Friedl Fürnberg

Born May 16, 1902. Figure in the Austrian and international working-class movement.

In 1918, Fürnberg joined the Social Democratic Party of Austria. He became a member of the Communist Party of Austria (CPA) in 1919 and a member of the party’s Central Committee in 1924. Fürnberg was a leader of the Communist Youth League of Austria for many years. From 1926 to 1932 he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Communist Youth International, and for a number of years he was secretary of the Executive Committee. Between 1932 and 1936 he served first as secretary of the fourth district committee of the CPA in Vienna and then as secretary of the Vienna city committee of the CPA and as a member of the Secretariat of the party’s Central Committee.

Fürnberg was first elected to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPA in 1924. From 1937 to 1943 he was a staff member of the Comintern. Because of his revolutionary activities, he was continually persecuted and was arrested several times. From 1938 to 1945, during the fascist German occupation of Austria, Fürnberg helped organize the struggle against fascism and for Austrian national independence. He is the author of works dealing with the Austrian and international working-class and communist movements.

Fürnberg was awarded the Order of the October Revolution in 1972.