November 6 - Introducing Else Ackermann

Posted on November 6, 2020

Else Ackermann was born in Berlin, Germany, on this date in 1933.

Think about it: 1933. That was the year that Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany, the year the Reichstag (the parliament building) was set on fire, the year that many civil liberties were taken away from Germans, and the first Nazi concentration camp was completed, and Hitler became a dictator, and non-Nazi parties were banned!

Of course, little baby Else had nothing to do with any of that, but what a place-and-year to be born!

Ackermann survived Hitler and World War II. She found herself living in East Germany, which was the Soviet-aligned (and less free) portion of post-war Germany.

Key Points

Ackermann studied medicine, receiving a doctorate in 1958 and then going on to study pharmacology (the study of medicinal drugs) and toxicology (the study of poisons).

She worked as a professor, lecturer, and researcher rather than as a doctor. Her research was valuable in the field of medicine, including in the fight against cancer. But she is better known for her political work:

Beginning in 1985, Ackermann became involved in politics. Remember, she lived in East Germany; multiple parties were allowed, but the national parliament had little power, and political parties and elections were basically window dressing that made it seem as if the government was legitimate.

But times, they were a’changin’, and when Ackermann took over the chairmanship of a local arm of one of the political parties, in 1986, and she started making presentations that pushed for reform, for more democracy – well, instead of leading to her arrest and imprisonment, Ackermann’s ideas actually met with positive responses! Her presentations and a letter to the national-level directors helped East Germany to become more free, more democratic, and – in 1990 – it reunified with West Germany.