Berthe Zimmermann (27 September 1902 – 2 December 1937) (also spelled "Berta Zimmermann" and "Bertha Zimmermann") was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and wife of

Fritz Platten Fritz Platten (8 July 1883 – 22 April 1942) was a Swiss communist politician and one of the founders of the Communist International. Early life Platten was born in the village of Tablat, now part of St. Gallen, on 8 July 1883, to an Old Catho ...

. She headed the courier section of the

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

's OMS ( International Liaison Department) in Moscow in 1935 and was summarily executed during the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

in 1937.

Background

Zimmermann was born in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, Switzerland, to a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

family on September 27, 1902.

Career

In 1923, Zimmermann emigrated from Switzerland to the Soviet Union, where she worked for the

. In 1923–1930, she worked for the Information section. Then in 1930–1931, she worked for the Organization section. Finally, in 1931–1937, she worked for the OMS under Jacob Mirov-Abramov. After 1935, Zimmermann became head of the OMS's Courier section of OMS. She went on OMS missions to Paris and Prague.

Personal

Zimmermann was married to

, a fellow communist also of Switzerland.

Death

Zimmermann was executed 2 December 1937 in Moscow. Platten was arrested in 1938, moved to a prison camp near Nyandoma in 1939, and shot on 22 April 1942.Kevin McDermott ''The Comintern: A History of International Communism from Lenin to Stalin'', 1996. p. 146.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmermann, Berthe 1902 births 1937 deaths Swiss communists Comintern people Swiss people executed abroad Prisoners who died in Soviet detention Great Purge victims Swiss expatriates in the Soviet Union People from Zurich Executed communists