Wilhelm Zaisser
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Zaisser was a German communist politician and the first Minister for State Security
of the German Democratic Republic (1950–1953).
, Westphalia
, Zaisser studied to become a teacher from 1910 to 1913 in Essen. When World War I
began a year later, Zaisser joined the army
. Upon leaving the service in 1918, Zaisser joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
(USPD) and in 1919 returned to Essen, where he became a school teacher. During this time period, Zaisser became an active Communist. During the Kapp Putsch
in 1920, he was a military leader of the fledgling Red Ruhr Army. Zaisser’s activities in the Red Ruhr Army led to his arrest and dismissal as a teacher in 1921. After his release, Zaisser worked for the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD) as a propagandist. From 1921 to 1922, Zaisser edited the “Ruhr Echo” and the “Bergischen Voice of the People.” In 1923, Zaisser entered the KPD intelligence service and worked actively against the French
occupation forces in the Ruhr
. Zaisser’s efficient work caused him to be sent to Moscow
a year later, where he received political and military training.
After returning to Germany
in 1924, Zaisser became one of the leading intelligence officials of the KPD, working directly for its Central Committee
. Throughout the 1920s, Zaisser was a military-political leader and instructor for the KPD in such areas as the Rhine, Westphalia
, and Berlin
. He also worked abroad for the Red Army
and USSR Intelligence Service from 1925 to 1926 as a military advisor to Syria
and North Africa
. Starting in 1927, Zaisser worked almost exclusively for the Executive Committee of the Comintern
, serving as a military advisor to China
(1927–1930) and the Czech Army (1930–1932). His work earned him membership in the Russian Communist Party in 1932 and Soviet
citizenship in 1940. In 1936, Zaisser traveled to Spain
and assumed the name “Gomez,” where on behalf of the Russians he became a military advisor to the Spanish People’s Army. Zaisser quickly achieved the rank of brigadier general
(initially commanding XIII International Brigade
), and in 1937, he became leader of all the pro-Republican international forces operating in Spain. Following the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, Zaisser returned to Moscow, to resume working for the Comintern, but was thrown into a Russian jail, apparently because of the failure of Communist intervention in Spain. During and after World War II
, Zaisser taught Communist indoctrination courses to German Prisoners of War.
In 1947, Zaisser returned to Germany and joined the Socialist Unity Party
(SED). Zaisser’s career took off rapidly soon afterwards, and by 1948 he was Minister of the Interior and Deputy Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt
. From 1949 to 1954, Zaisser served as a representative in the Volkskammer
and in 1950 worked on military and tactical issues at the Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin Institute, a facility to which very few non-Soviets had access.
In 1950, Zaisser gained membership in East Germany’s Politburo
and the Central Committee
of the SED, thus becoming one of the most powerful men in the country. In the same year, Zaisser was awarded the Karl Marx Medal and appointed Director of the Ministry of State Security
. Using his vast knowledge of intelligence work, Zaisser built the Stasi into a powerful organization.
After the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
in March 1953, Moscow favored replacing East Germany's Stalinist party leader Walter Ulbricht
and considered Zaisser a potential candidate. However, the workers' uprising, which was suppressed by the Soviet army on 17 June led to a backlash and secured Ulbricht's position. An attempt, to depose Ulbricht shortly after the uprising,Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl
, who seemed to keep out of the conflict, took some notes about a few single statements during the fevered meeting of the Politburo, where the majority favoured to depose Ulbricht. O. Grotewohl's Handwritten Notes on the SED CC Politburo Meeting failed, because the Soviet leadership feared that deposing Ulbricht might be construed as a sign of weakness. Subsequently Ulbricht consolidated his power and removed Zaisser and other potential threats from national leadership. Zaisser was forced to resign his ministry in July 1953.
Zaisser's downfall was also hastened by his power hungry deputy, Erich Mielke
, who actively worked to tarnish Zaisser's standing in the party. Ultimately, Zaisser and others in the Politburo and the Central Committee were accused of being hostile to the party and removed from their positions. Ulbricht also accused Zaisser of not using the repressive power of the Stasi to a sufficient extent during the uprising of June 1953.
Zaisser was stripped of all his posts and classified as an enemy of the people
. Zaisser subsequently spent his final years working as a translator and at the Institute of Marxism and Leninism in East Berlin
. He died in obscurity in East Berlin
in 1958, and was posthumously rehabilitated by the Party of Democratic Socialism, the former SED, in 1993.
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...
of the German Democratic Republic (1950–1953).
Life
Born in GelsenkirchenGelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
, Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, Zaisser studied to become a teacher from 1910 to 1913 in Essen. When World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began a year later, Zaisser joined the army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
. Upon leaving the service in 1918, Zaisser joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of left wing members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
(USPD) and in 1919 returned to Essen, where he became a school teacher. During this time period, Zaisser became an active Communist. During the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
in 1920, he was a military leader of the fledgling Red Ruhr Army. Zaisser’s activities in the Red Ruhr Army led to his arrest and dismissal as a teacher in 1921. After his release, Zaisser worked for 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) as a propagandist. From 1921 to 1922, Zaisser edited the “Ruhr Echo” and the “Bergischen Voice of the People.” In 1923, Zaisser entered the KPD intelligence service and worked actively against the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
occupation forces in the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
. Zaisser’s efficient work caused him to be sent to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
a year later, where he received political and military training.
After returning to Germany
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...
in 1924, Zaisser became one of the leading intelligence officials of the KPD, working directly for its Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
. Throughout the 1920s, Zaisser was a military-political leader and instructor for the KPD in such areas as the Rhine, Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He also worked abroad for the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and USSR Intelligence Service from 1925 to 1926 as a military advisor to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. Starting in 1927, Zaisser worked almost exclusively for the Executive Committee of the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
, serving as a military advisor to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(1927–1930) and the Czech Army (1930–1932). His work earned him membership in the Russian Communist Party in 1932 and Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
citizenship in 1940. In 1936, Zaisser traveled to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and assumed the name “Gomez,” where on behalf of the Russians he became a military advisor to the Spanish People’s Army. Zaisser quickly achieved the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
(initially commanding XIII International Brigade
XIII International Brigade
This article is about the 13th International Brigade - often known as the XIII Dabrowski Brigade - which fought for the Spanish Second Republic in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. The brigade was dissolved and then reformed on four occasions.-1st Formation :The brigade was first...
), and in 1937, he became leader of all the pro-Republican international forces operating in Spain. Following the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939, Zaisser returned to Moscow, to resume working for the Comintern, but was thrown into a Russian jail, apparently because of the failure of Communist intervention in Spain. During and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Zaisser taught Communist indoctrination courses to German Prisoners of War.
In 1947, Zaisser returned to Germany and joined the Socialist Unity Party
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). Zaisser’s career took off rapidly soon afterwards, and by 1948 he was Minister of the Interior and Deputy Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
. From 1949 to 1954, Zaisser served as a representative in 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...
and in 1950 worked on military and tactical issues at the Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin Institute, a facility to which very few non-Soviets had access.
In 1950, Zaisser gained membership in East Germany’s Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
and the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the SED, thus becoming one of the most powerful men in the country. In the same year, Zaisser was awarded the Karl Marx Medal and appointed Director of the Ministry of State Security
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...
. Using his vast knowledge of intelligence work, Zaisser built the Stasi into a powerful organization.
After the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in March 1953, Moscow favored replacing East Germany's Stalinist party leader Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht was a German communist politician. As First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1950 to 1971 , he played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany and later in the early development and...
and considered Zaisser a potential candidate. However, the workers' uprising, which was suppressed by the Soviet army on 17 June led to a backlash and secured Ulbricht's position. An attempt, to depose Ulbricht shortly after the uprising,Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl
Otto Grotewohl
Otto Grotewohl was a German politician and prime minister of the German Democratic Republic from 1949 until his death. According to Roth , "He was a figurehead who led various economic commissions, lobbied the Soviets for increased aid, and conducted foreign policy tours in the attempt to break...
, who seemed to keep out of the conflict, took some notes about a few single statements during the fevered meeting of the Politburo, where the majority favoured to depose Ulbricht. O. Grotewohl's Handwritten Notes on the SED CC Politburo Meeting failed, because the Soviet leadership feared that deposing Ulbricht might be construed as a sign of weakness. Subsequently Ulbricht consolidated his power and removed Zaisser and other potential threats from national leadership. Zaisser was forced to resign his ministry in July 1953.
Zaisser's downfall was also hastened by his power hungry deputy, Erich Mielke
Erich Mielke
Erich Fritz Emil Mielke was a German communist politician and Minister of State Security—and as such head of the Stasi —of the German Democratic Republic between 1957 and 1989. Mielke spent more than a decade as an operative of the NKVD during the rule of Joseph Stalin...
, who actively worked to tarnish Zaisser's standing in the party. Ultimately, Zaisser and others in the Politburo and the Central Committee were accused of being hostile to the party and removed from their positions. Ulbricht also accused Zaisser of not using the repressive power of the Stasi to a sufficient extent during the uprising of June 1953.
Zaisser was stripped of all his posts and classified as an enemy of the people
Enemy of the people
The term enemy of the people is a fluid designation of political or class opponents of the group using the term. The term implies that the "enemies" in question are acting against society as a whole. It is similar to the notion of "enemy of the state". The term originated in Roman times as ,...
. Zaisser subsequently spent his final years working as a translator and at the Institute of Marxism and Leninism in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. He died in obscurity in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
in 1958, and was posthumously rehabilitated by the Party of Democratic Socialism, the former SED, in 1993.
See also
- Rudolf HerrnstadtRudolf HerrnstadtRudolf Herrnstadt was a German journalist and communist politicianmost notable for his anti-fascist activity as an exile from the Nazi German regime in the Soviet Union during the war and as a journalist in East Germany until his death, where he and Wilhelm Zaisser represented the anti-Ulbricht...
- Heinrich RauHeinrich RauHeinrich Gottlob "Heiner" Rau was a German communist politician during the time of the Weimar Republic; subsequently, during the Spanish Civil War, a leading member of the International Brigades and after World War II an East German statesman.Rau grew up in a suburb of Stuttgart, where he early...
- Anton AckermannAnton AckermannAnton Ackermann was an East German politician. In 1953, he briefly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs....
- Ruhr UprisingRuhr UprisingThe Ruhr uprising was a left-wing workers' revolt in the Ruhr in March 1920. The uprising took place initially on the occasion of the call for a general strike issued by the Social Democrat members of the German government in response to the Kapp Putsch of 13 March 1920:The first demonstrations...
- International BrigadesInternational BrigadesThe International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
- International Brigades order of battleInternational Brigades order of battleThe International Brigades were volunteer military units of foreigners who fought on the side of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The number of combattant volunteers has been estimated at between 32,000–35,000, though with no more than about 20,000 active at any one time...