League for Friendship of Peoples
The League for Friendship between Nations was an umbrella organization of friendship societies and committees in the GDR . The task was to help establish and maintain interstate relations between the GDR and other countries.
history
The oldest friendship societies in the Soviet occupation zone and the GDR were the Society for German-Soviet Friendship , founded in June 1947, and the Hellmut von Gerlach Society for cultural, economic and political relations with the new Poland founded in August 1948 .
On June 7, 1952, all existing friendship societies in the GDR were united in the umbrella organization Society for Cultural Connections with Abroad . From it emerged on December 15, 1961 the League for Friendship of Nations.
Presidents and General Secretaries
President
- Philipp Daub (1961–1964)
- Paul Wandel (1964–1976)
- Gerald Götting (1976–1989)
- Horst Grunert (1990)
- Helmut Jung (1990-1992)
General Secretaries
- Herbert Schönfeld (1961–1975)
- Horst Brasch (1975–1987)
- Egon Winkelmann (1987–1990)
Friendship Societies and Committees
Most recently (1987) 48 friendship societies were organized in the league.
Examples of friendship societies and committees that were grouped together in the league:
- Society for German-Soviet Friendship
- Friendship Society GDR-Sweden
- Friendship Society GDR-Arab countries
- Friendship Society GDR-Africa
- Friendship Society GDR-Latin America
- Friendship Society GDR-Southeast Asia
- Friendship Committee GDR-India
- GDR committee for friendship with the Palestinian people
- Friendship Committee GDR-USA
- Friendship Committee GDR-Great Britain
- Friendship Committee GDR-France
- Friendship Society GDR-Belgium
- Friendship Society GDR-Poland
- Friendship Society GDR-Japan
- Canada-GDR Committee, since 1976
literature
- Gerhard Kasper, Bernhard Köcher: The League for Friendship between Nations of the GDR 1961-1990. AGEF, Berlin 2003