Katja Kipping facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katja Kipping Senator a.D. MdL a.D. MdB a.D.
Kipping in 2020
Senator for Integration, Labour and Social Affairs of Berlin
In office 21 December 2021 – 27 April 2023
Governing Mayor	Franziska Giffey
Preceded by	Elke Breitenbach
Succeeded by	Cansel Kiziltepe
Leader of The Left
In office 2 June 2012 – 27 February 2021 Serving with Bernd Riexinger
Preceded by	Gesine Lötzsch
Succeeded by	Janine Wissler
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Bundestag for Saxony In office 18 October 2005 – 3 January 2022 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by Clara Bünger Constituency The Left List Member of the Landtag of Saxony In office 13 October 1999 – 31 October 2005 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by Monika Runge Constituency The Left List Member of the City Council of Dresden In office April 1999 – December 2003 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by multi-member district
Personal details
Born	(1978-01-18) 18 January 1978 (age 47) Dresden, East Germany
Political party	The Left (2007–)
Other political affiliations	Party of Democratic Socialism (1998–2007)
Children	1
Residences	Dresden Berlin
Alma mater	Dresden University of Technology
Occupation	Politician

Katja Kipping (born 18 January 1978) is a German politician. She is a member of The Left party. She was a member of the German parliament, called the Bundestag, from 2005 to 2021. She also led The Left party from 2012 to 2021 with Bernd Riexinger. From December 2021 to April 2023, she served as a Senator in the Berlin government. Her role was to help with integration, work, and social issues.

Early Life and Education

Katja Kipping was born on 18 January 1978 in Dresden, which was then part of East Germany. After finishing high school in 1996, she spent a year volunteering in Gatchina, Russia. This is called a voluntary social year.

She then studied at the Dresden University of Technology. She focused on Slavic languages, American studies, and public law. In 2003, she earned her master's degree. Her final project looked at how literature and politics are connected. During her studies, she lived with four other students.

Today, Katja Kipping lives in both Berlin and Dresden. She married Kolja Müller, a political scientist, in 2011. They have one daughter.

Start of Political Career

When Katja Kipping started university, she became very active in student protests. She spoke for groups like Red Tree and Green League. In 1998, she joined a political party called the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS).

She was elected to the city council of Dresden in 1999 and served until 2003. She then became a member of the Landtag of Saxony, which is the state parliament for Saxony. She was elected in 1999 when she was just 21 years old, making her the youngest member. She worked on traffic and energy policies for her party. In 2003, she became a deputy leader of the PDS. She focused on social issues and connecting with social movements.

Kipping was part of a group of young politicians who wanted to make the PDS party more modern. They wanted to focus on protecting the environment, making society fairer, and supporting social movements. She strongly supported combining the PDS with another party called Labour and Social Justice (WASG). These two parties teamed up for the 2005 national election. Katja Kipping was elected to the Bundestag, Germany's national parliament.

In June 2007, the PDS and WASG officially joined together to form a new party called The Left. Katja Kipping was chosen as a deputy chairperson of this new party. She was re-elected to the Bundestag in 2009. She then became the head of the committee that deals with work and social issues.

In 2009, she helped start a group within The Left party called Emancipatory Left. This group believes in "socialism and freedom." Kipping also became an editor for a left-wing magazine called Prague Spring. This magazine became the main publication for her group.

Leading The Left Party

Kipping speaking at a protest in support of Edward Snowden in Berlin in 2013

On 2 June 2012, Katja Kipping was elected as one of the two leaders of The Left party. She won 67% of the votes. Her co-leader was Bernd Riexinger.

In the Bundestag, Kipping was the spokesperson for social affairs for The Left. She strongly disagreed with a program called Hartz IV, which provided unemployment benefits. She wanted to end it and instead create a universal basic income. This would mean everyone gets a regular payment from the government, regardless of whether they work. She also wanted to shorten the work week from five days to four.

During the European refugee crisis in 2015, Kipping supported Germany's decision to welcome refugees. She wanted to make it easier for immigrants to become citizens. She also called for a "new social contract." This would ensure that everyone has rights and social support, no matter where they come from.

Kipping with Bernd Riexinger at the 2018 Left party congress

In her book, New Left Majorities: An Invitation, Kipping talks about changing the economy. She calls for an "economy of commons." This idea means that people's needs should be more important than making profits. She believes in sharing resources, especially digital technology. This would help people work together for the good of everyone. It could also make work easier for people. Another idea she supports is "infrastructure socialism." This means that basic needs like healthcare, housing, and transportation should be guaranteed for everyone.

Kipping has often said that The Left party should work with other parties. She believes they should form governments with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Greens. In 2019, she wrote that these parties should work together. She wanted them to make big changes to the economy and society. She pointed to Berlin's approach to the housing crisis as a good example. She also supported a vote to take over large real estate companies in Berlin. Kipping felt that many voters were unhappy because left-wing parties were not being bold enough. She believed a strong platform could lead to a left-wing majority.

Katja Kipping ran for the Bundestag in the Dresden I area from 2005 to 2021. She usually placed second or third. Her best result was 25.0% of the votes in 2013. In 2021, she came in second with 18.9% of the votes.

In August 2020, Kipping and Bernd Riexinger announced they would step down as party leaders. This was because party rules say a person cannot hold the same position for more than eight years. Their successors were chosen in February 2021. Janine Wissler took over Kipping's role as female co-chair.

Senator in Berlin

Kipping at the swearing-in of the Giffey senate in 2021

On 2 December 2021, Katja Kipping was chosen for a new role. She became the Senator for Integration, Labour, and Social Affairs in the Berlin government. She took over from Elke Breitenbach. She was sworn in on 21 December 2021. She served in this position until 27 April 2023.

Other Activities

Katja Kipping is a founding member and board member of the Institute of Solidary Modernity. This is a think tank that focuses on left-wing ideas. It was started in 2010.

Images for kids

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  Kipping at an anti-fascist demonstration in Dresden in 2010

See also

In Spanish: Katja Kipping para niños