Robert Uhrig
Encyclopedia
Robert Uhrig was a German communist and resistance fighter
against National Socialism.
, the son of a metalworker, Uhrig grew up to become a journeyman
toolmaker. He joined the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD) in 1920 and took several courses at the Marxist Workers' School. From 1929 on, he worked at Osram
in Berlin-Moabit and joined the KPD workplace cell. By the end of 1932, The KPD was the third largest party in Germany, with 3,600,000 members and had received some six million votes in the previous election. He took leadership of the cell in 1933.
pushed by Adolf Hitler
in response to the Reichstag Fire
on February 27, 1933 and signed into law by President Paul von Hindenburg
withdrew civil liberties and enabled the Nazis, then in key positions in government, to arrest anyone they deemed to be an enemy. This became first and foremost a confrontation with the KPD, but in effect, outlawed all political parties in Germany, other than the Nazi Party. The Enabling Act of March 27, 1933 consolidated their power and authority. In the first weeks of March 1933, there were 11,000 Communists arrested and by June 1933, more than half of the KPD district leaders were in detention.
in 1934 and sentenced to hard labor at the Zuchthaus in Luckau
. After his release in summer 1936, he went underground, working in the leadership of the Berlin KPD. Starting in 1938, he led a network of resistance groups in over 20 factories in Berlin, which became part of one of the largest anti-fascist resistance organizations in Berlin. Through his relationships with Wilhelm Guddorf
, John Sieg
and others, he was in regular contact with the Red Orchestra and with groups in Hamburg
, Mannheim
, Leipzig
, Munich
and elsewhere. Starting in 1940-1941, he also worked extensively with Beppo Römer
. Around this period, he was regarded as the leader of KPD resistance in Berlin.
In 1941, Charlotte Bischoff
came to Germany by freight ship, entering illegally and bringing instructions from the International Relations department of the Communist International. She worked with the group around Uhrig and with others, such as the Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
and Kurt
and Elisabeth Schumacher
. Acting as a courier, she gave "micro materials" to contact people within these groups.
Uhrig and Römer published an underground paper, called Informationdienst ("Information Service"), one of the most important Resistance newspapers. Issued regularly, it endeavored to report on the economic and military situation. It also called for acts of sabotage. The goal of the group was to establish a socialist state after the fall of Adolph Hitler
's dictatorship. Werner Seelenbinder
worked part-time with the Uhrig Group. Other members of the group were Ernst Knaack
, Paul Schultz-Liebisch and Charlotte Eisenblätter.
. He was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof on June 7, 1944. The sentence was carried out by guillotine
August 21, 1944 at the Brandenburg-Görden Prison
.
, which she survived. After liberation, she and Ellen Kuntz founded the Women's Committee at the Schöneberg district office in Berlin, which mobilized women for the recovery effort in the aftermath of the war. She lived in East Germany.
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
against National Socialism.
Background
Born in LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, the son of a metalworker, Uhrig grew up to become a journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
toolmaker. He joined 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) in 1920 and took several courses at the Marxist Workers' School. From 1929 on, he worked at Osram
Osram
Osram, founded 1919, is part of the industry sector of Siemens AG and one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the world. The name is derived from osmium and Wolfram , as both these elements were commonly used for lighting filaments at the time the company was founded...
in Berlin-Moabit and joined the KPD workplace cell. By the end of 1932, The KPD was the third largest party in Germany, with 3,600,000 members and had received some six million votes in the previous election. He took leadership of the cell in 1933.
Legality rescinded
The Reichstag Fire DecreeReichstag Fire Decree
The Reichstag Fire Decree is the common name of the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State issued by German President Paul von Hindenburg in direct response to the Reichstag fire of 27 February 1933. The decree nullified many of the key civil liberties of German...
pushed by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in response to the Reichstag Fire
Reichstag fire
The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany....
on February 27, 1933 and signed into law by President Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
withdrew civil liberties and enabled the Nazis, then in key positions in government, to arrest anyone they deemed to be an enemy. This became first and foremost a confrontation with the KPD, but in effect, outlawed all political parties in Germany, other than the Nazi Party. The Enabling Act of March 27, 1933 consolidated their power and authority. In the first weeks of March 1933, there were 11,000 Communists arrested and by June 1933, more than half of the KPD district leaders were in detention.
Arrest and further resistance
Uhrig was arrested by the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in 1934 and sentenced to hard labor at the Zuchthaus in Luckau
Luckau
Luckau is a city in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany. Known for its beauty, it has been dubbed "the Pearl of Lower Lusatia".-Origin of the name:...
. After his release in summer 1936, he went underground, working in the leadership of the Berlin KPD. Starting in 1938, he led a network of resistance groups in over 20 factories in Berlin, which became part of one of the largest anti-fascist resistance organizations in Berlin. Through his relationships with Wilhelm Guddorf
Wilhelm Guddorf
Wilhelm Guddorf was a journalist and resistance fighter against the Third Reich. He was reputedly a member of the Red Orchestra resistance group.- Life :...
, John Sieg
John Sieg
John Sieg was a railroad worker and journalist who publicized Nazi atrocities through the underground Communist press and fought against National Socialism in the German Resistance. He was a key member of the Red Orchestra....
and others, he was in regular contact with the Red Orchestra and with groups in 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...
, Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and elsewhere. Starting in 1940-1941, he also worked extensively with Beppo Römer
Beppo Römer
Josef “Beppo” Römer was an Oberland Freikorps leader after the war, later a KPD organizer. He worked against the Third Reich and was executed by the regime.- Biography :...
. Around this period, he was regarded as the leader of KPD resistance in Berlin.
In 1941, Charlotte Bischoff
Charlotte Bischoff
Charlotte Bischoff, née Charlotte Wielepp, was a German Communist and Resistance fighter against National Socialism.- Biography :...
came to Germany by freight ship, entering illegally and bringing instructions from the International Relations department of the Communist International. She worked with the group around Uhrig and with others, such as the Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
The Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization was an underground German resistance movement acting during the Second World War, that published the illegal magazine, Die Innere Front ....
and Kurt
Kurt Schumacher (sculptor)
Kurt Schumacher was a sculptor and Communist member of the German Resistance against National Socialism. He was married to the painter and graphic designer, Elisabeth Schumacher and was in the Red Orchestra.- Biography :...
and Elisabeth Schumacher
Elisabeth Schumacher
Elisabeth Schumacher, née Hohenemser, was an artist and resistance fighter in the Third Reich. She belonged to the Red Orchestra resistance group.- Life :...
. Acting as a courier, she gave "micro materials" to contact people within these groups.
Uhrig and Römer published an underground paper, called Informationdienst ("Information Service"), one of the most important Resistance newspapers. Issued regularly, it endeavored to report on the economic and military situation. It also called for acts of sabotage. The goal of the group was to establish a socialist state after the fall of Adolph Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's dictatorship. Werner Seelenbinder
Werner Seelenbinder
Werner Seelenbinder was a German communist and wrestler.- Early years :Seelenbinder was born in Szczecin, Pomerania, and became a wrestler after training as a joiner. He had connections with the young people's workers' movement from an early age...
worked part-time with the Uhrig Group. Other members of the group were Ernst Knaack
Ernst Knaack
Ernst Knaack was a German Communist and resistance fighter against the Nazi Germany régime.- Biography :Knaack was born in Berlin....
, Paul Schultz-Liebisch and Charlotte Eisenblätter.
Arrest and sentence
In 1941, the Gestapo infiltrated the Uhrig Group with informers and in February 1942, Uhrig and 200 other members of the Uhrig Group were arrested. Uhrig was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration campSachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
. He was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof on June 7, 1944. The sentence was carried out by guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
August 21, 1944 at the Brandenburg-Görden Prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison is located on Anton-Saefkow-Allee in the Görden section of Brandenburg an der Havel. Erected between 1927 and 1935, it was built to be the most secure and modern prison in Europe. It was a Zuchthaus for inmates with lengthy or life sentences at hard labor, as well as...
.
Family
Uhrig was married to Charlotte Kirst Uhrig (February 26, 1907 - October 17, 1992). She was also active in the anti-Nazi resistance and was arrested on September 3, 1943. She was "released" by the Voksgerichthof on April 17, 1944, but was nonetheless sent to Ravensbrück concentration campRavensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
, which she survived. After liberation, she and Ellen Kuntz founded the Women's Committee at the Schöneberg district office in Berlin, which mobilized women for the recovery effort in the aftermath of the war. She lived in East Germany.
Memorials
- The town cemetery in Berlin-Niederschönhausen, Pankow IV, has a symbolic grave site for Uhrig.
- Robert-Uhrig-Straße, a street in Berlin-Lichtenberg, is named after Uhrig,
- Until the reunification of GermanyGerman reunificationGerman 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 19th Polytechnische Oberschule, a university in Berlin-Lichtenberg, was named after Uhrig. - There is a memorial plaque at Wartburgstraße 4, in Berlin-Schöneberg, where Uhrig once lived.
Further reading
- Michael C. Thomsett. The German opposition to Hitler, McFarland (1997) ISBN 0786403721, 9780786403721
- Terence Prittie. Germans against Hitler, Little, Brown (1964)
- Hermann Weber and Andreas Herbst. Deutsche Kommunisten. Biographisches Handbuch 1918 bis 1945, Karl Dietz Verlag, Berlin (2004) pp. 802–803. ISBN 3-320-02044-7
- Gert Rosiejka. Die Rote Kapelle. „Landesverrat“ als antifaschistischer Widerstand. Ergebnisse Verlag, Hamburg (1986) ISBN 3925622160
- Luise Kraushaar. Berliner Kommunisten im Kampf gegen den Faschismus 1936 – 1942. Robert Uhrig und Genossen, Dietz Verlag, Berlin (1980)