Themen
- Flucht/Fluchthilfe
- Wirtschaft/Landwirtschaft
Sprache
- Englisch
Biographical information
1947 Born and raised in Gommern near Magdeburg
1966 Abitur (equivalent to High school diploma or A-levels) in Zerbst and trained as a bricklayer at the same time
1966–1967 Worked as an office technician with the company Bürotechnik in Magdeburg
1967–1972 Completed university course in Southeast Asia studies/economics of developing countries at Humboldt University Berlin (subject of final thesis: Professional training of migrants from developing countries in the GDR)
1970 Marriage
1972–1979 Worked as a research assistant/team leader at the international department of the Association of Consumer Cooperatives (Verband der Konsumgenossenschaften)
1973–1975 Completed basic military training with the National People’s Army (NVA) – 2nd motorised rifle regiment in Brandenburg; during last six months of service as a lance corporal, assumed the role of deputy political officer of his company
1974 Became a member of the SED
1979 Escaped from Ethiopia to the Federal Republic of Germany, aided by the West German embassy
1980–1981 Worked as an insurance agent with the company Deutscher Ring in Duisburg
1981–1990 Worked as a personnel dispatcher and branch manager with the company Persona Service at various locations
1982 Wife and children relocated from the GDR to West Germany as part of a family reunification programme
Since 1988 Became a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP)
1990–2012 Worked as general manager of a personnel services company based in Peine and Hanover
Since 2013 Retired
Until today With his profound interest in European and international affairs, Norbert Pfeiffer continues to be an actively engaged citizen, including as a town councillor in Husum and member of the district chapter leadership of the FDP in North Frisia
Norbert Pfeiffer is available as a contemporary witness for events in Berlin and Potsdam as well as in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Profile
As a child and adolescent, I usually rebelled against authority. In school, I frequently stood out because of my poor behaviour. During a holiday in the Harz Mountains when I was 13, I tried to cross the border strip to visit the nearby town of Braunlage in West Germany. I was apprehended by GDR border guards, but, gladly, I didn’t face any consequences.
When I embarked on my studies in 1967, my focus area being foreign policy, I adjusted my outward position. I stepped up my activities with the Free German Youth (FDJ), but did not yet join the SED. This proved a grave mistake on my part: seeing as I had earned a university degree, I was considered part of the so-called intelligentsia, which made it difficult for me to enter the party. After starting work in 1972, I simultaneously increased my civic activities.
Yet, here again, party membership was a precondition for getting into any kind of higher function or post. After I began my military service with the NVA, I was considered a member of the so-called working class again, which meant that I no longer faced any restrictions. Thanks to the support of a work colleague and a fellow soldier, I managed to get my application for SED membership approved. When I returned to civilian life in 1975, I could basically choose any career path I wanted. I very much enjoyed working with our foreign partners.
To my surprise, in 1979, the party leadership proposed my delegation to the party university from 1980, and the Central Committee subsequently approved this academic admission. The prospect of studying at the party university and working in an executive job in domestic trade or economic affairs was not really in keeping with my life goals. On my very last official business trip abroad for work, I therefore seized the opportunity and escaped to the West.