The "Urgent Call for Unity" (german: Dringender Appell für die Einheit) was an appeal by the

Internationaler Sozialistischer Kampfbund The Internationaler Sozialistischer Kampfbund (, "International Socialist Militant League") or ISK was a socialist split-off from the SPD during the Weimar Republic and was active in the German Resistance against Nazism. History The ''Internat ...

(ISK) to defeat the

National Socialist German Workers Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

. It was signed by nearly three dozen well-known German scientists, authors and artists in advance of the German federal election in July 1932.''Der Funke'', Edition No. 147 A
(PDF) Friedrich Ebert Foundation, official website. (June 25, 1932) ''Dringender Appell'' on p. 2. Retrieved July 6, 2010

Background

The June 1932 appeal called for support of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

(SPD) and the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

(KPD) in the Reichstag election to prevent the National Socialists from gaining control of the government. The appeal was unsuccessful, and

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

was later appointed

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, and the

National Socialists 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 Naz ...

were able to consolidate power. The appeal was published in the ISK's newspaper, ''

Der Funke ''Der Funke'' (, "The Spark") was a daily newspaper published from Berlin, Germany, from 1932 to 1933. It was the national organ of the International Socialist Struggle League (ISK). The ISK leader Willi Eichler was the editor-in-chief of ''Der ...

'', in response to the growing strength of the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

. Placards were also put up all over

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Text

::U r g e n t A p p e a l ! ::The annhiliation
of all personal and political freedom :::in Germany is imminent, if there is not success at the last minute,
without prejudice to the principles of opposites, to consolidate
all forces that are united in the rejection of fascism. The next
opportunity for this is July 31st. It is imperative to use this
opportunity and finally take a step toward ::Building a united labor front, :::which is necessary not just for the parliamentary, rather for
additional defense as well. We're addressing everyone who
shares this conviction with us, to aid in this urgent call to ::Coalesce around the SPD
and KPD in this election, :::best materializing in the form of joint candidate lists, however,
at least in the form of joint

party lists An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

. Not only in the political parties,
but especially in the large labor organizations, it is essential
to exert every conceivable influence. Let us ensure that no
sloth of nature or cowardice of heart allow us sink into barbarism! :::: Chi-yin Chen /

Willi Eichler Willi Eichler (7 January 1896 – 17 October 1971) was a German journalist and politician with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Before 1945 Eichler was born in Berlin, the son of a postal worker. He attended Volksschule and then bec ...

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

/ Karl Emonts /

Anton Erkelenz Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

Hellmuth Falkenfeld / Kurt Großmann / E ilJ. Gumbel / Walter Hammer

Theodor Hartwig Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blueger, ...

Vitus Heller Vitus is a Latin given name meaning lively and may refer to: *Saint Vitus (c. 290 – c. 303), a Christian martyr * Vitus of Hungary (died 1297), beatified friar * Vitus (bicycles), a French bicycle manufacturer * ''Vitus'' (film), a 2006 Swiss fi ...

Kurt Hiller Kurt Hiller (17 August 1885, Berlin – 1 October 1972, Hamburg) was a German essayist, lawyer, and expressionist poet. He was also a political (namely pacifist) journalist. Hiller came from a middle-class Jewish background. A communist, he ...

Maria Hodann Maria Martha Saran (13 July 1897 – 16 February 1976), known as Mary Saran, was a journalist and author. In 1933 she emigrated from her native Germany to England, where she took British nationality and where she lived for the rest of her life. M ...

After her emigration to Great Britain, Maria Hodann took the name

Mary Saran Maria Martha Saran (13 July 1897 – 16 February 1976), known as Mary Saran, was a journalist and author. In 1933 she emigrated from her native Germany to England, where she took British nationality and where she lived for the rest of her life. M ...

. / Hanns-Erich
Kaminski /

Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including ''Emil and the Detectives''. He received ...

Karl Kollwitz Karl Kollwitz (13 June 1863 – 19 July 1940) was a German physician who was known for his medical services to the poor in Berlin. Biography Johannes Carl August Kollwitz was born in to a large family where he and his sister Lisbeth were the on ...

Käthe Kollwitz Käthe Kollwitz ( born as Schmidt; 8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945) was a German artist who worked with painting, printmaking (including etching, lithography and woodcuts) and sculpture. Her most famous art cycles, including ''The Weavers'' and '' ...

Arthur Kronfeld Arthur Kronfeld (January 9, 1886 – October 16, 1941) was a German psychiatrist of Jewish origin, and eventually a professor at the University of Berlin. His sister Maria Dronke found fame as an actor in New Zealand. Later in life, Kronfeld to ...

E. Lauti /

Otto Lehmann-Russbüldt Otto Lehmann-Russbüldt (1 January 1873, Berlin – 7 October 1964) was a German pacifist activist and writer. Publications German: * (1919) ''Jung-Frühling'' (autobiographical novel), Berlin * (1922) ''Die Brücke über den Abgrund. Für die V ...

Heinrich Mann Luiz Heinrich Mann (; 27 March 1871 – 11 March 1950), best known as simply Heinrich Mann, was a German author known for his socio-political novels. From 1930 until 1933, he was president of the fine poetry division of the Prussian Academy ...

Pietro Nenni Pietro Sandro Nenni (; 9 February 1891 – 1 January 1980) was an Italian socialist politician, the national secretary of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) and senator for life since 1970. He was a recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize in 1951. He w ...

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

Oestreich /

Franz Oppenheimer Franz Oppenheimer (March 30, 1864 – September 30, 1943) was a German Jewish sociologist and political economist, who published also in the area of the fundamental sociology of the state. Life and career After studying medicine in Freiburg and ...

Theodor Plivier Theodor Otto Richard Plievier (Plivier, until 1933) (12 February 1892, Berlin – 12 March 1955, Avegno, Switzerland) was a German writer and communist, best known for his 1948 anti-war novel . During World War I, he served on the '' SMS Wolf'' ...

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

von Schoenaich
August Siemsen /

Minna Specht Minna Specht (22 December 1879 in Schloss Reinbek – 3 February 1961 in Bremen) was a German educator, socialist and member of the German Resistance. She was one of the founders of the Internationaler Sozialistischer Kampfbund. Early years Min ...

Helene Stöcker Helene Stöcker (13 November 1869 – 24 February 1943) was a German feminist, pacifist and gender activist. She successfully campaigned keep same sex relationships between women legal, but she was unsuccessful in her campaign to legalise abortio ...

Ernst Toller Ernst Toller (1 December 1893 – 22 May 1939) was a German author, playwright, left-wing politician and revolutionary, known for his Expressionist plays. He served in 1919 for six days as President of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic ...

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

Emil
WedelThis is probably the Graf Emil von Wedel from

Großenhain Großenhain (also written as Grossenhain; hsb, Wulki Hojn) is a Große Kreisstadt (German for major district town) in the district of Meissen, Saxony, Germany. It was originally known as Hayne. The current name simply means "big Hayne" History ...

mentioned i
"Bürgermeisterwahlen 1927 – ein historischer Exkurs".
Retrieved July 8, 2010 /

Erich Zeigner Erich Zeigner (17 February 1886, in Erfurt – 5 April 1949, in Leipzig) was a German politician. He was Prime Minister of the German state of Saxony during the attempted communist uprising of 1923. In August 1921 Zeigner was Minister of Justi ...

Arnold Zweig Arnold Zweig (10 November 1887 – 26 November 1968) was a German writer, pacifist and socialist. He is best known for his six-part cycle on World War I. Life and work Zweig was born in Glogau, Prussian Silesia (now Głogów, Poland), the son ...

Second attempt

On February 12, 1933, two weeks after

was named

Reichskanzler The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the G ...

, an identical appeal was made to rally against Hitler in advance of the

German federal election, March 1933 Federal elections were held in Germany on 5 March 1933, after the Nazis lawfully acquired power pursuant to the terms of Weimar Constitution on 30 January 1933 and just six days after the Reichstag fire. Nazi stormtroopers had unleashed a wides ...

. Placards appeared on February 14. This time, there were only 19 signatories, such as Heinrich Mann and Käthe Kollwitz and her husband, Karl.Dorothea Körner
"Man schweigt in sich hinein – Käthe Kollwitz und die Preußische Akademie der Künste 1933–1945"
''Berlinische Monatsschrift'' (2000) Issue 9, pp. 157–166. Retrieved July 8, 2010 The other signatories were

, Karl Emonts, Hellmuth Falkenfeld, Kurt Großmann, E.J. Gumbel,

, Robert Kuczynski, Otto Lehmann-Russbüldt,

, Paul Oestreich, August Siemsen,

. In addition, there was Anna Siemsen, sister of August Siemsen, as well as

Marie Westphal-Krause Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

and Karl Zwing. Körner lists only the first 16 names (see footnote 11), but the PDF file o
''Der Funke'', Edition No. 321, p. 3
shows three additional signatories.

Immediate cultural repercussions

On February 15, 1933, the day after the new placards appeared, both Mann, the head of the poetry department, and Kollwitz were forced to withdraw from the

Akademie der Künste The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The Academy's predecessor organization was fo ...

, Berlin, by

Bernhard Rust Bernhard Rust (30 September 1883 – 8 May 1945) was Minister of Science, Education and National Culture ( Reichserziehungsminister) in Nazi Germany. Claudia Koonz, ''The Nazi Conscience'', p 134 A combination of school administrator and zealo ...

, a National Socialist who became the acting head of the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry ...

on February 2, 1933 and thus curator of the Akademie. Rust insisted that their presence endangered the very existence of the Akademie. The Akademie president,

Max von Schillings Max von Schillings (April 19, 1868 – July 24, 1933 in Berlin) was a German conductor, composer and theatre director. He was chief conductor at the Berlin State Opera from 1919 to 1925. Schillings' opera ''Mona Lisa'' (1915) was internationally ...

, called a meeting of the entire Akademie that very evening and announced the departure of Kollwitz and said that Mann would also have to quit, or he would quit himself. The minutes of the meeting report that there were protests from members because Mann was not present and had not been invited. The meeting was interrupted so that Mann could be called by telephone, and the meeting was then resumed and Mann's resignation was announced. There were protests, including one from

city planner Martin Wagner, who then walked out. In the following days and months, numerous leading artists quit or were forced out of the institution. Alfons Paquet declared his solidarity in a letter on February 17. In March 1933, Paquet,

Alfred Döblin Bruno Alfred Döblin (; 10 August 1878 – 26 June 1957) was a German novelist, essayist, and doctor, best known for his novel ''Berlin Alexanderplatz'' (1929). A prolific writer whose œuvre spans more than half a century and a wide variety of ...

and

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

(younger brother of Heinrich) quit. In April,

Ricarda Huch Ricarda Huch (; 18 July 1864 – 17 November 1947) was a pioneering German intellectual. Trained as an historian, and the author of many works of European history, she also wrote novels, poems, and a play. Asteroid 879 Ricarda is named in her hon ...

quit.

Max Liebermann Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

Paul Mebes Paul Louis Adolf Mebes (23 January 1872 – 9 April 1938) was a German architect, architectural theorist and university professor. Life Paul Mebes was born on 23 January 1872 in Magdeburg. He completed practical training as a carpenter and then s ...

Otto Dix Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix (; 2 December 1891 – 25 July 1969) was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. Along with George ...

and

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (Karl Schmidt until 1905; 1 December 1884 – 10 August 1976) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker; he was one of the four founders of the artist group Die Brücke. Life and work Schmidt-Rottluff was born in Ro ...

quit in May 1933, after the

book burnings Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politi ...

. In July 1937, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe,

Ernst Barlach Ernst Heinrich Barlach (2 January 1870 – 24 October 1938) was a German expressionist sculptor, medallist, printmaker and writer. Although he was a supporter of the war in the years leading to World War I, his participation in the war made him c ...

and

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-centu ...

quit.

Bibliography

* Werner Link, "Die Geschichte des Internationalen Jugendbundes (IJB) und des Internationalen Sozialistischen Kampfbundes (ISK)." Hain, Meisenheim (1964) in ''Marburger Abhandlungen zur Politischen Wissenschaft'', Vol. I, edited by

Wolfgang Abendroth Wolfgang Walter Arnulf Abendroth (2 May 1906 – 15 September 1985) was a socialist German jurist and political scientist. He was born in Elberfeld, now a part of Wuppertal in North Rhine-Westphalia. Abendroth was an important contributor to the c ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urgent Call For Unity Politics of the Weimar Republic Protests in Germany German resistance to Nazism 1932 in Germany 1932 documents