Consider this plaque a portal to a tumultuous time. Here on Karl-Liebknecht-Stra\u00dfe 4, stood the home and law office of Hugo Haase from 1912 to 1919. This Hugo Haase Plaque commemorates a pivotal figure in German history. A man who stood for justice and peace during a period of immense upheaval.
Hugo Haase was born in Allenstein, now Olsztyn, in 1863. He rose from humble beginnings to become a prominent lawyer and politician. A son of a shoemaker, he studied law in K\u00f6nigsberg. He joined the Social Democratic Party in 1887.
Imagine Haase in his K\u00f6nigsberg law office. He was a champion of the underdog. He defended workers, farmers, and fellow social democrats. His popularity grew, earning him a seat in the K\u00f6nigsberg parliament in 1894.
From 1897 to 1907, Hugo Haase served in the Reichstag. He was elected SPD co-chairman alongside August Bebel in 1911. Again, in 1912, Haase became a Reichstag member. The weight of leadership fell upon him when Bebel died in 1913. Haase and Friedrich Ebert were then elected SPD co-chairmen.
Picture the Reichstag during the tense years leading up to World War I. Hugo Haase, a staunch pacifist, protested Germany’s participation. Yet, party discipline forced him to vote for war appropriations. This internal conflict led him to resign as chairman in 1916.
In April 1917, Hugo Haase co-founded the Independent Social Democratic Party. This was a party known as USPD. As leader, he became a member of the Council of People’s Commissioners in November 1918. He shared chairmanship with Ebert. His responsibilities included external affairs and colonies.
The revolution raged around them. Disagreements over military policy led Hugo Haase and other USPD members to resign in December 1918.
Tragically, on October 8, 1919, a deranged attacker seriously wounded Hugo Haase. He succumbed to his injuries on November 7, 1919.
This Hugo Haase Plaque serves as a reminder. It reminds us of his unwavering commitment to social justice and peace. It also reminds us of the turbulent era in which he lived and fought for his beliefs. Let us remember Hugo Haase. He was a man of conviction in a time of great change.