Hermann Brill - “To tell the German people which measures are necessary.”

In 1943, Hermann Brill was transferred from prison to the Buchenwald concentration camp. The Social Democrat and doctor of law had been condemned for “preparations for high treason” in 1938. His political career as a member of the Thuringian Landtag and of the Reichstag had ended when the Nazis came to power. He left Thuringia and went to Berlin, where he was active in the resistance until his arrest. In Buchenwald he established the Popular Front Committee, a secret, non-partisan circle of political inmates. The manifesto “For Freedom, Peace and Socialism” which he introduced after the liberation was based on their discussions. In 1945 he held the office of chief administrator of Thuringia before going to Hesse. He was involved in drafting the Federal German constitution and was a member of the Bundestag.