Wilhelm Peak, a brief biography of whichset out in this article, is the founder of the German Communist Party. He is the head of the German Bolsheviks, a prominent leader of the Comintern, a deputy of the Reichstag, the first and only president of the German Democratic Republic.
Childhood
Wilhelm Peak, whose biography is veryfascinating, born January 3, 1876 in Guben. His house was located in the eastern part of the city. Wilhelm's father was a personal driver. After receiving education the young man went to travel. It was taken in the old days. Wilhelm was educated strictly in the Catholic tradition.
Education
First, Wilhelm graduated from the ordinary folkhigh school. Then his father sent his son to study carpenter. Opposite the school was a prison, and Wilhelm often saw prisoners. They were mostly thieves, murderers and troublemakers. Teachers kept telling William to keep him away from them. Finally the vocational training was over and, having become an apprentice carpenter, he went to look for a job.
Union membership
On the way, he met a young guypotter apprentice. And Wilhelm Peak, before he even became a worker, joined the woodworkers union. Money was paid there, but not much, 2 pfennings per kilometer. His task was to agitate the people met to join the trade union. Wilhelm felt so in his element that he even joined the singing circle first, and then, in 1895, into the SPD (German Social Democratic Party).
From 1896 he got a job as a carpenter in Bremen.And from 1899 he headed the district party organization in the same city. In 1905, he chaired the SPD and was elected to the city parliament. In 1906, V. Peak was promoted to party secretaryorganizations. From 1907 to 1908, V. Peak studied at a party school. At that time, R. Luxemburg strongly influenced his views. In 1910, he became head of education in the SPD secretariat.
During the First World War
During World War I, William was furious.opposed to dividing the world into classes and actively participated in the left social democratic movement. He managed to persuade two thousand women to anti-government unrest. For this, Peak landed in Moabit prison, from which they wanted to send him to the front. But he avoided this by sitting down as a telephonist.
In 1917Wilhelm Peak refused to go to the front and received 1.5 years in prison for this, but his fellow lawyers obtained an acquittal. Wilhelm disappeared in Amsterdam, and at the same time distributed the printed edition of "Struggle". In 1918, the uprising began in the German navy. Peak at this time had already returned to Berlin and was again in the thick of things. The leaders of the uprising were arrested and executed, but Pick managed to escape again thanks to a fake passport.
Post-war activities
In Berlin, V. Peak returned after the war.He became a co-founder of the KKE (Communist Party of Germany). In 1919, he participated in the uprising and was arrested. He was a witness at the final interrogation of K. Liebknecht and R. Luxemburg. Unlike them, he managed to escape from arrest.
In 1920, V. Peak legalized and turned out to be the fourth on the listelections to the Reichstag. But only Levi and Zetkin could become deputies, as the Reds gained only 1.7% of the vote. Peak began a stormy activity to seize party power. His main goal was to discredit the chairman. As a result, Levi was still removed from office and expelled from the party.
Political career
In 1921Wilhelm Peak was elected to the executive committee of the Communist International. Then he met with Lenin. At the JCGG congress, it was decided to send V. Peak to the Russian leader in Moscow. He commended his efforts to purge among the Communists. Peak at this time met with such famous personalities as Dzerzhinsky, Lunacharsky and Kalinin. Subsequently, these relationships were strong and fruitful.
At the same time, V. Peak – депутат прусского ландтага.He remained in this position until 1928, before being elected to the Reichstag. In 1922, V. Peak became one of the founders of the Red international assistance, and three years later - the chairman of this organization in Germany. In 1923, two attempts at a coup d'etat were committed in Germany, a red terror swept across the country. But the authorities quickly put down all rebellions.
Wilhelm was accused of "Luxemburgism" andwas forced to leave the party post. His place was taken by Telman. For half a year, Wilhelm Peak worked as a district secretary. But he was not forgotten in Moscow, and Peak was included in the members of the Executive Committee of the Comintern. In 1931, he became a member of the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist International, representing Germany in it.
In 1933when Hitler was in power, the persecution of the German Communists began. Wilhelm participated in the illegal meeting of the Central Committee of the KKE, which was held near Berlin. And in August 1933, he was deprived of German citizenship. In 1934, Yon Sher was killed. V.Pik was his deputy and, accordingly, headed the Communist Party. But in August he was forced to leave for Paris.
True, the Communist Party of Germanycontinued its activities, but only underground, from abroad. In 1935, at the Brussels conference, V.Pik was elected to the post of the chairman of the KPD while E. Telman was in prison. Peak went to Moscow. In 1943, he became one of the organizers of the national committee "Free Germany".
Presidency
He returned to Berlin Peak only in 1945.and continued in Germany political activities. Wilhelm tried to unite the KPD and the SPD. In 1946, V. Peak, together with O. Grotewohl, co-chaired the SED. In 1949, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was formed. Its first and only president was Wilhelm Peak. In this post he remained until his death. V. Peak died in 1960, at the age of 84 years.
"Trusted people"
Throughout his life V.The peak enjoyed the great trust of the people. He constantly risked himself, showed heroism, unbending will and courage. Much energy had to be given to the struggle against the leadership, which had betrayed the interests of the peasants and workers. V. Pick was able to avoid reprisal of the enemies thanks to exceptional self-control. He never panicked.
During the Nazi regime, he constantly risked his life by organizing secret meetings and meetings. Engaged in rallying the separate party groups together.
So, Wilhelm Peak - who is it?An active fighter for justice, for people's interests. He could pay with his life for every careless step. It was impossible to gain the trust of the people without deep knowledge. And Peak has always found something new, constantly learning, improving his intellect.
Еще одной чертой, которая привлекала народ к Wilhelm, was his sincerity. She felt everyone who has ever met with the German leader. V.Pik willingly talked not only with statesmen and deputies, but was always glad to hear any peasant, old man, worker.
Он любил ходить на предприятия, в институты и institutions, to be among the people, knew his problems and empathized them. Often he could even ask unpleasant questions, but he got to the bottom of it, however. Wilhelm Peak is a man with an inexhaustible sense of humor, but at the same time modest. Loved art. His ability to work was inexhaustible. V.Pik was a fearless fighter for justice and always advocated friendship among nations.
