These are lists of political office-holders in East Germany. The political leadership of East Germany was distributed between several offices. However, until the Volkskammer removed a section in the GDR's constitution guaranteeing their monopoly on political power on 1 December 1989, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) held ultimate power and authority over state and government. Thus, the head of the SED's Politburo of the Central Committee was the de facto leader of the country.
The political leadership of East Germany was distributed between several offices. The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and its leader held ultimate power and authority over state and government.
On 7 October 1949 an East German state, called the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was proclaimed and took over governmental functions from the DWK, largely with the same leading figures.
Until 1 December 1989, the most important position in the GDR was that of the Leader of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), first titled chairman from 1946 to 1950, then as the First Secretary between 1950 and 1976 and finally titled General Secretary. The first article of the GDR's constitution contained a section granting the SED a monopoly on power, making the SED's leader the de facto leader of the country. He and the party Politburo, which he headed, set all policy, with both cabinet, state council and parliament acting as a rubber stamp implementing their decisions.
The government was headed by the Council of Ministers and its chairman, sometimes colloquially called Prime Minister. However, all the decisions were made by the party, with the cabinet implementing them. Indeed, the SED Central Committee had committees mirroring the cabinet departments.
The political landscape was completely changed by the Peaceful Revolution in late 1989, which saw the SED having to relinquish its monopoly on political power in favour of the Council of Ministers, the National Defense Council and the State Council being abolished. The remaining institutions were the People's Chamber, whose President became head of state by default for the remainder of the GDR's existence, and the Council of Ministers, both soon constituted on basis of the country's first and only democratic elections in March 1990. The GDR joined the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990
The failure of Ulbricht's Economic System of Socialism and his bad relationship with new Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev opened an opportunity for Honecker, formerly Ulbricht's protégé and Secretary for Security and Cadre Affairs of the Central Committee Secretariat, to depose him. After finally receiving Brezhnev's approval, Honecker forced Ulbricht to resign as First Secretary in May 1971.
By the late 1980s, the GDRs economy was in crisis, with the unsustainable debt burden rising every year to finance the country's generous welfare system. By summer 1989, an opposition movement had formed that the ruling class was unable to deal with. In addition, Honecker's health was failing and he became increasingly oblivious to the situation in the country. On 17 October 1989, Egon Krenz, Honecker's protégé and youngest Politburo member, deposed Honecker in the Politburo. Honecker announced his resignation a day later in the Central Committee, citing his failing health, and proposed Krenz as his successor.
In November 1989, Willi Stoph resigned as Chairman of the Council of Ministers. His replacement, former First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party in Bezirk Dresden Modrow, stressed his independence towards the SED's leadership upon his election by the Volkskammer on 13 November. After the Volkskammer removed the section in the GDR's constitution guaranteeing their monopoly on political power on 1 December 1989, Modrow became the de facto leader of the GDR, Krenz resigning as head of state a few days later.
On 1 December 1989, the People's Chamber removed the section of the East German Constitution granting the SED a monopoly of power—thus ending Communist rule in East Germany. Before the month was out, the SED transformed from a Leninist cadre party into a democratic socialist party, renaming itself first to Socialist Unity Party — Party of Democratic Socialism and later in the same year, to Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). Hence, the party's subsequent leaders were no more leaders of East Germany than the leaders of other parties.
^Honecker held the same position under the title of First Secretary until 1976
^On 5 April 1990, the State Council was abolished and its responsibilities were transferred to the Presidium of the People's Chamber, with the President of the latter body serving as interim Head of state.
Referencesedit
External linksedit
World Statesmen – East Germany
February 16, 2024
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This article does not cite any sources Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Lists of political office holders in East Germany news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message These are lists of political office holders in East Germany The political leadership of East Germany was distributed between several offices However until the Volkskammer removed a section in the GDR s constitution guaranteeing their monopoly on political power on 1 December 1989 the Socialist Unity Party of Germany SED held ultimate power and authority over state and government Thus the head of the SED s Politburo of the Central Committee was the de facto leader of the country Contents 1 Overview 2 Leaders of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany SED 3 Heads of state 4 Heads of government 5 Heads of parliament 6 Heads of the military 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksOverview edit nbsp Logo of the Socialist Unity Party of GermanyThe political leadership of East Germany was distributed between several offices The Socialist Unity Party of Germany SED and its leader held ultimate power and authority over state and government Prior to the proclamation of an East German state the Soviets established the German Economic Commission DWK in 1948 as a de facto government in their occupation zone Its chairman was Heinrich Rau On 7 October 1949 an East German state called the German Democratic Republic GDR was proclaimed and took over governmental functions from the DWK largely with the same leading figures Until 1 December 1989 the most important position in the GDR was that of the Leader of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany SED first titled chairman from 1946 to 1950 then as the First Secretary between 1950 and 1976 and finally titled General Secretary The first article of the GDR s constitution contained a section granting the SED a monopoly on power making the SED s leader the de facto leader of the country He and the party Politburo which he headed set all policy with both cabinet state council and parliament acting as a rubber stamp implementing their decisions The formal head of state was originally the President of the German Democratic Republic After the death of incumbent Wilhelm Pieck in 1960 the office was replaced by a collective body as head of state the State Council The position of chairman was the de facto head of state and commonly held by the party leader The government was headed by the Council of Ministers and its chairman sometimes colloquially called Prime Minister However all the decisions were made by the party with the cabinet implementing them Indeed the SED Central Committee had committees mirroring the cabinet departments Other institutions included the Volkskammer the legislature whose sessions were chaired by a President and since 1960 the National Defense Council which held supreme command of the GDR s armed forces and had unlimited authority over the State in time of war The Council was composed exclusively of members of the SED s Central Committee and Politburo with the party leader serving as Chairman of the National Defense Council The political landscape was completely changed by the Peaceful Revolution in late 1989 which saw the SED having to relinquish its monopoly on political power in favour of the Council of Ministers the National Defense Council and the State Council being abolished The remaining institutions were the People s Chamber whose President became head of state by default for the remainder of the GDR s existence and the Council of Ministers both soon constituted on basis of the country s first and only democratic elections in March 1990 The GDR joined the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990 Name Lifespan Portrait Period Congress es Political office Premier President PoliciesWalter Ulbricht 1893 1973 nbsp 25 July 1950 3 May 1971 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party a Chairman of the State Council 1960 1973 Chairman of the National Defense Council 1960 1971 Otto GrotewohlWilli Stoph Wilhelm Pieckhimself Stalinism Construction of Socialism 1950 54 Farm collectivization 1952 61 Ten Commandments of Socialist Morality and Ethics 1958 76 New Economic System 1963 68 Economic System of Socialism 1968 70 Ever since the merger of the KPD and SPD Ulbricht was one of the leading figures in the Socialist Unity Party largely due to his good relationship with the Soviets Originally led in parity by former SPD Central Committee Co Chairman Otto Grotewohl and aging former KPD leader Wilhelm Pieck Ulbricht was elected First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party on 25 July 1950 solidifying his leading role of both country and party Erich Honecker 1912 1994 nbsp 3 May 1971 18 October 1989 8th 9th 10th 11th General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party b Chairman of the State Council 1976 1989 Chairman of the National Defense Council Willi StophHorst SindermannWilli Stoph Walter UlbrichtWilli Stophhimself Unity of Economic and Social Policy 1971 89 The failure of Ulbricht s Economic System of Socialism and his bad relationship with new Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev opened an opportunity for Honecker formerly Ulbricht s protege and Secretary for Security and Cadre Affairs of the Central Committee Secretariat to depose him After finally receiving Brezhnev s approval Honecker forced Ulbricht to resign as First Secretary in May 1971 Egon Krenz 1937 nbsp 18 October 1989 1 December 1989 General Secretary of the Socialist Unity PartyChairman of the State CouncilChairman of the National Defense Council Willi StophHans Modrow himselfBy the late 1980s the GDRs economy was in crisis with the unsustainable debt burden rising every year to finance the country s generous welfare system By summer 1989 an opposition movement had formed that the ruling class was unable to deal with In addition Honecker s health was failing and he became increasingly oblivious to the situation in the country On 17 October 1989 Egon Krenz Honecker s protege and youngest Politburo member deposed Honecker in the Politburo Honecker announced his resignation a day later in the Central Committee citing his failing health and proposed Krenz as his successor Hans Modrow 1928 2023 nbsp 1 December 1989 12 April 1990 Chairman of the Council of Ministers himself Egon KrenzManfred GerlachSabine Bergmann Pohl interim Round Table DemocratizationIn November 1989 Willi Stoph resigned as Chairman of the Council of Ministers His replacement former First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Partyin Bezirk Dresden Modrow stressed his independence towards the SED s leadership upon his election by the Volkskammer on 13 November After the Volkskammer removed the section in the GDR s constitution guaranteeing their monopoly on political power on 1 December 1989 Modrow became the de facto leader of the GDR Krenz resigning as head of state a few days later Lothar de Maiziere 1940 nbsp 12 April 1990 2 October 1990 Minister President himself Sabine Bergmann Pohl interim German reunification PrivatizationThe 1990 Volkskammer election the first and only free elections of the GDR saw a victory for the Alliance for Germany electoral coalition and chiefly the Christian Democratic Union led by de Maiziere The Volkskammer elected him as Minister President on 12 April 1990 Leaders of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany SED editNo Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office PartyJoint Chairmen of the Socialist Unity PartyVorsitzende der Sozialistischen Einheitspartei Deutschlands nbsp Pieck Wilhelm Wilhelm Pieck 1876 1960 22 April 194625 July 19504 years 94 daysSED nbsp Grotewohl Otto Otto Grotewohl 1894 1964 22 April 194625 July 19504 years 94 daysSEDGeneral Secretary of the Central Committee First Secretary of the Central Committee 1953 1976 Generalsekretar Erster Sekretar des Zentralkommitees1 nbsp Ulbricht Walter Walter Ulbricht 1893 1973 25 July 19503 May 197120 years 282 daysSED2 nbsp Honecker Erich Erich Honecker 1912 1994 3 May 197118 October 198918 years 168 daysSED3 nbsp Krenz Egon Egon Krenz born 1937 18 October 19896 December 198949 daysSED Honorary Chairman of the Central CommitteeVorsitzender des Zentralkommitees1 nbsp Ulbricht Walter Walter Ulbricht 1893 1973 3 May 19711 August 1973 2 years 90 daysSEDOn 1 December 1989 the People s Chamber removed the section of the East German Constitution granting the SED a monopoly of power thus ending Communist rule in East Germany Before the month was out the SED transformed from a Leninist cadre party into a democratic socialist party renaming itself first to Socialist Unity Party Party of Democratic Socialism and later in the same year to Party of Democratic Socialism PDS Hence the party s subsequent leaders were no more leaders of East Germany than the leaders of other parties Heads of state editNo Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office PartyPresident of the RepublicPrasident der Republik nbsp Dieckmann Johannes Johannes Dieckmann 1893 1969 Acting7 October 194911 October 19494 daysLDPD1 nbsp Pieck Wilhelm Wilhelm Pieck 1876 1960 11 October 19497 September 1960 10 years 332 daysSED nbsp Dieckmann Johannes Johannes Dieckmann 1893 1969 Acting7 September 196012 September 19605 daysLDPDChairman of the State CouncilVorsitzender des Staatsrats1 nbsp Ulbricht Walter Walter Ulbricht 1893 1973 12 September 19601 August 1973 12 years 323 daysSED nbsp Ebert Jr Friedrich Friedrich Ebert Jr 1894 1979 Acting1 August 19733 October 197363 daysSED2 nbsp Stoph Willi Willi Stoph 1914 1999 3 October 197329 October 19763 years 26 daysSED3 nbsp Honecker Erich Erich Honecker 1912 1994 29 October 197624 October 198912 years 360 daysSED4 nbsp Krenz Egon Egon Krenz born 1937 24 October 19896 December 198943 daysSED5 nbsp Gerlach Manfred Manfred Gerlach 1928 2011 6 December 19895 April 1990120 daysLDPDPresident of the People s Chamber c Prasident der Volkskammer nbsp Bergmann Pohl Sabine Sabine Bergmann Pohl born 1946 5 April 19902 October 1990180 daysCDUHeads of government editNo Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office PartyMinister PresidentMinisterprasident1 nbsp Grotewohl Otto Otto Grotewohl 1894 1964 12 October 194921 September 1964 14 years 345 daysSEDChairman of the Council of MinistersVorsitzender des Ministerrats2 nbsp Stoph Willi Willi Stoph 1914 1999 21 September 19643 October 19739 years 12 daysSED3 nbsp Sindermann Horst Horst Sindermann 1915 1990 3 October 197329 October 19763 years 26 daysSED 2 nbsp Stoph Willi Willi Stoph 1914 1999 29 October 197613 November 198913 years 15 daysSED4 nbsp Modrow Hans Hans Modrow 1928 2023 13 November 198912 April 1990150 daysSEDPDSMinister PresidentMinisterprasident5 nbsp de Maiziere Lothar Lothar de Maiziere born 1940 12 April 19902 October 1990173 daysCDUHeads of parliament editNo Portrait Name Took office Left office Time in office PartyPresident of the People s ChamberPrasident der Volkskammer1 nbsp Dieckmann Johannes Johannes Dieckmann 1893 1969 7 October 194922 February 1969 19 years 138 daysLDPD2 nbsp Gotting Gerald Gerald Gotting 1923 2015 12 May 196929 October 19767 years 170 daysCDU3 nbsp Sindermann Horst Horst Sindermann 1915 1990 29 October 197613 November 198913 years 15 daysSED4 nbsp Maleuda Gunther Gunther Maleuda 1931 2012 13 November 19895 April 1990143 daysDBD5 nbsp Bergmann Pohl Sabine Sabine Bergmann Pohl born 1946 5 April 19902 October 1990180 daysCDUHeads of the military edit nbsp Standard of the chairman of the National Defence CouncilNo Portrait Chairman of the National Defence CouncilVorsitzender des Nationalen Verteidigungsrates Took office Left office Time in office Party1 nbsp Ulbricht Walter Walter Ulbricht 1893 1973 10 February 19603 May 197111 years 82 daysSED2 nbsp Honecker Erich Erich Honecker 1912 1994 3 May 197118 October 198918 years 168 daysSED3 nbsp Krenz Egon Egon Krenz born 1937 18 October 19896 December 198949 daysSEDSee also edit nbsp East Germany portalList of German monarchs President of Germany President of Germany 1919 1945 List of presidents of Germany Chancellor of Germany List of chancellors of GermanyNotes edit Titled General Secretary until 1953 Honecker held the same position under the title of First Secretary until 1976 On 5 April 1990 the State Council was abolished and its responsibilities were transferred to the Presidium of the People s Chamber with the President of the latter body serving as interim Head of state References editExternal links editWorld Statesmen East Germany Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lists of political office holders in East Germany amp oldid 1195596229 Leaders of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany SED, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
