Communist Organizing in Eastern Germany (1945-46)

Figure 1.--After defeating NAZI Germany in 1945, the Soviets and German Communists began organizing a People's Republic in the Soviet occupation zone of eastern Germany. Here we see a boy in rural East Germany in 1946 walking beside a group of politically organized farm workers ("landarbeiter"). They are dressed up in their best clothes (as opposed to work clothes for the field) and being led along a country road beside a planted field by some Communist officials playing brass instruments in a local parade.

After defeating NAZI Germany in 1945, the Soviets and German Communists began organizing a People's Republic in the Soviet occupation zone of eastern Germany. The Communists organized groups that they could rely on for support. I am not quite sure how they approached rural people. Here we see a boy in rural East Germany in 1946 walking beside a group of politically organized farm workers ("landarbeiter"). They are dressed up in their best clothes (as opposed to work clothes for the field) and being led along a country road beside a planted field by some Communist officials playing brass instruments in a local parade. Part of a barn is visible in the upper right hand corner. Villagers from nearby seem to be participating also in the parade. The schoolboy in the foreground, about 10 years old, wears typical German rural dress of the period--a white shirt, a haltar or dark suspender shorts with a halter top, and long stockings, probably dark brown in color. German boys at the time commonly wore short pants even during the Winter. During the colder months they would wear shorts with long stockings. It appears to be a chilly day in the early autumn or spring. The men are dressed much more warmly than the boy. Some of the instrumentalists are wearing long overcoats. Note the Soviet flag with the hammer and sickle. These men are obviously Germans, yet crry the Soviet flag. We do not know the exact location in East Germany but we have a good idea of the date. The photo comes from a German magazine featuring East Germany in 1945 and 1946 just after World War II had ended. Unfortunately, the name and date of the magazine are not specified in the source.

Created: 4:41 AM 1/29/2005
Last updated: 4:41 AM 1/29/2005