Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation
Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation Pionierorganisation Ernst Thälmann | |
---|---|
German Democratic Republic | |
Ideology | Communism Marxism–Leninism Stalinism (until 1956) |
International affiliation | WFDY |
National affiliation | Democratic Bloc (1948–1950) National Front (1950–1990) |
The Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation, consisting of the Young Pioneers and the Thälmann Pioneers, was a youth organisation of schoolchildren aged 6 to 13 in East Germany.[1] They were named after Ernst Thälmann, the former leader of the Communist Party of Germany, who was executed at the Buchenwald concentration camp.[2]
The group was a subdivision of the Freie Deutsche Jugend (FDJ,
The pioneer group was loosely based on
History
At the 17th congress of the FDJ's central council, the "Young Pioneers" were officially founded on 13 December 1948. It was the common political mass organisation for children in the
In 1949 the organisation already counted 714,258 young pioneers, i.e. about 30% of all school-age children in the Soviet zone. By the end of the 1950s the majority of school-age children in East Germany were in the Thälmann pioneer organisation, the range going from 67.4% in Berlin to 89.4% in Dresden. In 1989 there were nearly two million schoolchildren in the organisation, or 98% of all schoolchildren in East Germany.
The pioneers had a general meeting every few years, each time with a different theme.
- 1952 Dresden, opening meeting, naming of pioneers
- 1955 Dresden
- 1958 Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Für Frieden und Sozialismus (For Peace and Socialism)
- 1961 Erfurt, Bekenntnis zu ihrem sozialistischen Staat (Vow to the Socialist State)
- 1964 Karl-Marx-Stadt)
- 1970 Cottbus
- 1972 Dresden: performance show of the Young Pioneers / Thälmann Pioneers
- 1988 Chemnitz
In November 1989, there was unrest in the cities of the GDR, such as the
Slogan and greeting
The pioneers' slogan was Für Frieden und Sozialismus seid bereit – Immer bereit" ("For peace and socialism be ready – always ready"). This was usually shortened to "Be ready - always ready". This was recited at the raising of the flag. One person said the first part, "Be ready!": this was usually the pioneer leader, the teacher or the head of the local pioneer group. The pioneers all answered "Always ready", stiffening their right hand and placing it against their forehead with the thumb closest and their fingers facing skywards.[12]
Uniform
The pioneers' uniform consisted of white shirts and blouses bought by their parents, along with blue trousers or skirts until the 1970s and on special occasions. But often the only thing worn was the most important sign of the future socialist – the triangular necktie. At first this was blue, but from 1973, the Thälmann pioneers wore a red necktie like the pioneers in the Soviet Union, while the Young Pioneers kept the blue one. Pioneers wore their uniforms at political events and state holidays such as the workers' demonstrations on May Day, as well as at school festivals and pioneer events.[13]
Membership
Membership in both the Young Pioneers and the Thälmann Pioneers was voluntary. However, it was seen as a matter of course by the state (and thus the schools) as well as by some parents. Most children simply followed the crowd, and nearly all children in each school class joined, although there were always some who did not do so, for example because they were religious or simply did not want to.
Opinions differ as to whether or not it was a disadvantage to refuse to join the organisation. Some people claim that they were shut out of organised events, but others say that they were allowed to take part in anything which interested them. In any case, at least one year's membership of the Young Pioneers was required to be allowed to join the Thälmann pioneers, and membership in the Thälmann pioneers was necessary to join the FDJ. Some people who did not join the FDJ later found it hard to follow the university course of their choice, or to travel as freely as others.
Registration as a member took place on 13 December, the day the organisation was founded in 1948; usually those joining the Young Pioneers were aged 6 and those joining the Thälmann pioneers aged 10.
Songs
The Pioneer songs were sung at any opportunity, including the following titles:
- Kampflied der Thälmann-Pioniere - Battle song of the Thälmann pioneers
- Wir tragen die Blaue Fahne – We carry the blue flag
- Unser kleiner Trompeter – Our little trumpeter
- Thälmann-Lied – Thälmann song
- Pioniermarsch – Pioneers' March
- Der Volkspolizist – The People's Policeman
- Jetzt bin ich Junger Pionier – Now I am a Young Pioneer
- Unsere Heimat – Our Heimat
- Die Heimat hat sich schön gemacht – Our Homeland has smartened itself up
- Auf zum Sozialismus – Onwards to Socialism
- Kleine weiße Friedenstaube – Little White Dove of Peace
- Lied der jungen Naturforscher – Song of the Young Nature Researchers
- Wenn Mutti früh zur Arbeit geht – When Mother Goes to Work in the Morning
- Gute Freunde – Good Friends
- Hab'n Se nicht noch Altpapier – Got Any Waste Paper?
- Pioniere voran! – Onwards, Pioneers!
- Laßt Euch grüßen, Pioniere – Greetings, Pioneers
- Immer lebe die Sonne – May There Always Be Sunshine
- Friede auf unserer Erde – Peace on our Earth
Activities
The pioneers took part in a range of activities including sports, ceremonies and performances, meetings and waste collection for different causes. In their uniforms, and with their children's enthusiasm, they were an attractive accompaniment to GDR anniversaries and festivals. In 1966, for example, a delegation of children from the Pioneers and the FDJ symbolically handed over a bunch of red carnations in honour of the SED's 20th anniversary.
Apart from presenting a youthful, positive face of socialism to the outside world, these activities were also designed to hammer home the message to the children involved that Socialism had a strong moral side. In 1971 a "solidarity action" took place in which the children collected a million roses for the
Activities were also a way of indoctrinating the children with socialist ideals: the "Kurs 80" movement in 1978 aimed at familiarising the pioneers with the politics of the Working Class Party (the SED).
Pioneer parks and camps
At the first nationwide youth meeting in 1950 at the Wuhlheide in East Berlin, a park was opened known as the Pionierrepublik „Ernst Thälmann“ ("Ernst Thälmann Pioneers' Republic"), later changed to "pioneers' park". About 20,000 children stayed there for the meeting. A headquarters for the young pioneers was opened in Berlin at the same time.
In 1952
During the summer months, children were sent to the summer pioneer camps in East Germany and other socialist parts of the world, such as that in Dresden in 1952. It was on this occasion that the organisation was given the name "Ernst Thälmann".
In 1979 the Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Palace was opened.[14]
International events
The elite of the pioneers were often sent abroad, usually to other Socialist or
In 1974, the Salut, Pobyeda action was begun in preparation for the 30th anniversary of the fall of
Collections
Young pioneers were also kept occupied by having to collect waste for recycling, such as paper and metal, East Germany being notoriously short on natural resources. For Wilhelm Pieck's 80th birthday, for example, children collected 1.5 million Ostmark worth of waste materials and the money went towards the building of a merchant ship, called the "Thälmann Pioneers". In 1957 stones were collected all across East Germany to build a new jetty at Rostock harbour.[16]
In 1962 the first "Week of Socialist Pioneer Aid" took place, during which the pioneers collected enough recyclable materials to pay for 900 km of the "Friendship Line"(Trasse der Freundschaft) petroleum pipeline.
In 1980, 3,307,585 Ostmark was collected for the children of Cambodia, and in 1983, toys were collected for the children of Nicaragua.
Awards
One distinction for favoured pioneers was the awarding of medals of all kinds, such as the silver "decoration of merit for the fatherland" (Vaterländischer Verdienstorden) given to the Thälmann pioneers on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the GDR in 1959. In 1968 the same award was presented in gold in honour of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Thälmann pioneers.
Other symbols were also used to give pioneers a feeling of accomplishment or pride, such as the wearing of a red necktie, which was approved officially by the Central Committee of the pioneers in 1973.[17]
See also
- Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation session
- Free German Youth, the parent organization
- FRÖSI
- Pioneer movement
- Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union
- Young Pioneers of China
- National Front (East Germany)
Further reading
- Hensel, Jana (2004) After The Wall: Confessions from an East German Childhood and the Life that Came Next by Jana Hensel, 2004 ISBN 1-58648-266-1
- Kaiser, Beate (2013). Die Pionierorganisation Ernst Thälmann: Pädagogik, Ideologie und Politik: eine Regionalstudie zu Dresden 1945-1957 und 1980-1990. Studien des Forschungsverbundes SED-Staat an der Freien Universität Berlin. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. ISBN 9783631643303.
- Weyer, Jochen (1974) Youth in the GDR: Everyday life of young people under socialism.
References
External links
- Picture archive of the German Museum of History Archived 5 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- Youth Movement: German Democratic Republic