Maria Reese | |
|---|---|
| Born | Maria Meyer 5 January 1889 |
| Died | 9 October 1958 |
| Occupation(s) | Activist & politician Writer and journalist |
| Political party | SPD KPD |
| Spouse | Gottlieb Reese (1880–1949) |
| Children | Harro Dagobert Reese (1923–1944) |
| Parent(s) | Anton Meyer Katharina Eis/Meyer |
Maria Reese (born Maria Meyer: 5 January 1889 – 9 October 1958) was a German teacher who became a writer and journalist.[1] She was also politically active, and sat as a member of the national parliament (Reichstag) between 1928 and 1933.[2]
For most of her time in the Reichstag she was a Communist member.[3] However, in 1933, after spending time in Moscow she became appalled by the careerist functionaries surrounding Stalin. (The dictator's potential rivals for power and influence had, in most cases, disappeared from the scene by this time.)[4] She managed to escape from the Soviet Union and pursued a complicated political trajectory which included a period working for the Nazi government in the Anti-Comintern department of the Propaganda Ministry.
Her son was shot for suspected desertion in 1944, but a few months later she received a letter from the military high court stating that this had resulted from an error.[5] After 1945 she re-converted Roman Catholicism.[6]