.

Free Socialist Youth (FSJ)

Cover of No. 1 of the newspaper Die Junge Garde from November 27, 1918

The Free Socialist Youth (FSJ) was a political youth organization in the early days of the Weimar Republic , which existed from October 27, 1918 to September 1920 . The organizations of the working class youth influenced by Marxism decided at the founding conference on 26./27. October 1918 in the Schicklerstrasse 6-7 in Berlin-Mitte the content and organizational guidelines. Like the USPD, the Free Socialist Youth committed themselves to the dictatorship of the proletariat , which, however, in the context of the November Revolution was mostly understood as a synonym for the Soviet Republic .

The young guard was published as the central organ of the Free Socialist Youth . The first issue appeared on November 27, 1918 . The "Junge Garde" was relocated to Wilhelmstrasse 114 in Berlin-Mitte.

At their 2nd Reich Conference from 22./23. In February 1919 the Free Socialist Youth declared the establishment of a socialist republic as the ultimate goal of the proletarian youth movement. She also committed to the KPD .

In September 1920 the Free Socialist Youth changed its name to the Communist Youth Association of Germany .

Plaque

A memorial plaque with the following inscription is attached to the building at Schicklerstraße 6–7 ( Berlin ):

“In this building took place on 26./27. October 1918 the founding congress of the Free Socialist Youth took place. Karl Liebknecht spoke to the delegates. "

Publications

Through the various founding of the free socialist youth organizations at the beginning of the twentieth century, various publications were issued by them.

The Association of Apprentices and Young Workers in Berlin published the newspaper Die Arbeitende Jugend from January 1, 1905 to May 1909, with a monthly print run of around 10,000 copies .

The Association of Young Workers in Germany published the newspaper Die Junge Garde from April 1, 1906 to March 1908, with a monthly frequency and a circulation of around 11,000 copies .

In 1908 the two newspapers merged to form Arbeiter-Jugend , the first edition of which appeared on January 30, 1909. The newspaper was discontinued with the last edition of February 1933.

As a result of the political split in the Social Democrats into the SPD and the USPD (and their successor organization KPD ), The Young Guard appeared again from 1918 to 1933 as the central publication organ of the Free Socialist Youth of Germany (later the Communist Youth Association of Germany ).

literature

  • Karl Liebknecht : Militarism and Antimilitarism . With special consideration of the international youth movement. Leipzig 1907.
  • Helmut Trotnow : Karl Liebknecht - a political biography . Cologne 1980.
  • Wilhelm Eildermann : Youth in the First World War . Diaries, letters, memories. Berlin 1972.
  • Dieter Fricke : The German labor movement 1869-1914 . A manual about their organization and activity. Berlin 1976.
  • Annelies Laschitza : The Liebknechts . Karl and Sophie - Politics and Family. Berlin 2007.
  • Jacob Walcher : My way of life, time 1887–1920, autobiography . Unpublished book manuscripts. Ed .: Federal Archives (Germany) . ( Online [accessed December 5, 2010]).
  • Heinrich Eppe , Ulrich Herrmann (ed.): Socialist youth in the 20th century . Studies on the development and political practice of the youth workers' movement in Germany. Juventa, Weinheim and Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-7799-1136-4 .

Web links

Commons : Free Socialist Youth  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c SJD - Die Falken -Verband Südbayern (Ed.): Learn, live and fight for over 100 years - the history of the workers' youth movement . The socialist youth workers emerge - 1904-1908. S. 2 ( PDF 605 kB [accessed on October 14, 2012]).
  2. ↑ a b SJD - Die Falken-Verband Südbayern (ed.): Learn, live and fight for over 100 years - the history of the workers' youth movement . The socialist youth workers emerge - 1904-1908. S. 6 ( PDF 605 kB [accessed October 14, 2012]).
  3. ↑ Christoph Butterwegge and Heinz-Gerd Hofschen : Social Democracy - War and Peace . Antimilitarism, prevention of war and "defense of the fatherland". The dispute in the social democracy about the fight against the war 1900 to 1914. Distel Verlag, Heilbronn 1984, ISBN 3-923208-05-7 , p. 54 ff .
  4. ↑ German National Library (ed.): The young worker . ( Online [accessed October 14, 2012]).
  5. ^ Austrian National Library (Ed.): The young worker . ( Online [accessed October 14, 2012]).
  6. ↑ a b SJD - Die Falken-Verband Südbayern (ed.): Learn, live and fight for over 100 years - the history of the workers' youth movement . The socialist youth workers emerge - 1904-1908. S. 4 ( PDF 605 kB [accessed October 14, 2012]).
  7. ↑ SJD - Die Falken-Verband Südbayern (Ed.): Learn, live and fight for over 100 years - the history of the workers' youth movement . The socialist youth workers emerge - 1904-1908. S. 5 ( PDF 605 kB [accessed on October 14, 2012]).
  8. ↑ SJD - Die Falken-Verband Südbayern (Ed.): Learn, live and fight for over 100 years - the history of the workers' youth movement . The socialist youth workers emerge - 1904-1908. S. 3 ( PDF 605 kB [accessed on October 14, 2012]).
  9. ↑ a b SJD - Die Falken-Verband Südbayern (ed.): Learn, live and fight for over 100 years - the history of the workers' youth movement . The socialist youth workers emerge - 1904-1908. S. 8 ( PDF 605 kB [accessed on October 14, 2012]).
  10. ^ Heinrich Eppe: 100 years of socialist youth in Germany at a glance . In: Heinrich Eppe , Ulrich Herrmann (ed.): Socialist youth in the 20th century . Juventa, Weinheim and Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-7799-1136-4 , pp. 48 ff .
  11. ↑ SJD - Die Falken-Verband Südbayern (Ed.): Learn, live and fight for over 100 years - the history of the workers' youth movement . Rise and Oppression - 1908-1914. S. 2 ( PDF 512 kB [accessed on October 14, 2012]).
  12. ↑ German National Library (Ed.): The working youth . ( Online [accessed October 14, 2012]).
  13. ↑ OPAC : The Young Guard . Ed .: German National Library. ( Online [accessed October 14, 2012]).
  14. ^ OPAC: Workers' Youth . Ed .: German National Library. ( Online [accessed on October 14, 2012] The digital copies of the journal Arbeiter-Jugend can be found at: Educational History Online - Catalog of the Library for Research on Educational History ).
  15. ↑ German National Library (Ed.): The Young Guard . ( Online [accessed October 14, 2012]).