Kurt Schumacher Society

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The Kurt Schumacher Society was founded on June 27, 1985 in Bonn by Annemarie Renger , Gesine Schwan and others in memory of SPD chairman Kurt Schumacher . Its objective is to promote political education in the Federal Republic of Germany, to come to terms with National Socialism and the history of the GDR .

History of origin

The influence of the Seeheimer Kreis declined after the SPD lost its participation in government in 1983. This working group of social democratic politicians, who were perceived by the media as being more right-wing, was no longer necessary to organize the relevant internal party majorities for government decisions .

The security policy reversal at the party congress of 1983 in Cologne, with the SPD, despite urgent warnings from Helmut Schmidt abandoning the NATO double-track decision took place, in particular the representatives of the Seeheim Circle as declining approval indicated NATO and Western orientation of the Federal Republic of Germany. Instead, they are now unilaterally criticizing the USA and suppressing democratic principles of freedom. Representatives of the Seeheimer Kreis and a number of publicists also diagnosed a clear weakening of the policy of demarcation from communist groups and organizations in Germany. Some Seeheimers tried to stop this development within the SPD and therefore founded the Kurt Schumacher Society on May 27, 1985. Annemarie Renger , who was one of Kurt Schumacher's closest confidants in the post-war period, took over the chairmanship . The aim of the society was to politically keep alive the memory of the liberal, anti-communist orientation of the party through Schumacher.

At the first conference, which was convened on the occasion of Kurt Schumacher's 90th birthday, Hermann Rappe gave the closing remarks and summarized the basic convictions in five key statements:

  1. We are stuck in the republic and in parliamentary democracy. We want a party with the basic orientation of Western politics, integrated into the Western Alliance; we are - as Schumacher said - a party of the West.
  2. We are a party of clear demarcation from the communists.
  3. We want to be a party of labor and keep ourselves open to technological progress.
  4. We are a party of freedom.
  5. And we are the party of social security on the basis of our constitution of a social constitutional state.

goals and tasks

The Kurt Schumacher Society regards it as its central concern to organize lectures and seminars and to publish brochures on the development of the SPD. The main focus in the 1980s was on dealing with communism. In the 1990s, the question of internal union with the Social Democrats from the East was central. The Kurt Schumacher Society of the GDR , which was founded in Leipzig after the fall of the Wall , soon merged with its West German sister society. Even before 1989, the company worked closely with the Working Group of Social Democratic Prisoners. Numerous opposition members from the GDR took part in the meetings.

The Kurt Schumacher Society currently sees its task as promoting education in the field of democratic political system in the Federal Republic of Germany as well as international cooperation. The focus here is in particular on dealing with the state and socio-political views of Kurt Schumacher and their further development. The state and socio-political significance of Kurt Schumacher for the Federal Republic of Germany is to be preserved and further developed in this way.

With reference to this task, the Kurt Schumacher Society awards research contracts, invites you to scientific events and discussion forums, publishes publications and donates the Kurt Schumacher Prize.

Presidium and Board of Directors

In 2018 the board of directors included:

Chairman

Vice-chairman:

Annemarie Renger was president of the Kurt Schumacher Society until her death in early March 2008. Other board members included Sabine Kaspereit and Karin Evers-Meyer .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kahrs / Viehbeck (ed.): In the middle of the party. P. 44, accessed on February 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ Hermann Rappe, quoted from Kahrs / Viehbeck (ed.): In the middle of the party. Pp. 44–45, accessed February 28, 2018.
  3. ↑ The board of directors . Kurt-Schumacher-Gesellschaft website, August 10, 2017, accessed on March 27, 2018.