German Communist Party
Encyclopedia
The German Communist Party is a Marxist-Leninist party in Germany
.
in 1968, in order to fill the place of the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD), which had been banned by the Federal Constitutional Court
in 1956. At the end of the 1960s, the West German authorities were liberalizing the attitude towards the communist bloc and East Germany in particular.
The foundation of the DKP followed talks between two functionaries of the banned KPD with Gustav Heinemann
, the West German minister of justice, who rejected the possibility of lifting the KPD's ban, but suggested that a new party be formed to enable communists to operate legally. At the time, the Eastern Bloc considered Germany to be divided into three separate entities: the two Germanies and West Berlin
. Now each would have a separate communist party: the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
in East Germany, the Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin
in West Berlin and the DKP in West Germany.
The DKP remained on the political fringe, never winning more than 0.3% of the total votes in federal elections. It had relatively greater localized support in the 1970s; it managed to get up to 2.2% in elections in the city state of Hamburg
, up to 3.1% in elections in the city state in Bremen
, and up to 2.7% in elections in Saarland
.
During the Cold War
, the DKP received most of its funds through covert transfers from the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(SED), the East German ruling party. Following German reunification
, the DKP entered a steady decline. As of 2008, its membership has dropped to some 4,000, less than a tenth of its pre-Unification strength.
Many members of the DKP left the party after the re-unification of Germany and joined the newly formed Party of Democratic Socialism
(PDS), a descendant of the SED. For the 2005 federal elections
, the DKP endorsed the ticket of the Left Party
, successor to the PDS.
The DKP received national public attention in early 2008 when Christel Wegner
, elected to the parliament of Lower Saxony
on the list of the Left Party as the first DKP member of a state (Land) parliament, appeared to endorse the Berlin Wall
, the Stasi
and other aspects of the East German state in an interview. This caused embarrassment to the national Left Party leadership. Wegner was subsequently expelled from the party's parliamentary group and denied having made the controversial endorsements a few days later.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
The DKP was formed in West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in 1968, in order to fill the place of the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD), which had been banned by the Federal Constitutional Court
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court is a special court established by the Grundgesetz, the German basic law...
in 1956. At the end of the 1960s, the West German authorities were liberalizing the attitude towards the communist bloc and East Germany in particular.
The foundation of the DKP followed talks between two functionaries of the banned KPD with Gustav Heinemann
Gustav Heinemann
Gustav Walter Heinemann, GCB was a German politician. He was Mayor of the city of Essen from 1946 to 1949, West German Minister of the Interior from 1949 to 1950, Minister of Justice from 1966 to 1969 and President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1969 to 1974.-Early years and professional...
, the West German minister of justice, who rejected the possibility of lifting the KPD's ban, but suggested that a new party be formed to enable communists to operate legally. At the time, the Eastern Bloc considered Germany to be divided into three separate entities: the two Germanies and West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. Now each would have a separate communist party: the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
in East Germany, the Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin
Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin
Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin was a communist party in West Berlin. The party was founded on November 24, 1962 when the West Berlin local organization of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany was separated from the main party...
in West Berlin and the DKP in West Germany.
The DKP remained on the political fringe, never winning more than 0.3% of the total votes in federal elections. It had relatively greater localized support in the 1970s; it managed to get up to 2.2% in elections in the city state of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, up to 3.1% in elections in the city state in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, and up to 2.7% in elections in Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the DKP received most of its funds through covert transfers from the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
(SED), the East German ruling party. Following German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the DKP entered a steady decline. As of 2008, its membership has dropped to some 4,000, less than a tenth of its pre-Unification strength.
Many members of the DKP left the party after the re-unification of Germany and joined the newly formed Party of Democratic Socialism
Left Party (Germany)
The Party of Democratic Socialism was a democratic socialist political party active in Germany from 1989 to 2007. It was the legal successor to the Socialist Unity Party , which ruled the German Democratic Republic until 1990. From 1990 through to 2005, the PDS had been seen as the left-wing...
(PDS), a descendant of the SED. For the 2005 federal elections
German federal election, 2005
German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July...
, the DKP endorsed the ticket of the Left Party
Left Party (Germany)
The Party of Democratic Socialism was a democratic socialist political party active in Germany from 1989 to 2007. It was the legal successor to the Socialist Unity Party , which ruled the German Democratic Republic until 1990. From 1990 through to 2005, the PDS had been seen as the left-wing...
, successor to the PDS.
The DKP received national public attention in early 2008 when Christel Wegner
Christel Wegner
Christel Wegner is a German Communist politician. In 2008, she was elected to the assembly of Lower Saxony for the party DIE LINKE., although she is a member of the German Communist Party , which until now has cooperated closely with that party...
, elected to the parliament of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
on the list of the Left Party as the first DKP member of a state (Land) parliament, appeared to endorse the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
and other aspects of the East German state in an interview. This caused embarrassment to the national Left Party leadership. Wegner was subsequently expelled from the party's parliamentary group and denied having made the controversial endorsements a few days later.
See also
- Communist Party of Germany (1918)Communist Party of GermanyThe Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
- Communist Party of Germany (1990)Communist Party of Germany (1990)Communist Party of Germany is a minor political party in Germany, one of several who claim the KPD name. It was founded in Berlin in 1990.The party chairman was Werner Schleese. He resigned in April 2006...
External links
- 30 Year history, a speech
- Documents of the foundation
- Unsere Zeit (UZ) Socialist Weekly Newspaper
- 50,000 People Attend German Communist Party Media Fair People's Weekly World, June 22, 2009