 | Leaders of East Germany
(German Democratic Republic, 1949-1990) |
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See also the Federal Republic of Germany (formerly West Germany) as well as a detailed page on East German Governments, 1989-1990 to know more about the ruling parties.
Parties:
SED: Socialist Unity Party of Germany (Communist) - LDPD: Liberal Democratic Party of Germany - CDUD: Christian Democratic Union of Germany - DBD: Democratic Peasant's Party of Germany - NDPD: National Democratic Party of Germany - SED-PDS: Socialist Unity Party of Germany-Party of the Democratic Socialism - SPD: Social Democratic Party of Germany - DA: Democratic Awakening
 Leaders of SED and SED-PDS
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Co-Chairmen
Wilhelm Pieck + (†1960)
Otto Grotewohl 22 Apr 1946 - 25 Jul 1950 (†1964)
General Secretaries
Walter Ulbricht 25 Jul 1950 - 3 May 1971 (†1973)
Erich Honecker 3 May 1971 - 18 Oct 1989 (†1994)
Egon Krenz 18 Oct 1989 - 3 Dec 1989
Chairman
Gregor Gysi 9 Dec 1989 - 4 Feb 1990
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SED was founded on 22 Apr 1946 by the merger of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). On 15 Dec 1989 the party was renamed to SED-PDS and on 4 Feb 1990 to PDS.
 Heads of State
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Presidents of the Republic
Johannes Dieckmann 7 Oct 1949 - 11 Oct 1949 (†1969) LDPD (acting)
Wilhelm Pieck 11 Oct 1949 - 7 Sep 1960 (†1960) SED
Johannes Dieckmann 7 Sep 1960 - 12 Sep 1960 (†1969) LDPD (acting)
Chairmen of the Council of State
Walter Ulbricht 12 Sep 1960 - 1 Aug 1973 (†1973) SED
Friedrich Ebert 1 Aug 1973 - 3 Oct 1973 (†1979) SED (acting)
Willi Stoph 3 Oct 1973 - 29 Oct 1976 (†1999) SED
Erich Honecker 29 Oct 1976 - 24 Oct 1989 (†1994) SED
Egon Krenz 24 Oct 1989 - 6 Dec 1989 SED
Manfred Gerlach 6 Dec 1989 - 5 Apr 1990 (†2011) LDPD (acting)
State president
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl 5 Apr 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 CDUD
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| Chairmen of the Council of Ministers
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Otto Grotewohl 12 Oct 1949 - 21 Sep 1964 (†1964) SED
Willi Stoph 24 Sep 1964 - 3 Oct 1973 (†1999) SED
Horst Sindermann 3 Oct 1973 - 29 Oct 1976 (†1990) SED
Willi Stoph 29 Oct 1976 - 13 Nov 1989 (†1999) SED
Hans Modrow 13 Nov 1989 - 12 Apr 1990 (†2023) SED, SED-PDS
Lothar de Maizière 12 Apr 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 CDUD
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| Presidents of the People's Chamber (Volkskammer)
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Johannes Dieckmann 1949-1969 (†1969) LDPD
Gerald Götting 1969-1976 (†2015) DUD
Horst Sindermann 1976-1989 (†1990) SED
Günther Maleuda 1989-1990 (†2012) DBD
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl 1990 CDUD
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| Ministers of Foreign Affairs
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Georg Dertinger 1949-1953 (†1968) CDUD
Anton Ackermann 1953 (†1973) SED (acting)
Lothar Bolz 1953-1965 (†1986) NDPD
Otto Winzer 1965-1975 (†1975) SED
Oskar Fischer 1975-1990 (†2020) SED
Markus Meckel 1990 SPD
Lothar de Maizière 1990 CDUD
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| Ministers of Defence
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Willi Stoph 1956-1960 (†1999) SED
Heinz Hoffmann 1960-1985 (†1985) SED
Heinz Kessler 1985-1989 SED
Theodor Hoffmann 1989-1990 SED
Rainer Eppelmann 1990 DA, CDUD
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| Ministers of the Interior
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Karl Steinhoff 1949-1952 (†1981) SED
Willi Stoph 1952-1955 (†1999) SED
Karl Maron 1955-1963 (†1975) SED
Friedrich Dickel 1963-1989 (†1993) SED
Lothar Ahrendt 1989-1990 SED
Peter-Michael Diestel 1990 DSU
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| Heads of the State Security Service (Stasi)
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Ministers
Wilhelm Zaisser 1950-1953 (†1958) SED
Ernst Wollweber 1953-1957 (†1967) SED
Erich Mielke 1957-1989 (†2000) SED
Director
Wolfgang Schwanitz 1989-1990 SED
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Presidents of the National Council of the Nationale Front (NF)
Erich Correns 1950-1981 (†1981)
Lothar Kolditz 1981-1989
The NF was formed in 1950 by five parties, SED, LDPD, CDUD, DBD and NDPD, plus the following mass organizations: Free German Trade Unions' Association (FDGB), Free German Youth (FDJ), Democratic Women's Association (DFD), Culture Association (KB), Union of Mutual Peasants' Help (VdgB), Society of German-Soviet Friendship (DSF), Committee of the Anti-Fascist Resistance Fighters (KAW), People's Solidarity (VS), (Young) Pioneer Organization Ernst Thälmann (JP) and the Writers' Association of the GDR. Nevertheless, the SED retained in fact the monopoly of power.
Chairmen of DBD
Ernst Goldenbaum 1948-1982 (†1990)
Ernst Mecklenburg 1982-1987
Günther Maleuda 1987-1990 (†2012)
Ulrich Junghanns 1990 (acting)
(--> merged into West German CDU on 15 Sep 1990)
Chairmen of CDUD
Andreas Hermes 1945 (†1964)
Jakob Kaiser 1946-1947 (†1961)
Otto Nuschke 1948-1957 (†1957)
August Bach 1957-1966 (†1966)
Gerald Götting 1966-1989 (†2015)
Wolfgang Heyl 1989 (†2014) (acting)
Lothar de Maizière 1989-1990
(--> merged into West German CDU on 1 Oct 1990)
Chairmen of LDPD
Waldemar Koch 1945 (†1963)
Wilhelm Külz 1945-1948 (†1948)
Arthur Lieutenant 1948 (†1968) (acting)
Karl Hamann 1948-1952 (†1973) (acting to 1949)
Hermann Kastner 1949-1952 (†1957)
Hans Loch 1952-1960 (†1960)
Max Suhrbier 1960-1967 (†1971)
Manfred Gerlach 1967-1990 (†2011)
Reiner Ortleb 1990
(--> merged into West German FDP on 11 Aug 1990)
Chairmen of NDPD
Lothar Bolz 1948-1972 (†1986)
Heinrich Hofmann 1972-1989 (†1994)
Günter Hartmann 1989-1990
Wolfgang Glaeser 1990
Wolfgang Rauls 1990
(--> merged into West German FDP on 11 Aug 1990)
Chairmen of SPD
Stephan Hilsberg 1989-1990
Ibrahim Böhme 1990 (†1999)
Markus Meckel 1990 (acting)
Wolfgang Thierse 1990
(--> merged into West German SPD on 27 Sep 1990)
The Social Democratic Party in the GDR (SDP) was restablished as an independent party on 7 Oct 1989. On 13 Jan 1990 it was renamed to Social Democratic Party (SPD) and on 27 Sep 1990 it was merged into the West German SPD.
Chairmen of DA
Wolfgang Schnur 1989-1990
Rainer Eppelmann 1990 (acting to 22 Apr 1990)
(--> Founded on 29 Oct 1989, merged into West German CDU on 5 Aug 1990)
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