Freedom League Berlin
The Freiheitsbund Berlin eV was founded in 1951 and was a social-democratically dominated Schutzbund in West Berlin and a corporate member of the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold .
Foundation and goal setting
After the Second World War , against the background of the global bloc formation, renewed tensions also emerged in Berlin. Under the impressions of the Cold War, it seemed Democrats commanded the newly-won democracy against the threats of the Stalinist- dominated communism of the Soviet Union to protect. In the former front city of Berlin, the developments aroused particularly strong emotions. Under the impression of the compulsory unification of the SPD and KPD to form the SED in the Soviet occupation zone (SBZ) in 1946 and the Berlin blockade from June 24, 1948 to May 12, 1949, social democrats for the most part came together to strengthen democracy through this protective alliance.
After the so-called Berlin bears, as a loose protection group , had ensured that the elections to the Berlin magistrate in December 1948 were carried out properly by helping to protect party meetings and election campaign events from the "disruptive attempts" of the communists, it was finally decided to hold a joint event in the future to form organizational cohesion. In memory of the old Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold, whose members had already fought for its preservation in the Weimar Republic , it was agreed not to remain inactive again should democracy be in danger again.
But what was relatively easy to do in the Federal Republic of Germany turned out to be far more difficult in the western sectors of Berlin: According to the Allied Statute , based on experiences from National Socialism, an association was not allowed to have the term "Reich-" in its name . Thus, the "Freedom Association Berlin" was founded as a corporate "offshoot" of the West German post-war Reich Banner in Berlin.
As a result, district and local associations were formed all over Berlin, whose unifying feature was, among other things, the fight against nationalist and revisionist agitation. The founders included Ernst Carlbergh , Günther Grodka , Franz Karl Meyer and Franz Neumann . The organ of publication was the Torch of Freedom . At the end of 1952, around 1,000 members were already listed.
activities
In addition to an active culture of remembrance , sporting training and social engagement, many members of the Freedom League Berlin were also active in party politics. Franz Neumann was from 1946 to 1958 chairman of the Berlin SPD (later the Arbeiterwohlfahrt AWO), Franz-Karl Meyer was chairman of the SPD in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg .
The members had to cope with a first major "shock" on June 17, 1953 , when the increase in labor standards by the Central Committee of the SED led to a workers' uprising before it spread to a popular uprising and could only be suppressed with the help of Soviet tanks. The attempt by the GDR to make the Freedom League as the “bearer of imperialist interests” jointly responsible for this serious event failed because participation could not be proven.
With the construction of the wall on August 13, 1961, the division of the sector town finally took place. Like the Governing Mayor Willy Brandt, the Freedom Association could only watch how world history was made.
In the following years the Freedom League Berlin was continuously disarmed. On the one hand, a bilateral, non-negotiable status quo was achieved with the division of the city; on the other hand, the time of system conflicts was not over, but was shifted to other levels, such as espionage and other secret service activities. The free democratic basic order had been able to assert itself at least in West Berlin and the policy of détente should lead to a gradual rapprochement over time. As a result, many members of the Freedom League joined the later controversial and now dissolved Voluntary Police Reserve in order to otherwise get involved in law and security.
Until the 1990s, the members of the Freedom Association maintained an active club life and a lively exchange between politics and society.
Since February 22, 2008, the Freedom League Berlin has been fully integrated again into the Reichsbanner Black-Red-Gold and functions in it as the state association Berlin-Brandenburg.
See also
Literature and Sources
- Exhibition catalog: For a strong republic! - Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold 1924-1933 Berlin 2004. ISBN 3-926082-17-8
- Bader, RB: On the discussion about the attitude of the "Reich Banner", in: Die Tat, from September 16, 1972, No. 38, p. 14.
- Franz Neumann Archive (FNA): Report to party chairman Kurt Schumacher (1948), VII / 2.
- Organ of publication of the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold: Das Reichsbanner.
- Reichsbanner archive of the Berlin-Brandenburg regional association.