Fritz Köster

Fritz Köster, real name: Friedrich Köster ( born February 13, 1855 in Rodenberg, † 1934) was a German author, editor, fitters, tilers, trade unionists, anti-militarist and anarcho-syndicalists.

Life

Fritz Köster, who was named for its numerous activities in former police reports as " leader of the Zurich anarchists ," was in the second half of the 1880s active in the Social Democratic Party. In 1885 he came during the period of socialist laws to Great Otter life.

The chairman of the trade union trade association for all professional groups for large otter life and surroundings, Max Sendig emigrated because of an ongoing criminal proceedings against him to America. A short time later Köster became chairman of the association and was operating illegally in activities of the social democratic movement. " In the United otter life ," wrote Koester, " I initially found all that was necessary for my spiritual, agitation, organizational and economic needs ....".

Because " anti-militarist propaganda " Koester was sentenced in 1886 to three months in prison. In 1887 he had illegally distributed leaflets which he received a 18- month sentence. He was 1890/1891 active in the Magdeburg social democracy and was at this time editor of Magdeburg people vote. Because some offending articles he got several jail sentences imposed. In order to avoid these fled Köster 1891 in Switzerland. He was in Zurich a member of the " Independent Socialists " and was active as a trade unionist. In Switzerland, he joined " a thing of the anarchist movement " ( Ludwig balance ). After his imprisonment limitation Köster 1910 traveled back to the United otter life and tried along with Gustav Landauer farm workers for the anarchist movement to win. Köster took an active part in a strike the United Otter Haderslev farmworkers in part and performed at public meetings in and around Magdeburg. In 1911 he moved to Berlin in 1912 to Dresden. For the Free Association of German Trade Unions ( FVdG ) he represented in 1912 as a delegate in Magdeburg Dresdner construction workers. Before the First World War he held on behalf of the FVdG several lecture tours. From the successor organization to the FVdG, the Free Workers Union of Germany ( FAUD ), Köster 1920 was elected to the Trade Commission. Even after his subsequent resignation from the Trade Commission, he was still active for the anarcho-syndicalist movement.

Publisher and editor

Fritz Köster was in 1911 editor of the left-wing weekly newspaper The Tribune. In Berlin he was on the editorial board of the journal The Pioneer worked as senior editor, he was hospitalized several criminal proceedings for three months in jail. In 1912 he resigned as editor. He also was editor of the anarcho-syndicalist newspaper The Creation. The creation was the organ of FAUD ( anarcho -syndicalists ) and published articles about the syndicalist women's federations, education and settlers projects as well as the individualistic anarchism. Köster promoted in the magazine, especially the rural communes and urban cooperatives.

Along with Helmut Rüdiger, Augustin Souchy, Max Winkler and Gerhard Wartenberg, he worked as an editor at the magazine The syndicalist.

About Köster there was a connection to the women's magazine The creative woman who was released from his wife Aimée Köster.

Fritz Köster also published under the pseudonym " Fridolin Cyclop ".

Writings (selection )

• Struggle and victory of the 1000 field workers of large otter life and environs in May 1910
• The Nameless. Memoirs of a German proletarian. In the journal " The Tribune ", 1911/1912 (more than 20 episodes).

Further Reading

• Hartmut Rübner: freedom and bread. The Free Workers Union of Germany. A study on the history of Anarchosyndikalismus.S. 80, 83, 84, 87, 161, 172, 177, 186 Libertad Publishing, Potsdam 1994. ISBN 3-922226-21-3.
• Hans Bursian, Willi Mader: source collection on the history of the Magdeburg labor movement from its beginnings to the present. Part 2 Series of the Department of History at the Pedagogical Institute Magdeburg. Issue 4 Magdeburg 1966.
• Hans- Manfred Bock: anarcho-syndicalism in Germany. An interim report. In: " International scientific correspondence regarding the history of the German workers' movement ." Issue 3, pp. 293 to 358, Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Political and Social Sciences. Base pressure Verlag, Berlin 1989
• Max Nettlau (ed. ), History of anarchy. In collaboration with the International Institute for Social History ( IISH, Amsterdam). Newly published by Heiner Becker. Library Thélème, Münster 1993, 1st edition, reprint of the edition Berlin, Verlag The Syndicalist, 1927. History of anarchy, vol.5, p 237