 The immediate postwar years were characterised, in Germany, by acute economic hardship and the KVF joined with other charitable organisations to work on alleviation of social hardship among the population.In 1919 the "Catholic" Centre Party selected Elisabeth Zillken as a candidate for membership of the Dortmund city council, on which she served - with a twelve year break between 1933 and 1945 - till 1966.By 1930 her friend and mentor , closer in age to 80 than to 70, had declared that she would not seek re-election to the Reichstag (national parliament), and in September of that year it was Elisabeth Zillken who successfully stood for the seat vacated by Neuhaus, representing, as in the city council, the "Catholic" Centre Party in Westphalia-South (Wahlkreis 18).