National Front (East Germany)
Encyclopedia
The National Front of the German Democratic Republic was an alliance (Popular Front
) of political parties and mass organisations in East Germany (also known as a Blockpartei). The NF was controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
and was formed to stand in elections to the East German parliament, the Volkskammer
("People's Chamber").
It consisted of the following parties:
and various mass organisations such as:
In 1950-1951, the public rejection of the validity of the list by some German politicians resulted in prison penalties for "rejecting the electoral law of the German Democratic Republic" (as in the case of LDPD leader Günther Stempel).
On December 5, 1989, the Front was effectively rendered impotent when the Christian Democratic Union and Liberal Democratic Party withdrew from it. On December 16 the ruling Socialist Unity Party was reformed into the Party of Democratic Socialism and distanced itself from prior SED policies. On February 20, 1990, an amendment to the Constitution of East Germany removed mention of the Front.
Popular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
) of political parties and mass organisations in East Germany (also known as a Blockpartei). The NF was controlled by 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...
and was formed to stand in elections to the East German parliament, the Volkskammer
Volkskammer
The People's Chamber was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic . From its founding in 1949 until the first free elections on 18 March 1990, all members of the Volkskammer were elected on a slate controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , called the National Front...
("People's Chamber").
It consisted of the following parties:
- Socialist Unity Party of GermanySocialist 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...
(Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands: SED) - now Die Linke - Christian Democratic UnionChristian Democratic Union (East Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ) was an East German political party founded in 1945. It was part of the National Front with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany until 1989....
(Christlich-Demokratische Union: CDU) - incorporated into Western CDU - Liberal Democratic Party of GermanyLiberal Democratic Party of GermanyThe Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the SED in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer.-Foundation:...
(Liberaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands: LDPD) - incorporated into FDP - Democratic Farmers' Party of GermanyDemocratic Farmers' Party of GermanyThe Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany ) was an East German political party. The DBD was founded in 1948. It had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer, as part of the National Front. The DBD participated in all GDR cabinets...
(Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands: DBD) - incorporated into CDU - National Democratic Party of GermanyNational Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany)The National Democratic Party of Germany was an East German political party that acted as an organisation for former members of the NSDAP, the Wehrmacht and middle classes...
(Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands: NDPD) - incorporated into FDP
and various mass organisations such as:
- Free German Trade Union FederationFree German Trade Union FederationThe Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund , was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer....
(FDGB) - dissolved - Free German YouthFree German YouthThe Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ , was the official socialist youth movement of the German Democratic Republic and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany....
(FDJ) - shares headquarters with Die Linke - Democratic Women's League of GermanyDemocratic Women's League of GermanyThe Democratic Women's League of Germany was the mass women's organisation in East Germany.It was established in March 1947 and had the following official aims:*Removal of fascist ideas...
(Demokratischer Frauenbund Deutschlands: DFD) - now dfb - Cultural Association of the DDRCultural Association of the DDRThe Cultural Association of the GDR was a federation of local clubs in the German Democratic Republic . It formed part of the Socialist Unity Party-led National Front, and sent representatives to the Volkskammer. The association had numerous writers as its member, including Willi Bredel, Fritz...
- continues as Kulturbund e.V.
History
The National Front was the successor to the Demokratischer Block which had been founded in the Soviet occupation zone. The Front itself was founded on March 30, 1950. It operated through the issuing of a generally consistent proportion of seats (divided between the Front's parties and SED-controlled mass organisations) submitted in the form of a single list of candidates during each election to the People's Chamber and based on a set quota rather than vote totals. As the Front's list was the only one submitted it "won" with virtually unanimous levels of support.In 1950-1951, the public rejection of the validity of the list by some German politicians resulted in prison penalties for "rejecting the electoral law of the German Democratic Republic" (as in the case of LDPD leader Günther Stempel).
On December 5, 1989, the Front was effectively rendered impotent when the Christian Democratic Union and Liberal Democratic Party withdrew from it. On December 16 the ruling Socialist Unity Party was reformed into the Party of Democratic Socialism and distanced itself from prior SED policies. On February 20, 1990, an amendment to the Constitution of East Germany removed mention of the Front.
Chairmen of the National Front
- Prof. Erich CorrensErich CorrensErich Correns was born at Cologne in 1821, and after studying jurisprudence at Bonn, went to the Academy at Munich, and became anaccomplished portrait painter and lithographer. He died at the latter city in 1877...
(1950-1981) - Prof. Lothar Kolditz (1981-1989)
See also
- Politics of East GermanyPolitics of East GermanyThe German Democratic Republic was created as a socialist republic on 7 October 1949 and began to institute a government based on that of the Soviet Union...
- List of Volkskammer members (9th election period)
- United Front (PRC)United Front (PRC)The United Front in the People's Republic of China is a nominally popular front led by the Communist Party of China. It is managed by the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and besides the communist party it consists of eight minor parties and the...
for a currently running system similar to the National Front of the DDR.