547:): "For years, they have had no real links to the party. They have defamed party officials and undermined trust in East Germany and in the Soviet Union". In a move reminiscent of the internal party battles of the later 1920s, in 1952 both Käthe and Reinhold Popall were subjected to a ban from serving on party committees. In 1952 Reinhold Popall was expelled from the party, and Käthe Popall was instructed by the party leadership to divorce him. Opposition from the party membership in Bremen is apparently what prevented her own expulsion from the party when she failed to separate from her husband. Käthe Popall received "only a reprimand": her own party membership ended only when the party itself was banned in West Germany, in 1956.
74:, one of the six recorded children of a manual labourer. On leaving school she initially took unskilled work, but following a commercial apprenticeship she worked as a book keeper, employed by "Vorwärts", a consumer co-operative. However, after she married, in 1928, she was "released" from her employment with "Vorwärts", spending the next few years unemployed apart from periodic assignments as a casual worker at
329:. For much of the time she was held in solitary detention, but she was able to meet with fellow detainees when she was used for forced labour. Early in May 1945 she was released by allied forces. That month marked the end of the war. The country was to be divided into military occupation zones. Käthe Lübeck was released in the
388:
in the local election of 28 November 1946. Again she was responsible for health matters and, later, also for welfare issues. She spoke out to insist that young people born after 1919 should not be held responsible for the Nazi dictatorship that took over during and after 1933. She also campaigned for
358:, an organisation dominated by Communists and Social Democrats which at this stage was the only organisation with any resemblance to a political party that the British occupying forces would permit to operate. On 17 April 1946 she was appointed a member of the
393:
laws (§218 of the old constitution which reappeared in the post war Wet German constitution), urging that the abortion should be performed according to medical criteria and not according to political beliefs. Her welfare brief also gave her responsibility for
269:
at the end of
February 1933 communists, in particular, were targets of officially sanctioned persecution. Many were arrested or fled abroad. Käthe Lübeck nevertheless returned from Moscow to Germany at the end of 1934, making her base in
492:(of which the British occupation zone had become a part in May 1949). By 1956 Käthe Popall had already become politically isolated and relatively inactive on the wider stage, reflecting increasingly bitter internal conflicts within
475:
was lavish in his tribute: "So if this is the first time in the history of the Berlin Senate that it found itself with a woman elected to its ranks, this woman brilliantly vindicated the experiment". Popall remained a member of the
345:
On 19 January 1946 she married
Reinhold Popall who had worked illegally for the Communist Party during the Nazi years until 1935 when he had received a 15 year prison sentence. Käthe Popall became the women's section leader for
49:(who also spent many of those years in state detention). She had met Hans Lübeck in 1928 and married him shortly after that, with the result that sources covering the first part of her political career tend to identify her as
130:
movement and editor of the "Workers' Newspaper" The RGO was for most purposes a communist trades union confederation, although it frequently found itself in vigorous disagreement with the (increasingly Moscow-influenced)
519:. There was no immediate acceptance in Moscow that the opportunity to create a Soviet sponsored German state including the western occupation zones had been closed off for good. Inside
460:
535:
had not been rebranded and uncompromising
Stalinist-style paranoia and central control over party matters was the order of the times. At the start of 1952 the Bremen branch of the
467:. Popall retained her seat, but the Communists were no longer part of the governing coalition and on 22 January 1948, along with other communist senators, she resigned from the
333:: because her record of communist activism in the 1930s the authorities were keen that she should stay and help rebuild a post Nazi society, but she was keen to get home to
294:, who was himself in prison between 1934 and 1936, divorced her, which hurt her terribly. She never saw him again. Eventually, on 4 June 1937 she was sentenced by the
738:„Lieber im Feuer der Revolution sterben, als auf dem Misthaufen der Demokratie verrecken!“ Die KPD in Bremen von 1928-1933. Ein Beitrag zur Bremer Sozialgeschichte.
578:
whose father had played an important part in the political awakening of Käthe Lübeck (as she was at the time) more than fifty years earlier when she had worked at
858:
228:
there came to nothing because she failed the entrance exam. Other sources imply strongly that she did indeed study at the party academy. Either way, when the
337:, desperate to discover if her mother was still alive. Her mother was alive together with one elder sister. Their other siblings had died in the war.
853:
106:
across the country and a new political structure which was in many ways far more democratic than the previous one. In 1922 Käthe Fürst joined the
863:
395:
843:
208:, employed at the consumer-operative there. At the start of 1932 she was appointed a party leader organiser for the women's section of the
878:
527:
became increasingly uncompromising in its interpretation and application of
Stalinist communism, especially after the quickly suppressed
376:, between August 1946 and February 1948, as the senator with responsibility for health matters. After Vagts resigned, to be succeeded by
147:. Both Koschnick and Stamm saw to it that she attended courses at the trades union and party training academies. In 1929 she joined the
762:
512:
351:
201:
123:
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By 1956 Käthe Popall's political career was effectively over. In 1967 or earlier she relocated away from Bremen with her family to
441:, widely recognised as a non-party non-denominational umbrella organisation for women's organisations from all parts of society in
369:
As early as 23 July 1945 the
British military authorities installed Käthe Popall as Bremen's first ever female senator. She served
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448:
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290:. Unlike these others, Käthe Lübeck would outlive the Nazi regime. The trial process lasted two years, during which time
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53:. She married Reinhold Popall in January 1946: sources covering the second half of her life therefore identify her as
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where she worked illegally for the
Communist Party leadership, her responsibilities centred on "women's work" (
362:. In the first free election to that body, held on 13 October 1946, she was elected to membership of the
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543:) in its ranks. The Popalls were criticised in Bremen's party newspaper, "Tribüne der Demokratie" (
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135:
over practical matters. It was also during this period that, increasingly, she was influenced by
122:. Working at the jute mill she was influenced by Hannes Koschnick, at that time secretary of the
410:, arranging accommodation and ensuring rapid settlement for those who had fetched up in Bremen.
516:
464:
330:
278:). On 27 March 1935 she was arrested. Other party comrades arrested at the same time included
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785:
459:. In the western occupation zones the Communist Party was losing credibility because of the
366:, in which she served as vice president of the small Communist Party group in the assembly.
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645:. Karl Dietz Verlag, Berlin & Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, Berlin
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initiated an attack against "Enemies of the Party, Infiltrators and
Opportunists" (
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of 1948/49 the three western occupation zones were relaunched, in May 1949, as the
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143:. In 1927 she switched her membership from the young socialist workers to the
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196:, where she worked with the Lower Rhineland regional party leadership team (
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192:, whom she married shortly thereafter. In 1931 the two of them relocated to
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42:
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Das schwierige Leben der Käthe Popall, geborene Fürst, geschiedene Lübeck
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Like many left wing politicians of her generation she spent most of the
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665:"Käthe Popall, die erste Senatorin in Bremen, dazu noch Kommunistin"
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was relaunched in
October 1949 in what had, till that point, been
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lasted only till 20 March 1931 because, according to one source,
593:, she moved back to Bremen where, a few months later, she died.
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582:. In 1982 Koschnick organised a reception in her honour at the
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334:
271:
221:
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71:
27:
558:, where their daughter grew up. The couple were active in the
709:""Das ist nicht das Deutschland, für das wir gekämpft haben""
151:
itself and in 1930, still aged only 23, she was elected as a
629:
488:
tensions, the
Communist Party was itself banned in the
224:, but according to one source her wish to study at the
321:. Finally, from March 1945, she was held at the large
445:. Till 1951 she participated on the executive board.
792:Bremisches Jahrbuch der Historischen Gesellschaft.
788:: Käthe Popall. Ein schwieriges politisches Leben.
760:
718:. "Wir" (Arbeit und Leben Bremen). pp. 16–20
566:movements. Reinhold Popall died in 1981. Back in
451:in October 1947 saw an increase in votes for the
341:British occupation zone / German Federal Republic
825:
657:
45:in prison. During that time she was divorced by
531:. This was reflected in West Germany where the
184:In 1927 or 1928 she met a fellow member of the
859:Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians
163:. By 1930 she had also become a member of the
139:, district leader for Northwest Bremen of the
181:instructed her to relocate away from Bremen.
65:
794:Band 65. Hauschild, Bremen, 1987, S. 161 ff.
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216:. In the autumn of 1932, she travelled with
204:. However, by the summer of 1931 she was in
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34:). She was the first female member of the
541:"Parteifeinde, Agenten und Opportunisten"
509:German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
484:until 1956 when, in the context of wider
478:Bremen Bürgerschaft (regional parliament)
364:Bremen Bürgerschaft (regional parliament)
118:"Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands"
763:"Bremerinnen im Widerstand gegen Hitler"
639:"Lübeck, Käthe * 15.2.1907, † 23.5.1984"
602:
398:from parts of Germany that, since 1945,
354:"Kampfgemeinschaft gegen den Faschismus"
126:"Revolutionäre Gewerkschafts Opposition"
26:: 15 February 1907 – 23 May 1984) was a
761:Christian Hasemann (11 February 2013).
751:
679:
124:Revolutionary trades union opposition (
864:Communist Party of Germany politicians
826:
765:. Weser Kurier Mediengruppe AG, Bremen
589:Early in 1984, already suffering from
505:German Federal Republic (West Germany)
490:German Federal Republic (West Germany)
413:Popall was an important member of the
380:, Käthe Popall became a member of the
854:Members of the Bürgerschaft of Bremen
352:"Fight against Fascism association" (
360:nominated Bremen regional parliament
844:Communists in the German Resistance
740:Minerva-Publikation, München 1987,
507:. In response the Soviet sponsored
433:to become a founding member of the
13:
879:Prisoners and detainees of Germany
643:Handbuch der Deutschen Kommunisten
14:
890:
455:and a decline in support for the
309:. In 1941 she was transferred to
453:Bremen Democratic People's Party
110:"Sozialistische Arbeiter-Jugend"
849:Politicians from Bremen (city)
797:
777:
730:
572:President of the Bremen Senate
301:Initially she was held at the
298:to a twelve year prison term.
239:, Käthe Lübeck was in Moscow.
1:
805:Die KPD in Bremen. 1945-1968.
596:
242:
98:ended in military defeat for
16:German politician (1907–1984)
198:"Bezirksleitung Niederrhein"
157:Bremen regional parliament (
7:
89:
10:
895:
874:German socialist feminists
435:Bremen Women's Committee (
417:. In 1946 she joined with
94:She was not quite 12 when
66:Provenance and early years
869:Workers' rights activists
323:Waldheim detention centre
116:Social Democratic Party (
108:Young Socialist Workers (
437:"Bremer Frauenausschuss"
174:"Bremische Bürgerschaft"
171:. Her membership of the
159:"Bremische Bürgerschaft"
70:Käthe Fürst was born in
545:"Tribunes of Democracy"
415:Bremen Women's Movement
350:. She joined the local
60:
560:Workers' Welfare (AWO)
517:Soviet occupation zone
465:Soviet occupation zone
461:political machinations
331:Soviet occupation zone
296:special People's Court
319:Jauer and Schweidnitz
226:"Lenin" Party Academy
810:-Verlag, Köln 2001,
463:taking place in the
480:, representing the
315:concentration camps
104:wave of revolutions
427:Anna Klara Fischer
707:Jörg Wollenberg.
564:Friends of Nature
386:senate membership
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251:lost no time in
210:Young Communists
186:Young Communists
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457:Communist Party
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431:Irmgard Enderle
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307:Lübeck-Lauerhof
255:Germany into a
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153:Communist Party
149:Communist Party
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499:Following the
443:the city-state
419:Agnes Heineken
389:reform of the
378:Wilhelm Kaisen
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303:women's prison
276:"Frauenarbeit"
267:Reichstag fire
249:new government
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767:. Retrieved
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669:. Retrieved
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647:. Retrieved
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525:ruling party
521:East Germany
513:administered
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473:Mayor Kaisen
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408:Soviet Union
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284:Robert Stamm
280:Adolf Rembte
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265:. After the
263:dictatorship
253:transforming
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137:Robert Stamm
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55:Käthe Popall
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51:Käthe Lübeck
50:
40:
30:politician (
23:
20:Käthe Popall
19:
18:
839:1984 deaths
834:1907 births
574:was by now
374:Mayor Vagts
292:Hans Lübeck
218:her husband
190:Hans Lübeck
47:Hans Lübeck
24:Käthe Fürst
828:Categories
597:References
400:had become
313:, held in
243:Nazi years
233:took power
194:Düsseldorf
43:Nazi years
808:Papyrossa
552:Ottweiler
494:the party
348:the party
200:) of the
179:the party
86:quarter.
748:, p. 347
556:Saarland
486:Cold War
406:and the
402:part of
396:refugees
391:Abortion
327:Chemnitz
114:and the
90:Politics
769:17 June
722:14 June
671:17 June
649:14 June
554:in the
515:as the
311:Silesia
237:Germany
100:Germany
814:
744:
591:cancer
568:Bremen
469:senate
404:Poland
335:Bremen
272:Berlin
222:Moscow
128:/ RGO)
120:/ SPD)
112:/ SAJ)
80:Bremen
72:Bremen
28:Bremen
22:(born
712:(PDF)
586:.
371:under
325:near
260:party
230:Nazis
214:Halle
206:Halle
84:Walle
812:ISBN
771:2017
742:ISBN
724:2017
673:2017
651:2017
570:the
562:and
523:the
429:and
286:and
257:one-
247:The
61:Life
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96:war
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471:.
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