Adolph Hoffmann

Adolph Hoffmann
Hoffmann in 1911
Chairman of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
In office October 1920 – 4 December 1920
Serving with	Ernst Däumig
Preceded by	Arthur Crispien
Succeeded by	Arthur Crispien
Minister of Culture of the Free State of Prussia
In office 12 November 1918 – 4 January 1919
Minister-President	Paul Hirsch
Serving with	Konrad Haenisch
Preceded by	Friedrich Schmidt-Ott
Succeeded by	Konrad Haenisch
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Reichstag In office 24 June 1920 – 27 May 1924 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Multi-member district Constituency Berlin In office 1904 – 25 January 1907 Preceded by Franz Hofmann Succeeded by Robert Merkel Constituency Saxony 22 Member of the Landtag of Prussia for Potsdam II In office 14 June 1928 – 1 December 1930 Preceded by Multi-member district In office 10 March 1921 – September 1921 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Wilhelm Pieck Member of the Prussian State Assembly In office 13 March 1919 – 10 March 1921 Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1858-03-23)23 March 1858 Berlin, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia
Died	1 December 1930(1930-12-01) (aged 72) Berlin, Province of Brandenburg, Free State of Prussia, Weimar Republic
Party	SAP (1876–1890) SPD (1890–1917, after 1922) USPD (1917–1920, 1922) KPD (1920–1921) KAG (1921–1922)
Occupation	Politician Publisher Editor Gilder Engraver
Central institution membership 1920–1921: Full member, KPD Zentrale Other offices held 1908–1918: Member, Prussian House of Representatives 1900–1928: Member, Berlin City Council

Johann Franz Adolph Hoffmann (23 March 1858 – 1 December 1930) was a German socialist politician and Prussian Minister for Science, Culture and Education.¹

Born in Berlin, Hoffmann worked as an engraver, and then as a gilder. He joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany, and from 1890 was the editor of local socialist newspapers, then in 1893 became a book dealer and publisher. He was known for his opposition to the ways in which Christianity was practiced by the wealthy and his advocacy for a radial separation of church and state, for this he was nicknamed "Ten Commandments Hoffmann" as a result.²

In 1900, Hoffmann was elected to Berlin City Council, in 1904 to the Reichstag, and in 1908 to the Prussian House of Representatives. In 1915, Hoffmann represented together with Georg Ledebour the German pacifist socialists at the Zimmerwald conference. In 1916, he was elected as chair of the Berlin SPD, but he opposed World War I and so joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) split, becoming its chair until 1918.

During the November Revolution, Hoffmann together with Konrad Haenisch became Prussian Minister of Science, Art and Popular Education for a few months. During this time he tried to abolish school inspection in Prussia by the Churches and agitated for the separation of Church, school and state. His strongly anticlerical remarks he made in office helped mobilize the Catholic electorate, who feared a new Kulturkampf. After the events of the Spartacus Uprising, Hoffmann left his post as education minister.

Hoffmann was re-elected to the Reichstag in 1920 and the Landtag of Prussia in 1921. In October 1920, he became co-chair of the left-wing faction of the USPD, which he led into the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). He was elected to the KPD Zentrale in December 1920, but resigned just two months later in sympathy with Paul Levi. He followed Levi into the Communist Working Group, the USPD, and then the SPD. Hoffman continued his work with the KPD-backed Workers International Relief. In 1926 he spoke out in favor of the expropriation of the princes. He lost his seat in the Reichstag in 1924, and stood down from the city council in 1928.³

Hoffmann was again elected to the Landtag in 1928, serving until his death in Berlin in 1930.