Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin
Encyclopedia
Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin (in German
: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Westberlins, SEW) 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
(SED) was separated from the main party. Until 1969 the party was known as the Socialist Unity Party of Germany - West Berlin (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands - Westberlin). Gerhard Danelius
was the chairman of the party until 1978.
In many respects, the party continued to operate as a branch of the SED even after it had formally been converted into a separate political party. The leading functionaries visited the GDR and were constantly in contact with the SED authorities, esp. with the Westabteilung (‘Western Department’) of the East German ruling party responsible for contacts with organizations in the West. The party’s newspaper Die Wahrheit had 8,500 subscribers in 1968,, the number had decreased to 4,500 by the end of the 1980s. Nevertheless, the circulation was 15,000 (in 1989), with just a fraction (around 4,000) of this actually sold in West Berlin, as most of the papers were simply distributed free of charge to socialist countries. Because the newspaper was heavily subsidized by the East German government, the line of the paper was more or less determined by the East German authorities.
Similarly, the party’s subordination to the SED went so far that its election manifesto, though being already officially accepted by the board of the party, was submitted to Erich Honecker
for revisions, who indeed made a number of corrections to the version that had already been agreed upon and established as definitive. Nevertheless, some documents of the SED functionaries reveal that in 1970s, when the SEW was led by Danelius, they regarded the cooperation with the DKP
as more close than with the SEW. After Danelius had died and replaced with Schmitt (in 1978), the new leader Horst Schmitt attached the party even closer to the SED.
The party was on the basis of democratic centralism
, which meant that dissident members had no way to advance their opinions within the party, and were regularly expelled. In 1980 a faction close to Eurocommunist and alternative left
positions did surface(often referred to as the ‘Klarheit’ faction after the paper they published), but the leadership managed to suppress dissidence within the party by purging the leading oppositionists from the SEW. The party leader Schmitt explained to the leadership, that expelling ‘’30 or 35 bandits is a necessary process of cleaning up.’’.
Gorbachev’s rise to power in the USSR and the consequent reform policies of Perestroika
and Glasnost
had an impact on the German Marxist-Leninist organizations. In the SEW, a rift developed between more liberal individual members, who appreciated Gorbachev’s policies as a chance to revive leftist movements in Europe on one hand, and the leadership that chose to ignore the reforms in the USSR as did their mentors of East Germany.
At the time of German reunification
, the SEW was first renamed as Socialist Initiative (Sozialistische Initiative), then disbanded in 1993. Most of the activists who wished to stay involved in politics, joined the Party of Democratic Socialism.
The youth league of the SEW was known as the Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht
. The SEW had a daily newspaper called Die Wahrheit.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Westberlins, SEW) was a communist party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
in 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...
. The party was founded on November 24, 1962 when the West Berlin local organization of 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) was separated from the main party. Until 1969 the party was known as the Socialist Unity Party of Germany - West Berlin (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands - Westberlin). Gerhard Danelius
Gerhard Danelius
Gerhard Danelius was a German communist politician. During the Second World War, he was active in antifascist struggles....
was the chairman of the party until 1978.
In many respects, the party continued to operate as a branch of the SED even after it had formally been converted into a separate political party. The leading functionaries visited the GDR and were constantly in contact with the SED authorities, esp. with the Westabteilung (‘Western Department’) of the East German ruling party responsible for contacts with organizations in the West. The party’s newspaper Die Wahrheit had 8,500 subscribers in 1968,, the number had decreased to 4,500 by the end of the 1980s. Nevertheless, the circulation was 15,000 (in 1989), with just a fraction (around 4,000) of this actually sold in West Berlin, as most of the papers were simply distributed free of charge to socialist countries. Because the newspaper was heavily subsidized by the East German government, the line of the paper was more or less determined by the East German authorities.
Similarly, the party’s subordination to the SED went so far that its election manifesto, though being already officially accepted by the board of the party, was submitted to Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1971 until 1989, serving as Head of State as well from Willi Stoph's relinquishment of that post in 1976....
for revisions, who indeed made a number of corrections to the version that had already been agreed upon and established as definitive. Nevertheless, some documents of the SED functionaries reveal that in 1970s, when the SEW was led by Danelius, they regarded the cooperation with the DKP
German Communist Party
The German Communist Party is a Marxist-Leninist party in Germany.-History:The DKP was formed in West Germany in 1968, in order to fill the place of the Communist Party of Germany , which had been banned by the Federal Constitutional Court in 1956...
as more close than with the SEW. After Danelius had died and replaced with Schmitt (in 1978), the new leader Horst Schmitt attached the party even closer to the SED.
The party was on the basis of democratic centralism
Democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties, and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist policy inside a political party...
, which meant that dissident members had no way to advance their opinions within the party, and were regularly expelled. In 1980 a faction close to Eurocommunist and alternative left
New Left
The New Left was a term used mainly in the United Kingdom and United States in reference to activists, educators, agitators and others in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to implement a broad range of reforms, in contrast to earlier leftist or Marxist movements that had taken a more vanguardist...
positions did surface(often referred to as the ‘Klarheit’ faction after the paper they published), but the leadership managed to suppress dissidence within the party by purging the leading oppositionists from the SEW. The party leader Schmitt explained to the leadership, that expelling ‘’30 or 35 bandits is a necessary process of cleaning up.’’.
Gorbachev’s rise to power in the USSR and the consequent reform policies of Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
had an impact on the German Marxist-Leninist organizations. In the SEW, a rift developed between more liberal individual members, who appreciated Gorbachev’s policies as a chance to revive leftist movements in Europe on one hand, and the leadership that chose to ignore the reforms in the USSR as did their mentors of East Germany.
At the time of 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 SEW was first renamed as Socialist Initiative (Sozialistische Initiative), then disbanded in 1993. Most of the activists who wished to stay involved in politics, joined the Party of Democratic Socialism.
The youth league of the SEW was known as the Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht
Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht
Socialist Youth League Karl Liebknecht, was a left-wing youth organization in West Berlin during the Cold War. It was the youth organization of Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin. It was a member of World Federation of Democratic Youth....
. The SEW had a daily newspaper called Die Wahrheit.
Electoral results to the Abgeordnetenhaus (House of Representatives) of West Berlin
- 1954 - 41.375 (2,7 %, as SEDSocialist Unity Party of GermanyThe 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...
) - 1958 - 31.572 (2,0 %, as SED)
- 1963 - 20.929 (1,4 %)
- 1967 - 29.925 (2,0 %)
- 1971 - 33.845 (2,3 %)
- 1975 - 25.105 (1,8 %)
- 1979 - 13.744 (1,1 %)
- 1981 - 8.176 (0,6 %)
- 1985 - 7.731 (0,6 %)
- 1989 - 6.875 (0,6 %)
External links
- [www.berlin.de/imperia/md/content/lstu/schriftenreihe/niederst.pdf] (a paper on the history of the party; in German)