Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie
Name	Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie
Native name	Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V.
Formation	1993
Type	Non-profit organization
Headquarters	Berlin
Region served	Germany
Leader title	Chair

Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie is a German civic association founded in 1993 to promote democratic culture, historical memory, and civic engagement across Germany. The organization engages in public education, commemorative events, and advocacy related to historical injustices, political extremism, and human rights. Through partnerships with cultural institutions, academic bodies, and political foundations, it seeks to influence public discourse on memory, tolerance, and participation.

History

The association was established in the aftermath of German reunification, drawing on a lineage of initiatives associated with the Bundesrepublik Deutschland, the legacy of the Weimar Republic, and responses to the legacies of the Nazi Germany and the German Democratic Republic. Founding figures included activists and intellectuals who had worked in networks connected to the Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor, the Max Planck Society, and civic groups linked to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Early collaborations involved institutions such as the Stiftung Bundeskanzler-Adenauer-Haus, the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer, and university departments at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Freie Universität Berlin. Over time the association engaged with prominent cultural actors affiliated with the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Goethe-Institut, and archives like the Bundesarchiv and the Landesarchiv Berlin.

Mission and Objectives

The stated mission focuses on preserving historical memory, countering extremism, and fostering civic participation in line with postwar constitutional principles exemplified by the Grundgesetz. Objectives emphasize education about the crimes of Nationalsozialismus and repression in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, defending pluralistic values associated with the Pariser Platz institutions, and supporting victims represented by groups such as the Amnesty International national sections and the Ravensbrück Memorial. The association aligns its objectives with international frameworks including principles championed by the United Nations human rights bodies and networks like the European Centre for Minority Issues.

Organization and Governance

Governance is structured as an association with a board and an advisory council drawing members from political, academic, and cultural sectors. Board members have included personalities connected to the Bundestag, the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. Advisory input has come from scholars affiliated with the Leibniz Association, the Max-Planck-Institut für Bildungsforschung, and the Deutsches Historisches Museum, as well as representatives from institutions such as the Landtag and municipal authorities like the Senat von Berlin. Organizational decisions are often informed by consultations with legal experts from the Bundesverfassungsgericht-linked circles and educators connected to the Deutscher Lehrerbund.

Key Activities and Programs

Programs include public lectures, exhibitions, school workshops, commemorations, and awards. The association organizes events in cooperation with venues such as the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, the Deutsches Historisches Museum, the Topographie des Terrors, and the Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz. Educational outreach targets schools, collaborating with teacher networks from the Max-Planck-Gymnasium-affiliated programs and university projects at the Technische Universität Berlin and the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. The association has hosted symposia with participation by figures linked to the Bundeskanzleramt, the Europäisches Parlament, and the Council of Europe, and mounted exhibitions that toured institutions like the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Haus der Geschichte. It also confers recognitions modeled on civic prizes akin to awards given by the Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis and partners with memorial sites including the KZ-Gedenkstätte Sachsenhausen.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams combine membership fees, grants, and project funding from public and private entities. Partners and funders have included federal ministries such as the Bundesministerium des Innern, state cultural ministries like the Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa, and foundations including the Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and the VolkswagenStiftung. Cooperation networks span the European Union cultural programs, municipal governments like the Landeshauptstadt München, and international NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Collaboration with academic publishers and cultural institutions links the association to the DeGruyter and exhibition organizers at venues like the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.

Impact and Criticism

Supporters credit the association with sustaining public attention to the legacies of Holocaust persecution and the abuses of the Stasi, influencing curricular debates at the Kultusministerkonferenz, and contributing to commemorative culture in cities such as Berlin, Dresden, and Hamburg. Critics from various political and scholarly quarters have argued about perceived partisanship, the selection of historical narratives, and funding transparency, echoing critiques leveled in debates involving the Bundespresseamt and commentators from the Frankfurter Rundschau and the Die Zeit. Academic assessments in journals associated with the Deutsches Historisches Institut and the Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft have both praised pedagogical contributions and debated interpretive frameworks. The association remains a prominent actor in Germany’s plural public sphere, engaging with legislative actors in the Bundestag and civic networks across the European Union.

Category:Non-profit organisations based in Germany Category:Political advocacy groups in Germany