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Committee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters

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Committee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters
Komitee der Antifaschistischen Widerstandskämpfer
Emblem of the Committee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters
Formation1953
Dissolved1990
HeadquartersBerlin
Location
AffiliationsInternational Federation of Resistance Fighters – Association of Anti-Fascists

The Committee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters (German: Komitee der Antifaschistischen Widerstandskämpfer) (KdAW) was an anti-fascist organization in the German Democratic Republic. It was composed of both victims of the Nazi regime and resistance fighters against Nazism.

History

The Committee of Antifascist Resistance Fighters (KdAW) was formed in 1953. Practically speaking, it functioned as the East German counterpart of the Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime (Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes). The KdAW enjoyed a close relationship with the Socialist Unity Party, although it was not a member of the National Front. The organization played an important role in the commemoration of German resistance to Nazism and The Holocaust in East Germany. East Germany utilized such commemorative functions to emphasize the anti-fascist orientation of the state. As such, members of the KdAW often played a role in educating students about the history of the Nazi era, and participated in oral history projects.

The KdAW was organized at the national, Bezirk (district) and Kreis (county) level. It also contained a number of working groups, which brought people with similar backgrounds together. The most prominent of these were groups for survivors of various concentration camps and prisons; for example one existed for former prisoners of Brandenburg-Görden Prison. Another working group was formed for veterans of the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War.

The KdAW was a member organization of the International Federation of Resistance Fighters – Association of Anti-Fascists.

After the Peaceful Revolution in 1990, the KdAW was reorganized into the Interessenverband ehemaliger Teilnehmer am antifaschistischen Widerstand, Verfolgter des Naziregimes und Hinterbliebener (IVVdN). The assets of the KdAW were acquired by the Treuhandanstalt, an agency charged with overseeing the economic components of German reunification. In 2002, the IVVdN became affiliated with the Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime.

Membership

Membership in the KdAW served as a means of accessing benefits. For instance, membership made one eligible to receive the Medal for Fighters Against Fascism.

Furthermore, the KdAW played a role in classifying individuals as "Persecuted by the Nazi regime" (Verfolgter des Naziregimes (VdN)). Designation of a person as VdN came with special benefits, including prioritized access to healthcare and housing.

Individuals designated as VdN also received an honorary pension. This pension was set at:

  • 1976: 1,000 marks
  • 1985: 1,300 marks
  • 1988: 1,400 marks

This honorary pension was increased for recipients of the Medal for Fighter Against Fascism. Such individuals were eligible to receive:

  • 1976: 1,200 marks
  • 1985: 1,500 marks
  • 1988: 1,700 marks

Following German reunification, these pensions continued to be paid by the state. This is notable since East German pensions were not always honored by the reunited Germany, as was often the case for National People's Army veterans.

References

  1. Ulrich, Horst, ed. (1985). DDR Handbuch [DDR Handbook] (in German). Vol. 1 (A-L). Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik. ISBN 9783804686427.
  2. Bouma, Amieke (2019-07-30). German Post-Socialist Memory Culture: Epistemic Nostalgia. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. doi:10.1515/9789048544677. ISBN 9789048544677.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ "Komitee der Antifaschistischen Widerstandskämpfer". runde-ecke-leipzig.de. Museum in der "Runden Ecke" . Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  4. "Unsere Geschichte" [Our History]. Berlin Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime (in German). 2016. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  5. "Statut der "Medaille für Kämpfer gegen den Faschismus 1933-1945" [Statute of the “Medal for Fighters against Fascism 1933-1945”]. Gesetzblatt der DDR (in German). 1: 198. 1958-02-22.
  6. "Richtlinien für die Anerkennung als Verfolgte des Naziregimes des Ministeriums für Arbeit und Gesundheitswesen der DDR" [Guidelines for recognition as victims of the Nazi regime of the GDR Ministry of Labor and Health]. Gesetzblatt der DDR (in German): 92. 1950-02-10.
  7. "Gesetz über Entschädigungen für Opfer des Nationalsozialismus im Beitrittsgebiet" [Law on compensation for victims of National Socialism in the accession area] (PDF). Bundesgesetzblatt (in German). 1: 906–908. 1992-04-22.
  8. Bickford, Andrew (2009). "Soldiers, Citizens, and the State: East German Army Officers in Post-Unification Germany". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 51 (2): 260–287. doi:10.1017/S0010417509000127. S2CID 145156837.
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