Siegmund Glücksmann facts for kids

Siegmund Glücksmann (born May 30, 1884 – died October 6, 1942) was a German-Jewish socialist politician. He was a very important person in the German minority socialist movement in Poland during the 1920s and 1930s. He was known as the 'party ideologue,' meaning he helped shape the party's main ideas. He also represented the part of the movement that followed Marxism, a set of ideas about society and economics.

Biography

Early Life and Political Start

Siegmund Glücksmann went to secondary school in Wadowitz. There, he joined a group for socialist students. In 1905, he moved to Kraków to study Law at the Jagiellonian University. He also worked with socialist newspapers and magazines. By 1910, he became a member of the Jewish Social Democratic Party (ŻPSD).

In 1911, another Jewish socialist group joined the ŻPSD. This made the party stronger. Siegmund Glücksmann became a member of the main leadership team of the now unified ŻPSD.

War and New Beginnings

In 1913, Siegmund Glücksmann started advanced studies in Law. However, his university studies were stopped when First World War began. He joined the army and became an officer. He was in charge of a group of soldiers called carabiners. Siegmund Glücksmann was hurt during the war. After the war, he settled down in Bielsko (Bielitz). In Bielsko, he opened his own law office.

In Bielsko, he became friends with many German thinkers and writers. He was chosen to be part of the town council. In 1920, he helped with a social democratic election group called 'Forward'. He was a key leader of the Austrian Social Democratic Party in Bielsko. He also worked with their newspaper, Volksstimme.

In 1922, he helped combine the Austrian Social Democratic Party in Bielitz with German Social Democratic groups in Upper Silesia. This created the German Social Democratic Party (DSDP). This new party aimed to bring together German socialists all over Poland. Later, after some groups joined together, the DSDP became the German Socialist Labour Party in Poland (DSAP).

Leading the Party's Ideas

After Józef Piłsudski came to power in Poland in 1926, Siegmund Glücksmann believed they should oppose the new government. He said that Piłsudski had left behind socialist ideas. Because of Glücksmann's efforts, the DSAP and the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) organized their first joint protests. In the 1930s, he thought it was important to work with the Communist Party of Poland. In 1934, he strongly urged the DSAP to join forces with the communists to fight against fascism.

Facing Challenges

Siegmund Glücksmann was happy when the Communist International decided in 1935 to support a "Popular Front." This meant different groups could work together against fascism. However, in Bielsko, local National Socialists (a fascist group) started to bother and threaten Glücksmann. Because of these attacks, he stepped down from his role as the leader of the DSAP group in the Bielsko area. But the attacks against the party did not stop.

Escape and Final Days

In September 1939, when World War II began, Siegmund Glücksmann and his family had to flee. They went to Volhynia and then to Lwów (Lemberg or Lviv). In Lwów, he started working as a teacher of Arithmetics. In late 1940, the Soviets took over the area. Siegmund Glücksmann was then sent away to Yoshkar-Ola, where he worked cutting wood.

Later, an agreement was made between the Polish government in exile and the Soviets. This agreement, called the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement, allowed Glücksmann to leave Yoshkar-Ola. In late 1941, he moved to Bukhara. Sadly, he died from typhoid in a Bukhara hospital on October 6, 1942. His wife and children later returned to Poland. Eventually, they moved to Sweden.