Life Otto Körting

1 life

1.1 years
1.2 politics
1.3 régime change 1
1.4 régime change 2
1.5 régime change 3
1.6 fall

life
early years

körting born in jeßnitz, small town approximately 60 km (38 miles) north of leipzig. father small-scale farmer. attended local school in bobbau before embarking on apprenticeship @ photographic film factory @ wolfen, @ time (and way through till 1945) part of agfa company. continue work agfa till 1933, while maintaining small farm.

politics

in 1902, year of eighteenth birthday, otto körting joined both social democratic party (spd / sozialdemokratische partei deutschlands ) , german metal workers union. starting in 1908 began undertake political , trades union work. between 1909 , 1926 local councillor, representing spd in bobbau, after became official , community leader in village.

régime change 1

on international stage, war ended in 1918 defeat germany led year of heightened political , social turmoil, followed adoption, in august 1919, of relatively democratic constitutional structure. körting embarked on career in regional politics, standing spd candidate anhalt regional legislature. continued sit member of legislature (albeit couple of brief breaks) till april 1932. took part in trades union congresses, works council president wolfen agfa plant. on top of political , union roles, worked @ time lay judge.

régime change 2

with change of government in january 1933, körting s spd , union activities became illegal: resigned political positions , lost job @ agfa. later in 1933 detained 8 months @ oranienburg concentration camp. on release able find work agricultural labourer, , later during nazi years worked manager of agricultural enterprise. former spd member of legislative assembly lived under on-going gestapo supervision, however, , subjected several more periods of state detention. war resumed in 1939, , towards end of war period, in july 1944, caught in wave of arrests (de) (and worse) followed failure of hitler assassination plot in july 1944. in july or august otto körting arrested , placed in buchenwald concentration camp: sources differ whether detention lasted 4 months or longer. after release settled down @ little farm in bobbau.

régime change 3

the end of second world war appeared mark end of one-party government. körting re-engaged no longer illegal spd , became member of newly founded peasants mutual aid association. participated in land reform implementation (de), member of state land commission saxony.

in april 1946 controversial creation of socialist unity party of germany (sed / sozialistische einheitspartei deutschlands) opened way retreat political pluralism in soviet occupation zone. otto körting 1 of thousands same year signed spd membership across new sed. authorities largely successful in blocking re-emergence of old spd in soviet controlled zone. nevertheless, subsequent events suggest körting may not, @ stage, have entirely broken links whatever remained of spd in part of germany.

körting stood election, successfully, landtag of saxony-anhalt. october 1949, when soviet occupation zone re-founded soviet sponsored german democratic republic, considerable progress had been made in moving territory s constitutional arrangements towards model closely based on of soviet union itself. 1 aspect of insistence on leading role of ruling party, effectively, , later expressly, meant national assembly , regional legislative assemblies, along government ministers, operated according strictures of sed central committee. opposition parties not banned, reinvented bloc parties , grouped controlling structure called national front. representation in national legislature based not on election results on predetermined quotas of seats. feature lenin had incorporated soviet constitution introduction of various officially established mass organizations , entitled quota of seats in national , regional legislative assemblies way assert broadest possible support party policy. constitutional structure incorporating mass movements had not yet been created in soviet occupation zone 1946, in regional elections in saxony, peasants mutual aid association(vdgb / vereinigung der gegenseitigen bauernhilfe) participated though political party. received 2.5% of vote , otto körting, despite being known member of sed (party) 1 of 2 assembly members sit representative members of vdgb. next year, in november 1947, association held first bauerntag in berlin, in effect quasi-party congress name. körting elected first president of vdgb. had already, in 1946, been elected 1 of several vice-presidents of landtag of saxony-anhalt (regional legislature).

the vdgb first soviet style mass movement in become german democratic republic , had genuine mass membership in country s important farming sector, sector visibly more important @ time of widespread hunger , forced migration become peacetime economy settled down. therefore natural vdgb president otto körting allocated seat in german people s council, established in 1946 create constitution, , forerunner of new country s people s chamber (national legislative assembly / volkskammer). worked member of powerful (but short-lived) german economic commission.

fall

the months following foundation of german democratic republic coincided heightened political nervousness on part of authorities ruling sed struggled uncompromisingly establish de facto control on bloc parties. in march 1950 otto körting replaced chairman of vdgb s central committee because of uncomprehending attitude on question of democratising villages . 4 months later, in july 1950, excluded ruling sed because of alleged reactionary activities . when lost seat in landtag of saxony-anhalt. (the landtag abolished, along entire regional tier of government, less 2 years later.) insufficiently reformed (former) social democrat fell victim culture of party purges , false accusations. in 1952 arrested , held year in investigatory detention . released after year never returned politics. otto körting died @ dessau in summer of 1959.