Leadership of East Germany

Leadership of East Germany
Former socialist state
State Coat of arms
Last leader: Egon Krenz, last Communist ruler of East Germany
First leader(s)	Wilhelm Pieck (first president) Otto Grotewohl (first prime minister)
Last leader(s)	Egon Krenz (last Communist ruler)
Suceeding state leader(s)	Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (last head of state) Lothar de Maizière (last prime minister)
Communist rule started	7 October 1949
Communist rule ended	6 December 1989/ 18 March 1990 (Communist dictatorship ended)
State ended	3 October 1990 (German reunification)

The political leadership of East Germany was in the hands of several offices.

Prior the proclamation of an East German state, the Soviets established in 1948 the German Economic Commission (DWK) as a de facto government in their occupation zone. Its chairman was Heinrich Rau.

On 7 Oct 1949 an East German state, called the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was proclaimed and took the governmental functions over from the DWK. (Largely with the same function owners.)

For most of its existence (until autumn of 1989), the most important position in the GDR was that of the General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED). The Communist party and its leader held ultimate power and authority over state and government.

The formal head of state originally was the President of the German Democratic Republic. After the death of incumbent Wilhelm Pieck in 1960, the office was replaced by a collective head of state, the State Council. The position of chairman was commonly held by the party leader.

Government was headed by the Council of Ministers and its chairman, sometimes colloquially called Prime Minister.

Other important institutions included the People's Chamber, whose sessions were chaired by a President of the People's Chamber, 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 late in 1989, which saw the Socialist Unity Party of Germany having to relinquish its monopoly on political power and the National Defense Council and the State Council being abolished. The remaining institutions were the People's Chamber, whose President by default became head of state for the remainder of the GDR's existence, and the Council of Ministers, both now based on the country's first and democratic elections in March 1990. The GDR joined the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990

Leaders of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)

Logo of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany

#	Picture	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
Joint Chairmen of the Socialist Unity Party Vorsitzende der Sozialistischen Einheitspartei Deutschlands
		Wilhelm Pieck	22 April 1946	25 July 1950	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
		Otto Grotewohl			Socialist Unity Party of Germany
General Secretary of the Central Committee (after 1953 titled First Secretary of the Central Committee) Generalsekretär/Erster Sekretär des Zentralkommitees
1		Walter Ulbricht	25 July 1950	3 May 1971	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(Honorary) Chairmen of the Central Committee Vorsitzender des Zentralkommitees
		Walter Ulbricht	3 May 1971	1 August 1973	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
General Secretary of the Central Committee (until 1976 titled First Secretary of the Central Committee) Generalsekretär/Erster Sekretär des Zentralkommitees
2		Erich Honecker	3 May 1971	18 October 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
3		Egon Krenz	18 October 1989	3 December 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany

Late in 1989, the SED transformed from a leninist cadre party into a democratically structured party, renaming itself first to Socialist Unity Party — Party of Democratic Socialism and later in the same year, to Party of Democratic Socialism in the process, and relinquished its monopoly on political power. Hence, the party's subsequent leaders were no more leaders of East Germany than the leaders of other parties.

Heads of state

#	Picture	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
President Staatspräsident
		Johannes Dieckmann Acting President	7 October 1949	11 October 1949	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
1		Wilhelm Pieck	11 October 1949	7 September 1960	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
		Johannes Dieckmann Acting President	7 September 1960	12 September 1960	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
Chairman of the State Council Vorsitzender des Staatsrats
1		Walter Ulbricht	12 September 1960	1 August 1973	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
		Friedrich Ebert junior Acting Chairman	1 August 1973	3 October 1973	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
2		Willi Stoph	3 October 1973	29 October 1976	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
3		Erich Honecker	29 October 1976	18 October 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
4		Egon Krenz	18 October 1989	6 December 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
5		Manfred Gerlach	6 December 1989	5 April 1990	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
President of the People's Chamber of the GDR Präsident der Volkskammer
1		Sabine Bergmann-Pohl	5 April 1990	2 October 1990	Christian Democratic Union

Heads of government

#	Picture	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vorsitzender des Ministerrats
1		Otto Grotewohl	12 October 1949	21 September 1964	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
2		Willi Stoph	21 September 1964	3 October 1973	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
3		Horst Sindermann	3 October 1973	29 October 1976	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
4		Willi Stoph	29 October 1976	13 November 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
5		Hans Modrow	13 November 1989	12 April 1990	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
6		Lothar de Maizière	12 April 1990	2 October 1990	Christian Democratic Union

Heads of parliament

#	Picture	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
President of the People's Chamber Präsident der Volkskammer
1		Johannes Dieckmann	7 October 1949	22 February 1969	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
2		Gerald Götting	12 May 1969	29 October 1976	Christian Democratic Union
3		Horst Sindermann	29 October 1976	13 November 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
4		Günther Maleuda	13 November 1989	5 April 1990	Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany
5		Sabine Bergmann-Pohl	5 April 1990	2 October 1990	Christian Democratic Union

Heads of the military

#	Picture	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
Chairman of the National Defense Council Vorsitzender des Nationalen Verteidigungsrates
1		Walter Ulbricht	10 February 1960	3 May 1971	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
2		Erich Honecker	3 May 1971	18 October 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
3		Egon Krenz	18 October 1989	6 December 1989	Socialist Unity Party of Germany

See also

• List of German monarchs
• President of Germany
• President of Germany (Weimar Republic)
• List of German presidents
• Chancellor of Germany
• List of Chancellors of Germany

External links

• Leaders of East Germany