Alexander Abusch

Alexander Abusch
Alexander Abusch
	Alexander Abusch in 1966
Minister of Culture of the German Democratic Republic
	In office; December 1958 – January 1961
Preceded by	Johannes R. Becher
Succeeded by	Hans Bentzien
Personal details
Born	14 February 1902; Kraków, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary or Nuremberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Died	27 January 1982 (aged 79); East Berlin, German Democratic Republic
Political party	KPD (1918–1946) ; SED (1946–1982)
Profession	Journalist, writer, politician

Alexander Abusch (14 February 1902 – 27 January 1982)^[1] was a German journalist, non-fiction writer, and politician.

According to one source he was born into a Jewish family in Kraków, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary.^[1] According to another source, he was born in Nuremberg,^[2] where, in the suburb of Gostenhof, he grew up, attended school, served his apprenticeship and had his first full-time job.^[1] His father worked as a coachman and scrap metal dealer, and later opened a hat shop. His mother also worked as a small trader.^[1]

Abusch joined the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1918. He was editor of several KPD publications. In 1937, he became part of the exiled KPD leadership in Paris, later in Toulouse. In 1941, he moved to Mexico, where he became a member of the Free Germany Movement. Between 1948 and 1950 he was part of the party leadership of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. He worked as a Secret Informer for the Stasi. Between 1958 and 1961 he served as Minister of Culture of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).^[3] It was in his role as Minister of Culture that he ordered the demolition of princely castle of Putbus on Rügen.^[4]

He published under the pen name Ernst Reinhardt.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Karin Hartewig; Bernd-Rainer Barth. "Abusch, Alexander * 14.2.1902, † 27.1.1982 Minister für Kultur" (in German). Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur: Biographische Datenbanken. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
^ Cross-Section: Anthology of the PEN Centre German Democratic Republic Edition Leipzig, 1970. p. 18.
^ "Abusch, Alexander (1902–1982)". Das Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archives). 2004-2005. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
^ Ralph Sommer, Verein will Schloss Putbus auf Rügen wieder aufbauen, Nordkurier, 8 December 2019 [1]