Remember Erich Lindstaedt. He rests here in Stadtfriedhof Ricklingen. Lindstaedt’s life was one of dedication to social justice. He faced persecution and exile. Yet, he returned to help rebuild a shattered nation.
Erich Lindstaedt was born in Rixdorf near Berlin in 1906. His father’s early death forced him to become independent. At 14, he began a commercial apprenticeship. Even as a young apprentice, Lindstaedt showed leadership. He founded an apprentice group. He led them into the organized worker youth movement.
Lindstaedt became secretary of the Socialist Workers Youth. He was responsible for hiking programs. In 1930, he was elected chairman of the Berlin SAJ. He lost this position in 1931. He then became a full-time secretary for the Hamburg Workers Youth League.
The rise of the Nazis changed everything for Erich Lindstaedt. After the SAJ was banned, he joined a resistance group. He was arrested in 1933. After being imprisoned for some months, he fled to Czechoslovakia. There, he used the alias Erich Ernst. He worked for the Socialist Youth Association of the German minority. He maintained contact with illegal worker youth groups in Germany. After the Munich Agreement in 1938, he fled to Sweden.
In Sweden, Lindstaedt lived as a refugee. He worked odd jobs to survive. He became involved with the Swedish Socialist Youth League. He sought to maintain contact with the resistance in Germany. German police considered him an enemy of the state. In 1940, he was placed on a special search list. This list was for people to be arrested after a successful invasion of Britain.
After the war, Erich Ollenhauer asked Lindstaedt to return to Germany. In 1946, he took over the leadership. It was the central secretariat of the new social democratic youth movement in Hanover. He secured support from the Swedish Socialist Youth League. This helped the movement join the Socialist Youth International.
Lindstaedt became co-chairman of the Falken. The Falken were a continuation of earlier worker youth movements. Lindstaedt focused on the political role of youth. He wanted the organization to advocate for children and youth. This was in the pre-parliamentary space. In 1948, he became the sole chairman of the Falken.
He played an active role. It was in the founding of the German Federal Youth Council. He became its deputy chairman in 1949. He held this position until his death.
During a worker youth day in Hamburg in 1951, he became ill. He died in a hospital in Hanover in 1952. Erich Lindstaedt is buried here. His work helped shape the landscape of German youth politics.
The city of Hanover has honored Erich Lindstaedt. The Erich-Lindstaedt-Hof in Hanover-Wettbergen bears his name. His grave may become an honorary grave of the city. Lindstaedt’s legacy lives on. His books continue to inspire. They are Mit Hordentopf und Rucksack and Mit uns zieht die neue Zeit. These writings document the history of the German worker youth movement. Lindstaedt’s life reminds us. It highlights the importance of standing up for social justice. Even in the face of adversity.