Rosa Thälmann

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Rosa Thälmann
Black and white headshot photograph of Thälmann in 1951
Thälmann in 1951
Born
Rosa Koch

(1890-03-27)27 March 1890
Bargfeld-Stegen, Germany
Died21 September 1962(1962-09-21) (aged 72)
Berlin, Germany
Resting place
Gedenkstätte der Sozialisten
CitizenshipGerman Democratic Republic
Political party
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1915; died 1944)​

Rosa Thälmann, née Rosa Koch (27 March 1890 – 21 September 1962), was a German communist politician and the wife of Ernst Thälmann, who was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) from 1925 to 1933.[1][2] They had a daughter named Irma in 1919.[2][3] Thälmann's husband was arrested by the Nazis in 1933 and held in solitary confinement in Buchenwald concentration camp.[1][2] In 1944, Thälmann and her daughter were arrested and taken to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Irma was later transferred to the Neubrandenburg subcamp.[3][4] While they were imprisoned, Ernst Thälmann was murdered by the Nazis in August 1944.[2][5] In 1945, Thälmann was subjected to a death march but was able to escape, and her daughter was liberated by the Red Army.[3] In 1953, Thälmann was awarded the Order of Karl Marx.[6] She also served as a deputy for the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in the Volkskammer.[2]

References

  1. Lemmons 2013, p. 24.
  2. Lucht, Torsten (9 February 2018). "Die Geschichte wohnt gleich nebenan". Südkurier (in German). Archived from the original on 21 July 2019.
  3. Dehle-Thälmann, Vera. "Rosa Thälmann". Faces of Europe. Daughters remember their mothers - Prisoners of the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  4. Morrison 2000, p. 84.
  5. Morrison 2000, p. 141.
  6. "Neuer Weg, Organ des Zentralkomitees für alle Parteiarbeiter 1953, Heft 19/22". gvoon.de (in German). Gvoon Arthur Schmidt. Retrieved 1 August 2026.

Bibliography