Paul Merker. A Communist in the Malstream of History (1894-1969)

Bildinfo

Merker (far left in the second row) at the founding of the GDR in the People's Council meeting on 7.10.1949. Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-W1126-311 / Kolbe / CC-BY-SA 3.0, Bundesarchiv Bild 183-W1126-311, Berlin, DDR-Gründung, 9. Volksratsitzung, Rede Pieck, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

Book project
Beginn des Projektes
February 2019

 

Paul Merker, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Socialist Unity Party (SED) was the highest-ranking East German Communist politician to fell victim of the Stalinist repression in the 1950s in the GDR. Paradoxically, Merker, a non-Jew, was targeted as a scapegoat in a so-called anti-Zionist campaign that was essentially part of Stalin's anti-Semitic policies. The planned book attempts to present the first full-scale political biography of Paul Merker.