The Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation, consisting of the Young Pioneers and the Thälmann Pioneers, was a youth organisation of schoolchildren aged 6 to 13 in East Germany. They were named after Ernst Thälmann, the former leader of the Communist Party of Germany, who was executed at the Buchenwald concentration camp.
The group was a subdivision of the Freie Deutsche Jugend (FDJ, Free German Youth), East Germany's youth movement. It was founded on 13 December 1948 and broke apart in 1989 on German reunification. In the 1960s and 1970s, nearly all schoolchildren between ages 6 and 13 were organised into Young Pioneer or Thälmann Pioneer groups, with the organisations having "nearly two million children" collectively by 1975.
The pioneer group was loosely based on Scouting, but organised in such a way as to indoctrinate schoolchildren aged 6 – 13 with socialist ideology and prepare them for the Freie Deutsche Jugend, the FDJ. Afternoons spent at the pioneer group mainly consisted of a mixture of adventure, myth-like socialist indoctrination and the upkeep of revolutionary traditions. In the summer, children usually went to pioneer camps similar to the West German Wandervogel groups or the Scouts. International pioneer camps were also common, intended to foster friendship between different nationalities.
History
At the 17th congress of the FDJ's central council, the "Young Pioneers" were officially founded on 13 December 1948. It was the common political mass organisation for children in the GDR, run by the SED through the FDJ. From 1949 its chairwoman was Margot Feist, who would later marry Erich Honecker. From 1949 a newspaper was produced called "The Young Pioneer" (Der junge Pionier), later called "The Drum" (Die Trommel).
In 1949 the organisation already counted 714,258 young pioneers, i.e. about 30% of all school-age children in the Soviet zone. By the end of the 1950s the majority of school-age children in East Germany were in the Thälmann pioneer organisation, the range going from 67.4% in Berlin to 89.4% in Dresden. In 1989 there were nearly two million schoolchildren in the organisation, or 98% of all schoolchildren in East Germany.
The pioneers had a general meeting every few years, each time with a different theme. 1952 Dresden, opening meeting, naming of pioneers 1955 Dresden 1958 Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Für Frieden und Sozialismus (For Peace and Socialism) 1961 Erfurt, Bekenntnis zu ihrem sozialistischen Staat (Vow to the Socialist State) 1964 Chemnitz (then Karl-Marx-Stadt) 1970 Cottbus 1972 Dresden: performance show of the Young Pioneers / Thälmann Pioneers 1988 Chemnitz
In November 1989, there was unrest in the cities of the GDR, such as the Monday demonstrations in Leipzig. The evening before the GDR's 40th anniversary, the traditional parade of torches by the FDJ was accompanied by cries of "Gorbi, Gorbi!" (These events, as well as FDJ and Pioneer songs, are shown in the German language film Good Bye Lenin!). The pioneers' chairman, Wilfried Poßner, who had led the organisation for the last four years, resigned. He was succeeded by Birgit Gappa, who was given the task of reforming the organisation but became its last leader. In August 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and shortly before German reunification, the Ernst Thälmann Pioneer organisation was dissolved. Since then, there have been no pioneer organisations in Germany.
Slogan and greeting
The pioneers' slogan was Für Frieden und Sozialismus seid bereit – Immer bereit" ("For peace and socialism be ready – always ready"). This was usually shortened to "Be ready - always ready". This was recited at the raising of the flag. One person said the first part, "Be ready!": this was usually the pioneer leader, the teacher or the head of the local pioneer group. The pioneers all answered "Always ready", stiffening their right hand and placing it against their forehead with the thumb closest and their fingers facing skywards.
Uniform
The pioneers' uniform consisted of white shirts and blouses bought by their parents, along with blue trousers or skirts until the 1970s and on special occasions. But often the only thing worn was the most important sign of the future socialist – the triangular necktie. At first this was blue, but from 1973, the Thälmann pioneers wore a red necktie like the pioneers in the Soviet Union, while the Young Pioneers kept the blue one. Pioneers wore their uniforms at political events and state holidays such as the workers' demonstrations on May Day, as well as at school festivals and pioneer events.