This film is the first of a two-part historical and biographical portrait of the communist politician and anti-fascist Ernst Thälmann. In early November 1918, Ernst Thälmann is an unwilling soldier serving on the western front. As the revolutionary movement at home is threatened by the betrayal of the Social Democrats and fissures in the working class, Thälmann calls on his fellow soldiers to put down their weapons and unite with the workers in the communist struggle at home. Thälmann’s qualms about which side he is fighting on continue, but when the local police attempt to prevent a shipment of provisions and supplies from reaching the people in Petrograd, he intervenes and the ship is unloaded. With this moment of clarity, Thälmann continues to follow his political convictions and joins the workers at the Hamburg uprising in October 1923.
Günther Simon
as Ernst Thälmann
Hans-Peter Minetti
as Fiete Jansen
Erich Franz
as Arthur Vierbreiter
Erika Dunkelmann
as Martha Vierbreiter
Johannes Arpe
as Höhn
Raimund Schelcher
as Krischan Daik
Karla Runkehl
as Änne Harms
Gerhard Bienert
as Otto Kramer
Robert Trösch
as Kuddel Riemöller
Wolf Kaiser
as Major Zinker
Werner Peters
as Hauptmann Quadde
Martin Flörchinger
as Karl Liebknecht
