Germany at the turn of the 20th century was a politically highly unstable state, and after the defeat in World War I, the situation only worsened, contradictions between classes, political groups and parties escalated, and social tension reached a peak. In such a situation, issues of social equality, justice and proletarian solidarity came to the fore. One of the leaders of the German labor movement was Ernst Thälmann, who became the leader of all German Communists and clashed in a battle with Hitler himself.
Early years. A family
Ernst Thalmannâs biography is in many ways typical of the representative of the working class of the pre-war German Empire. The young Ernst, who was born into a family in a heterogeneous family of a coachman and a religious peasant, was forced to work from the age of fourteen to support the family. Among the early professions of Telman are a packer, a cart driver, a port worker.
The parents of the future communist did not have a party affiliation, so it can be assumed that Telman drew his political views from daily hard work and the experience of his own oppressed position, which he probably thought about constantly. Hard work for a meager pay probably contributed to the formation of class consciousness.
One of the most intense experiences that fell upon the young Telman was separation from his parents and sister. Ernst's parents were charged with buying up and selling stolen goods and sentenced to imprisonment, while Ernst and his sister Frida were sent to state wards, where his sister eventually died.
Youth. Unfulfilled dreams
After their release from prison, Ernst Thalmann's parents went into small business in the vicinity of the port of Hamburg, they sold vegetables and hoped that their son would continue their work. However, Ernst had other plans for the future.
It is known that in the gymnasium he was well given natural science subjects, among which was mathematics. It is also known that from early childhood Ernst Thalmann did not like religion, which was probably due to the excessive religiosity of his mother, an ardent Protestant.
The dreams of young Ernst to go to university and become a school teacher were not destined to be fulfilled, as his parents refused to provide him with the necessary amount of money for training. Because of this, the ten-year-old Ernst Thalmann was forced to go to work as an auxiliary worker in the port, where he met with the workers and took part in one of the strikes. So he first came into contact with the labor movement of Germany.
Life without parents
The independent life of the future revolutionary began in 1902, when the very young Ernst left his father's house and first lived in a shelter, then in the basement, then he got a fireman on a steamboat that went along the route to New York, and thanks to this he traveled to America.
Any, even a brief biography of Ernst Thälmann includes the mention of the fact that he was a member of the Socialist Party of Germany since 1903, which makes him one of the most consistent and loyal supporters of socialism in the country. And already in 1904 he joined the Trade Union, where he was actively campaigning for an all-German strike of port workers and supported Rosa Luxemburg in her desire to begin a concerted resistance of workers. In 1913, Ernst got a job as a coachman in the laundry room, where he met his future wife and associate, Rosa Koch.
Conscription
In 1915, Ernst Thalmann was called up for active military service, but before he and Rosa managed to get married. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who were distinguished by pacifist views, Telman did not shy away from service and went to the Western Front, where he stayed until the end of the war. he was wounded twice.
According to the revolutionary himself, he participated in such significant battles as the Battle of the Somme, Aene, the Battle of Cambrai. Confirmation of these words can serve as military awards, among which the Iron Cross of the second class, the Hanseatic Cross and the award for the wounded.
In 1917, Ernst joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany and, together with several party comrades, decided to desert from the front.
After the war
Since 1919, Telman has been a member of the Hamburg Parliament, assisted by the needy, and also found a well-paid job as a city inspector. However, he could not hold out for a long time in his new position, since his political activities aroused discontent of his superiors. Soon Telman was fired.
However, failures in the professional field went hand in hand with successes on the political front. In 1920, the Jew Ernst Thalmann joined the Communist Party of Germany, and after a short time became one of the members of its Central Committee. The meeting with Vladimir Lenin, which took place at the 3rd Congress of the Comintern in Moscow in the summer of 1921, had a significant influence on Telmanâs political views.
However, not only state bodies were dissatisfied with the activities of Telman, but also his opponents from the growing nationalist party. In 1921, a bold attack was made on his apartment - fighters of the far-right party threw a grenade at the apartment window. Fortunately, his wife and daughter were not injured. Perhaps after this incident, Ernst Thalmannâs dreams became restless, and his desire to continue on the chosen path became even more active.
Failed coup
Not wanting to put up with the situation at that time, Telman and his comrade in the Communist Party attempted a coup d'etat, hoping to prevent the strengthening of the nationalist party. However, the coup failed, and the party members were forced to go underground. Despite the clandestine situation, Telman managed to leave for Moscow in 1924 for the funeral of Lenin, at whose tomb he stood for some time in the guard of honor.
In the same year, he became a member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International, and later became a member of its steering committee. From that moment on, his career reached a new level, which made inevitable a clash between Ernst Thälmann and Hitler, who was gaining strength in Germany at that time.
Arrest and imprisonment
Along with the growing popularity of Telman in Germany, the irritation of the leaders of the Nazi party with his activities also grew. Thunder struck in 1933. On March 3, Telman and his secretary, Werner Hirsch, were detained by police.
The name of Telman was deleted from documents and slogans. He spent the next eleven years in solitary confinement, despite his wife's attempts to intercede for her husband.
Ernst Thalmann's sad end came in 1944, when he was transferred from solitary confinement to the Buchenwald prison, where he died, after which he was cremated.
Faithful wife and girlfriend
Throughout his life, in all the hardships and hardships, close to Telman was his faithful girlfriend and wife, who was also his fighting comrade. They met when he worked as a coachman, and she - a simple laundress. However, for many years of living together and fighting, both went a long way, which became fatal for Ernst Thälmann, the son of a coachman, and full of burdens for Rosa, the daughter of a shoemaker.
Like her husband, nee Rosa Koch was not distinguished by nobility of origin. She was born into a shoemaker's family and, just as Ernst had to work from a young age, to feed herself and help her family. The couple got married in 1915, and four years later they had a daughter, Irma.
After the arrest of her husband, Rosa made a number of persistent attempts to achieve a mitigation of punishment for him. Once she even tried to send a letter of request to Hermann Goering in a Berlin hotel. For a long time, Rosa Telman lived at the expense of the party budget, but after the arrest of a party courier at the border, the money stopped flowing.
Rosa Telman and her daughter Irma spent several years in the RavensbrĂźck concentration camp, from which they were released only at the end of the war. After her release, Rosa returned to political activity and in 1950 became a deputy to the Peopleâs Chamber of the GDR.
The film about Ernst Thalmann
In 1955, a film was made in the GDR dedicated to the great party member, directed by Kurt Metzig. The film received the loud name "Ernst Thalmann - the leader of his class." The narrative covers the most eventful period of the life of a prominent communist figure, which begins with his anti-fascist speech in the Reichstag and ends with death in a concentration camp.
Although Telman himself spent most of this time in custody, his comrades, among whom was also his wife, continued to fight the Nazis. Of course, he could not influence the course of events outside the walls of a solitary confinement, but it is also obvious that his figure was a symbol of a stubborn and fruitful struggle with the Nazi party and its prominent representatives.
The party comrades who remained at large fought for their leader not only in the heart of the Third Reich, but also on the fronts of the civil war in Spain and in the countries occupied by Germany.
Ernst Thalmannâs biography is of great interest today as an example of hard work, courage and honesty, as well as loyalty to his friends, family and ideals who were not betrayed even under pain of death.