Victor Stern (29 October 1885 – 27 March 1958) was an Austrian philosopher, teacher and communist politician. He was active in communist parties in Austria and Germany until 1923 when he was forced to exile. He settled first in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

and then in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. From 1946 he lived in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

where he stayed until his death.

Early life and education

Stern was born in

Třešť Třešť (; ) is a town in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban mo ...

, Bohemia,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, on 29 October 1885. His father was a pastor in the

Jewish community Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

. Between 1904 and 1908 he studied philosophy in Vienna and obtained a PhD.

Career and activities

Following his graduation Stern taught mathematics, physics, logic and psychology at a private school. He joined the

Austrian Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...

in 1904. He became a member of the Independent Social Democratic Party in Germany in 1919 and a member of the

German Communist Party The German Communist Party (, ) is a communist party in Germany. The DKP supports far-left positions and was an observer member of the European Left before leaving in February 2016. History The DKP considered itself a reconstitution of the C ...

in 1920. From 1921 to 1923 he acted as the leader of communists in Austria. He was the editor-in-chief of a journal entitled ''Die Rote Fahne'' in Vienna for one year between 1921 and 1922. During this period he represented the Austrian communists at the fourth Comintern meeting held in 1922. Stern was made political editor of the German communist journal ''Volksblatt'' in 1923 when its three editors were dismissed due to their opposition to the affiliation with 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 ...

. However, Stern was extradited from Germany immediately following his appointment. He exiled into Czechoslovakia where he lived until 1935. Then he settled in the Soviet Union where he worked as a teacher at the Lenin School in the period 1935–1945. In the mid-1930s he also taught at the Comintern schools. Stern returned to Czechoslovakia and then, settled in East Germany where he joined the ruling party,

Socialist Unity Party The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Ma ...

. In 1947 Stern was appointed to the Advanced Training Institute for Functionaries 'Karl Marx'. In 1952 he was promoted to the professorship.

Later years and death

Stern retired in 1955 as a result of his long-term illness. He died in

Potsdam-Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Potsdam, the capital city of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace an ...

on 27 March 1958.

Awards

Stern was the recipient of the Soviet Order of the Red Star which was awarded to him before he left the Soviet Union in 1945.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Victor 20th-century Austrian journalists 20th-century Austrian politicians 1885 births 1958 deaths Austrian people of Jewish descent Comintern people Social Democratic Party of Austria politicians Exiled politicians Independent Social Democratic Party politicians Communist Party of Germany politicians Socialist Unity Party of Germany members People from Třešť Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Jewish communists