German Usage
In German, Kamerad, for males and Kameradin for females, is the most direct translation of the word "comrade" in a non-political sense. It has traditionally been used as an affectionate form of address among members of the military: the German funeral march for fallen soldiers is titled Ich hatt' einen Kameraden ("I Had a Comrade"). The translation of schoolmate is “Klassenkamerad” ("schoolclass comrade"), the word “Schulfreund” being reserved only for close relationships (even though just "Freund" is used quite widely today). From its widespread use during World War I the term entered the lexicon of the Nazi Party, but primarily between "Old Fighters" who were for the most part war veterans. Hence, and because of its military style, it is sometimes associated with Neo-Nazidom. However, "Kamerad" was also the address among concentration camp prisoners, even if otherwise on "Genosse" terms (see below).
Genosse (Genossin for females), means "mate", "fellow" or "companion", and is the main German word for "comrade" in the political sense (outside of politics, it occurs in words like Hausgenosse, "housemate"). It was first introduced as a political form of address in 1875 by the German Social Democrats, when they established the then-Marxist Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (the predecessor of today's Social Democratic Party of Germany). They intended Genosse as a translation of Latin socius ("sharing", "partner", "comrade", "associate", "ally"), as reflected in the words "social" and "socialism". Etymologically, Genosse can be traced to Old High German genōze, with the same meaning, from nōz "productive livestock": originally "someone who shares livestock or grazing land (with someone else)", hence "someone who uses/enjoys (geniesst) something together (with someone else)". Hence, a co-operative is called Genossenschaft.
The official form of address between Nazi Party members was Parteigenosse, an adaptation of the word Genosse. By adopting Parteigenosse ("Party Comrade") the NSDAP tried to appeal to working-class voters and instill in its ranks the close relationships that were typical of the parties of the Left, but not of traditional parties of the Right. Applied to the German people as a whole, Volksgenosse ("national comrade", the then-expression for a “fellow countryman”, somewhat outdated for this reason in favor of the then-poetical Landsmann, fem.: Landsmännin, pl.: Landsleute) indicated shared membership in the German "national community" (Volksgemeinschaft).
In contemporary German politics, Genosse and Genossin are still used, although with less frequency, in the Social Democratic Party and The Left.
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