Seeheimer Kreis

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Seeheimer Kreis
Logo Seeheimer Kreis.svg
Founding: 1974
Speaker: Dagmar Ziegler
Dirk Wiese

Siemtje Möller

Website: seeheimer-kreis.de

The Seeheimers in the SPD (Seeheimer Kreis) are an association of members of the Bundestag of the SPD . Along with the parliamentary left and the Berlin Network, you are one of the three political currents within the SPD parliamentary group . The Seeheimers call themselves undogmatic and pragmatic, in political reporting they are mostly referred to as the right or conservative wing of the SPD parliamentary group.

The district named itself after its long-term conference location Seeheim an der Bergstrasse (South Hesse).

history

From the 1950s there was an informal group within the SPD parliamentary group under the name “ Canal workers ”, which was conservative-traditional and assigned to the right wing of the SPD at that time. It was one of the most powerful groups within the party as a whole.

The most prominent figures were Egon Franke (1913–1995) and Annemarie Renger (1919–2008). About Annemarie Renger, the Seeheimers are in the traditional line of a national wing of the SPD, from their boss Kurt Schumacher (1895–1952) through his doctoral supervisor Johann Plenge (1874–1963) to the Lensch-Cunow-Haenisch group during the First World War was enough.

Parallel to the sewer worker structures, there was a “Metzger Circle” named after the initiator Günther Metzger (1933–2013) from 1969 in the Bundestag faction, which was replaced from 1972 by the “Left Center Working Group”, the organized forerunner of today's Seeheimer Kreis can apply.

In the federal election in September 1969, there was a narrow majority in favor of an SPD-FDP coalition. Willy Brandt , who ran for the post of Chancellor for the third time in 1969, became Federal Chancellor .

For various reasons (for example the “left turn” of the Jusos at the end of the 1960s / beginning of the 1970s), the left strengthened within the SPD both in terms of content and personnel. A reform socialist wing had formed, for which Johano Strasser (* 1939), Karsten Voigt (* 1941) and Norbert Gansel (* 1940) stood, an "anti-revisionist" wing, and the Stamokap wing, which was the agent of the social democratic government of monopoly capital saw. Gerhard Schröder (* 1944, 1998-2005 Federal Chancellor) was at times the spokesman for the anti-revisionist wing. MEPs like Hermann Buschfort , Heinz Ruhnau and Hans-Jochen Vogel wanted to counter this with something that went beyond the approach of the sewer workers. Together with prominent social democrats such as Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015), Georg Leber (1920–2012) and Kurt Gscheidle (1924–2003) they saw themselves as the “Godesberg wing” of the SPD (see Godesberg program . 'Godesberg' symbolizes the change in the SPD from a socialist workers' party to a people 's party ).

A meeting in the Dorint Hotel in Lahnstein in December 1974 is considered to be the founding date of the Seeheimers. Last year, at the invitation of Hans-Jochen Vogel, a group of around 40 Social Democrats met there for the first time in order to get out of the “theoretical and ideological defensive” against the left. The founding members included Hans Apel (1932–2011), Herbert Ehrenberg (1926–2018), Antje Huber (1924–2015), Richard Löwenthal (1908–1991), Annemarie Renger (1919–2008), Alexander Schwan (1931–1989 ) and Gesine Schwan (* 1943).

The people of Seeheim demanded that their group occupy an intellectually excellent position in the basic values ​​discussion of the SPD. The circle achieved successes in the personnel policy of the SPD and in the implementation of parliamentary group resolutions. They successfully followed in the footsteps of the sewer workers, whose motto was “nothing works without us”.

From 1978 to 1984 the group, initially known as the Lahnsteiner Kreis, met at the Lufthansa training center in Seeheim an der Bergstrasse . This gave rise to the name “Seeheimer”, which is still used today.

During his reign (May 1974 to October 1982) the then Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt accepted some Seeheimers into his cabinets.

They were his support in internal party disputes about the strong expansion of nuclear energy after the oil crises (1973 and 1979) and the NATO double decision .

After the end of Helmut Schmidt's chancellorship (October 1, 1982), the sewer workers, who represented the traditional, non-academic trade unionists, were completely absorbed in the Seeheim circle, which was considered to be comparatively “intellectual”.

In the SPD's opposition in the 1980s, the Seeheimers were opponents of the alliance between the SPD and the Greens . In addition, unlike the left wing of the SPD in particular at the end of the 1980s, they did not deny reunification as a political goal.

After the SPD lost its government participation in 1982, the influence of the Seeheimer Kreis declined. This led to the establishment of the anti - communist- oriented Kurt Schumacher Society , which was committed to the theory of extremism , under the leadership of Annemarie Renger, who was one of Kurt Schumacher's closest confidants in the post-war period .

After reunification, Stephan Hilsberg (* 1956) and Markus Meckel (* 1952) joined the Seeheimer Kreis. Hilsberg was one of the founding members of the SDP ( Social Democratic Party of the GDR ) in October 1989 , was elected First Speaker and was managing director of the SPD in the GDR from February to July 1990. From April 12 to August 20, 1990, Meckel was Foreign Minister of the GDR in Lothar de Maizière's cabinet .

During Gerhard Schröder's reign ( autumn 1998 to autumn 2005 ), the district supported his Agenda 2010 , which led to cuts in many social benefits .

In addition, the two subsequent SPD chancellor candidates Peer Steinbrück and Frank-Walter Steinmeier were part of the Seeheimers. "But Steinmeier, like Peer Steinbrück, is one of the editors of the Berlin Republic , which indicates his sympathy for the networkers ."

The former SPD chairman and chancellor candidate for the 2017 federal election, Martin Schulz, is also a member of the Seeheimer Kreis.

With the asparagus ride, which has been taking place since 1961 and the garden festival that started in 2011, the Seeheimer Kreis organizes several festivities for party and parliamentary group members.

structure

Speakers of the Seeheimer Kreis are:

Other members of the Seeheimer Kreis are the members of the Bundestag:

Former members of the Seeheimer Kreis are:

Political content

In 2020, the Seeheimers describe their political orientation as "pragmatic" and solution-oriented. You regularly publish position papers on your website. They advocate raising the minimum wage to 12 euros and adjusting income tax rates. Among other things, they set a focus on industrial and economic policy and combine this with labor and environmental policy: For example, the Seeheim residents are calling for greater support for local industrial value creation through the establishment of better transport connections and digital infrastructure, an appropriate tax and contribution rate and tax incentives that are more climate-neutral Production.

The Seeheimer Kreis advocates strong multilateralism and promotes dialogue and cooperation in international organizations in terms of foreign policy .

literature

  • Annekatrin Gebauer: The dispute over direction in the SPD. Seeheimer Kreis and New Left in the intra-party power struggle. With a foreword by Helmut Schmidt. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-531-14764-1 .
  • Johannes Kahrs, Sandra Viehbeck (ed.): In the middle of the party. Foundation, history and work of the Seeheimer Kreis. Seeheimer e. V., Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-00-016396-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Seeheimer History - The founding of the sewer workers. Seeheimer Kreis, October 4, 2016, accessed on February 28, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Vogel was in the Brandt II cabinet (December 1972 to May 1974) Federal Minister for Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development and then Federal Minister of Justice under Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt until January 1981 .
  3. ↑ The Seeheimer History - The Beginnings of the Seeheimers. Seeheimer Kreis, archived from the original on February 5, 2017 ; accessed on February 28, 2018 .
  4. ↑ The Seeheimer History - The Seeheimers in government responsibility. Seeheimer Kreis, October 4, 2016, accessed on February 28, 2018 .
  5. ↑ The Seeheimer History - Founding of the Kurt Schumacher Society. Seeheimer Kreis, October 4, 2016, accessed on February 28, 2018 .
  6. ↑ The Seeheimer History - The Seeheimers and the reunification. Seeheimer Kreis, October 4, 2016, accessed on February 28, 2018 .
  7. ↑ The Seeheimer History - assumption of government responsibility. Seeheimer Kreis, October 4, 2016, accessed on February 28, 2018 .
  8. ^ Daniel Friedrich Sturm: The uncanny loyalty of the SPD wing. In: The world . June 21, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Andrea Lindner: What does SPD chancellor candidate Martin Schulz stand for? In: merkur.de . September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
  10. ^ Events of the Seeheimer Kreis. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .
  11. ↑ The Seeheim speakers. Seeheimer Kreis, November 28, 2017, accessed June 3, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Möller is the new spokesperson for the Seeheimer Kreis. NDR, June 18, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  13. ↑ The Seeheimer Speakers' Group. Seeheimer Kreis, November 28, 2017, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  14. ↑ The Seeheimer Kreis - Reality Compass and Formative Power of the SPD. Seeheimer Kreis, 2020. Accessed July 11, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Positions & Papers. Retrieved July 28, 2020 .
  16. ↑ Conservative SPD wing swings significantly to the left: 12 euros minimum wage required. Hannoversche Allgemeine, January 5, 2019, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  17. ^ Seeheimer Kreis: Courage to do more - Strengthen tax justice, fight inequality. Seeheimer Kreis, September 2019. Accessed July 11, 2020 .
  18. ^ Seeheimer Kreis: Courage to do more - Dare to do more industrial policy Seeheimer Kreis, January 2020. Accessed July 11, 2020 .
  19. ↑ : SPD wing wants to strengthen industry. RP ONLINE, January 27, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  20. ↑ We protect what protects us - #Europe is the answer. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .