Ernst Goldenbaum (15 December 1898, Parchim,

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Hou ...

– 13 March 1990) was an

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

politician.

Biography

Goldenbaum was born in Parchim. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he served in the military and he participated in the German November Revolution. In 1919 he joined the left-wing

USPD The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was establis ...

and a few years later the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...

. From 1923 to 1925 he was a member of the city council of Parchim and from 1924 to 1932 he was a member of the

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...

. From 1932 to 1933 he was the editor of '' Volkswacht'', a communist newspaper. After the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

seized power he became a farmer and a member of the German resistance. In 1944 he was arrested and he spent the last year of the war in

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

Neuengamme. In 1945, he was one of very few who survived the sinking of the SS ''Cap Arcona'' which claimed over 4000 lives. After the war he joined the Socialist Unity Party (SED), but in 1948 he co-founded the communist-sponsored Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany (DBD). The DBD was a close ally of the SED. Until 1982, Goldenbaum was the Chairman of the party. From 1949 to 1990 Goldenbaum was a member of the

People's Chamber __NOTOC__ The Volkskammer (, ''People's Chamber'') was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic (colloquially known as East Germany). The Volkskammer was initially the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The upper house w ...

. From 1949 to 1950 Goldenbaum was East Germany's first Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. Goldenbaum supported the SED's

collectivisation Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...

in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1963 he was the deputy chairman of the People's Chamber. After 1963 he was a member of the Presidium of the People's Chamber.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldenbaum, Ernst 1898 births 1990 deaths People from Parchim People from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Independent Social Democratic Party politicians Communist Party of Germany politicians Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany politicians Members of the State Council of East Germany Members of the Provisional Volkskammer Members of the 1st Volkskammer Members of the 2nd Volkskammer Members of the 3rd Volkskammer Members of the 4th Volkskammer Members of the 5th Volkskammer Members of the 6th Volkskammer Members of the 7th Volkskammer Members of the 8th Volkskammer Members of the 9th Volkskammer Peasants Mutual Aid Association members German military personnel of World War I Communists in the German Resistance Neuengamme concentration camp survivors Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp) Recipients of the Banner of Labor

Biography

See also

External links