Hans Jendretzky
Hans Jendretzky | |
|---|---|
 Jendretzky in 1946 | |
| Chairman of the Free German Trade Union Federation | |
| In office 1946–1948 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Warnke |
| Member of the Volkskammer | |
| In office 1958–1989 | |
| In office 1950–1954 | |
| Member of the Landtag of Prussia | |
| In office 1928–1932 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 July 1897 Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 2 July 1992 (aged 94) Berlin, Germany |
| Political party | SED |
| Occupation | Politician |
Gustav Ernst Hans Jendretzky (20 July 1897 – 2 July 1992)[citation needed] was a German Communist politician. He was a prominent politician of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
He became a member of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1919 and of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1920. In the 1920s, he was one of the most prominents members of the KPD, and was head of the Roter Frontkämpferbund in Berlin. He was a member of the Parliament of Prussia from 1928 to 1932. In 1934, he was sentenced to three years of prison, being charged with "conspiracy to commit high treason."[1]
After World War II, he became active in communist politics in the Soviet Occupation Zone, and was president of the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB) 1946-1948, First Secretary (head) of the East Berlin SED district from 1948 to 1953. He was a candidate to the politburo from 1950, deputy minister of the Interior from 1957 to 1960, a member of the SED central committee 1957-1989, member of the Volkskammer 1950-1954 and 1958-1989.
Jendretzky famously denounced the Freedom Bell in western Berlin, a gift from Americans as a sign of the fight against communism in Europe, as the "death bell", warning: "The rope of the death bell will become the gallows rope for those who ring it."[2]
Literature
[edit]- Hermann Weber/Andreas Herbst: Deutsche Kommunisten. Biographisches Handbuch 1918 bis 1945, Berlin: Karl Dietz Verlag 2004, S. 344-345 ISBN 3-320-02044-7
References
[edit]- ^ Wer war wer in der DDRbundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Arch Puddington, Broadcasting Freedom: The Cold War Triumph of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, 2003, p. 21
External links
[edit]- Hans Jendretzky in the German National Library catalogue
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
- 1897 births
- 1992 deaths
- Politicians from Berlin
- Independent Social Democratic Party politicians
- Communist Party of Germany politicians
- Candidate members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
- Members of the Provisional Volkskammer
- Members of the 1st Volkskammer
- Members of the 3rd Volkskammer
- Members of the 4th Volkskammer
- Members of the 5th Volkskammer
- Members of the 6th Volkskammer
- Members of the 7th Volkskammer
- Members of the 8th Volkskammer
- Members of the 9th Volkskammer
- Free German Trade Union Federation members
- Rotfrontkämpferbund members
- Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp)
- Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization