Comrade

When Comrade (from Old High German: ginoz - someone enjoying something with another, usufruct has ) one called earlier a companion or companions ( comrade, oath mate ), so someone with whom they had shared a common experience in a particular area, the had the same goals and on whom one could rely for this reason.

In politics, especially in social democratic, socialist and communist parties, trade unions and anarchist organizations, members and activists are often called " comrades " and refers and name terms " comrades". The use of the term comrade as a political form of address by going back to the founding of the Socialist Workers Party ( SAP). The NSDAP changed the word to " party member " (abbreviated " Pg ") and " contemporary folk " from.

In the German Commercial Law are members of a cooperative to 2006 were referred to as " comrades".

In the GDR, was the term "comrade" the official form of address for members of the police and army in connection with the service level (for example, Comrade Major ).

Use in political importance in the English and Romance languages

In the English -speaking world and most of the Romance languages ​​within political organizations of the left spectrum, the corresponding term for members of the German term comrade from the Latin word "camera " ( German: room) derived. The importance of content and the user thereby transported coloration are different from language because of the various national developments and experiences of socialist and social democratic currents of language.

The English language knows the term " comrade " (literally German: PAL ). You can be there though also used in the military sense, but mostly serves as a politicized form of address. In parallel, the French camarade from the same Latin root is derived. The origin of the term in its political significance stands from the perspective of the labor movement in connection with the rejection of feudal and bourgeois manners as madame, monsieur or mademoiselle and the search for a replacement with more egalitarian expression.

In the political culture of France, this form of address in the Communist Party and communist currents is nowadays more commonly used than in the Socialist Party. Also in Spanish and Portuguese are each camarada familiar, but has been in Latin America in particular influenced by the Cuban Revolution, the Spanish phrase comrade / compañera and in Portuguese-speaking Brazil in the Brazilian Workers' Party ( Partido dos Trabalhadores ) companheiro / companheira enforced.

An exception is the Italian. This corresponds compagno the German word comrade. Camerata, however, certain personal contact in the fascist movement and subsequent dictatorship and is also still used in self- claimed successor organizations.