Hans Jendretzky
Hans Jendretzky | |
|---|---|
 Jendretzky in 1946 | |
| First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party in Berlin | |
| In office 18 October 1948 – 8 August 1953 Serving with Ernst Hoffmann | |
| Preceded by | Hermann Matern |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Neumann |
| Chairman of the Free German Trade Union Federation | |
| In office 1946–1948 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Warnke |
| Member of the Volkskammer for Berlin | |
| In office 16 November 1958 – 5 April 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Multi-member district |
| In office 18 March 1948 – 17 October 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Multi-member district |
| Member of the Landtag of Prussia for Frankfurt an der Oder | |
| In office 14 June 1928 – 25 May 1932 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Multi-member district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 July 1897 |
| Died | 2 July 1992 (aged 94) |
| Party | USPD (1919–1920) KPD (1920–1946) SED (1946–1971) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Gustav Ernst Hans Jendretzky (20 July 1897 – 2 July 1992) was a German Communist politician. He was a prominent politician of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).[1]
Political career
Weimar era
He became a member of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1919 and of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1920. In the 1920s, he was one of the most prominents members of the KPD, and was head of the Roter Frontkämpferbund in Berlin-Brandenburg. He was a member of the Landtag of Prussia from 1928 to 1932 and served as secretary of the KPD's sub-district in Frankfurt an der Oder from 1929 to 1932.[2]
Nazi era and imprisonment
In 1934, he was sentenced to three years of prison, being charged with "conspiracy to commit high treason."[3]
Post-war career
After World War II, he became active in communist politics in the Soviet Occupation Zone, and was president of the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB) 1946-1948, First Secretary (head) of the East Berlin SED district from 1948 to 1953. He was a candidate to the politburo from 1950, deputy minister of the Interior from 1957 to 1960, a member of the SED central committee 1957-1989, member of the Volkskammer 1950-1954 and 1958-1989.
Jendretzky famously denounced the Freedom Bell in West Berlin, a gift from Americans as a sign of the fight against communism in Europe, as the "death bell", warning: "The rope of the death bell will become the gallows rope for those who ring it."[4]
Literature
- Hermann Weber/Andreas Herbst: Deutsche Kommunisten. Biographisches Handbuch 1918 bis 1945, Berlin: Karl Dietz Verlag 2004, S. 344-345 ISBN 3-320-02044-7
References
- ^ "Biografie von Hans Jendretzky, 1897-1992". gewerkschaftsgeschichte.de. Geschichte der Gewerkschaften. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Hans Jendretzky". columbiahaus.de. German Resistance Memorial Center. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ Wer war wer in der DDR bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Arch Puddington, Broadcasting Freedom: The Cold War Triumph of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, 2003, p. 21
External links
- Jendretzky, Hans (*July 20, 1897 -†July 2, 1992) FDGB-Lexikon, Berlin 2009
- Hans Jendretzky in the German National Library catalogue