Gerhart Seger (16 November 1896 – 21 January 1967) was a German

social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

newspaper publisher, politician and

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

. From October 1930 to March 1933 he was a member of the Reichstag. Due to the rejection of the

Enabling Act An enabling act is a piece of legislation by which a legislative body grants an entity which depends on it (for authorization or legitimacy) for the delegation of the legislative body's power to take certain actions. For example, enabling act ...

by the Social Democrats, he was among those Reichstag deputies who were persecuted by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

, arrested and sent to concentration camps. In 1934 he fled to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, where he wrote a sensational account of his experiences in the

Oranienburg concentration camp Oranienburg was an early Nazi concentration camp, one of the first concentration camp, detention facilities established by the Nazis in the Free State of Prussia, state of Prussia when they Hitler's rise to power#Seizure of control .281931 - 1933 ...

. Shortly afterwards he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where he became politically active and known as a lecturer.

Biography

Seger came from a family of tailors and learned the

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

trade in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. He was the son of the longtime Leipzig SPD functionary and Reichstag member Friedrich Seger and Hedwig Winkler. In his youth he joined the Socialist Workers' Youth. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was a soldier. In 1917 he joined the

USPD The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of anti-war members of t ...

. In 1919 Seger did an internship at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

in the subjects of

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

and

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

. In 1920 and 1921 he worked as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

at the adult education center in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

and in 1921 he became editor of the USPD newspaper '' Die Freiheit'' in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

After the unification of the USPD and

MSPD The Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany (German: , MSPD) was the name officially used by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) between April 1917 and September 1922. The name differentiated it from the Independent Social Democratic ...

in 1922, Seger rejoined the SPD and became editor of the ''Volkszeitung für Südwestsachsen'' in

Plauen Plauen (; ; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany with a population of around 65,000. It is Saxony's 5th most populated city after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the largest cit ...

. A year later, he gave up this position for a full-time position as General Secretary of the

German Peace Society The German Peace Society ( (DFG)) was founded in 1892 in Berlin. In 1900 it moved its headquarters to Stuttgart. It still exists and is known as the ''Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft - Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen'' (DFG-VK; German Peace Socie ...

. In 1928, he became editor of the ''Volksblattes für Anhalt'' in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

until he was elected to the Reichstag for constituency 10 (

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

) in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

. After

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

came to power and passed the Enabling Act in March 1933, Seger was one of the first Reichstag deputies to be taken into "

protective custody Protective custody (PC) is a type of imprisonment (or care) to protect a person from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Many prison administrators believe the level of violence, or the underlying threat of violence within pris ...

" by the Nazis. Initially he was held in the court prison in

before being transferred to the Oranienburg concentration camp with other political prisoners on June 14, 1933. He was one of the few to escape in December 1933. In exile in Prague, he wrote his ''Oranienburg Report''. With a foreword by

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

, the report on the beginning of the

Nazi era Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

attracted international attention. In retaliation, the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

took Seger's wife and young daughter hostage in early 1934. Only protests from abroad led to the family's release from prison and enabled them to leave the country. Seger and his family

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

to the United States in October 1934. There he helped found the

German Labour Delegation The German Labour Delegation (GLD) was a social-democratic organisation of German emigrants in the United States during the time of Nazi Germany. The GLD was founded on 10 March 1939 in New York City, with the support of the Jewish Labor Committe ...

. He worked as an editor for their

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

-based newspaper ''Neue Volkszeitung''. He also wrote for other German-language newspapers and gave lectures on the Nazi regime. On November 3, 1934, the '' Deutsche Reichsanzeiger'' published the third expatriation list of the German Reich, through which he was

denaturalized Denaturalization is the loss of citizenship against the will of the person concerned. Denaturalization is often applied to ethnic minorities and political dissidents. Denaturalization can be a penalty for actions considered criminal by the state ...

. Seger served as an advisor to the American government and remained in America after the war, working as a freelance journalist from 1950 onwards. He became known primarily through his lectures; in the U.S. alone he gave more than 11,000 lectures. Seger died of cancer in his home in

Ozone Park Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, a popular spot for Thoroughbred racing and home to the Resorts W ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

on January 21, 1967.

Awards

* 1960:

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

Works

* ''Art and historical materialism. An example of a new approach to art.'' Leipzig, 1920. * ''Proletarian youth and theater. A guide for working youth by Gerhart Seger.'' Berlin, 1921. * ''The intellectual liberation of the working class. Remarks on the educational work of Gerhart Seger.'' Leipzig, 1922. * ''The Workshop of the Mind.'' Berlin, 1922. * ''What is historical materialism? An attempt at a systematic presentation.'' Berlin, 1923. * ''Workers and Pacifism.'' Leipzig, 1924. * (Ed.): ''The Quidde Case. Facts and Documents. Compiled and introduced by Gerhart Seger, Secretary of the German Peace Society.'' Berlin, 1924. * ''Workers/War/League of Nations.'' Hamburg, 1925. * ''Defensive Republic?'' Berlin, 1926. * ''Germany – a second Switzerland? Neutralization as war prevention. A foreign policy proposal by Gerhart Seger.'' Dessau, 1929. * ''Oranienburg: First authentic report from an escapee from the concentration camp. With a foreword by Heinrich Mann.'' Karlsbad, 1934. * ''A Nation Terrorized. With a Foreword by Heinrich Mann.'' Chicago: Reilly & Lee Co., 1935. * ''Travel diary of a German emigrant.'' Zurich, Europa-Verlag, 1936. * With Siegfried K. Marck: ''To be or not to be?'' New York, 1943. * ''Life in Germany.'' Grand Rapids, 1955. * ''Dictatorship - War -Disaster.'' New York, 1956. * ''USA.'' Munich, n.d. * ''Come along to Germany.'' Minneapolis, 1966.

References

External links

* * *

Stefan Heinz Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

Biographie von Gerhart Seger
in the online exhibition ''Die politischen Häftlinge des KZ Oranienburg'' * Biography o
Gerhart Seger
In: Heinrich Best, Wilhelm H. Schröder
Database of the representatives in the National Assembly and the German Reichstag 1919–1933 (Biorab–Weimar)

Das Amt und die Vergangenheit, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seger, Heinrich 1896 births 1967 deaths Politicians from the Kingdom of Saxony Politicians from Leipzig Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Independent Social Democratic Party politicians German newspaper publishers (people) German Peace Society members Members of the Reichstag 1932 Members of the Reichstag 1932–1933 German resistance to Nazism Oranienburg concentration camp prisoners German emigrants

Biography

Awards

Works

Further reading

References

External links