Lists of political office-holders in East Germany

Leadership of East Germany
Leadership of East Germany
	State Coat of arms
	Egon Krenz
Formation	7 October 1949
First holder	Wilhelm Pieck; (first president); Otto Grotewohl; (first prime minister);
Final holder	Egon Krenz; (last Communist ruler); Sabine Bergmann-Pohl; (last head of state); Lothar de Maizière; (last prime minister);
Abolished	6 December 1989 /; 18 March 1990; (Communist rule 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 October 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) (titled as the First Secretary between 1953–1976). 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 only 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)

№	Picture	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Political Party
Joint Chairmen of the Socialist Unity Party Vorsitzende der Sozialistischen Einheitspartei Deutschlands
rowspan="2" style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \|		Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960)	22 April 1946	25 July 1950	SED
	Otto Grotewohl (1894–1964)		22 April 1946	25 July 1950	SED
General Secretary of the Central Committee (First Secretary of the Central Committee 1953–1976) Generalsekretär/Erster Sekretär des Zentralkommitees
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 1		Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973)	25 July 1950	3 May 1971	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 2		Erich Honecker (1912–1994)	3 May 1971	18 October 1989	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 3		Egon Krenz (born 1937)	18 October 1989	3 December 1989	SED
(Honorary) Chairmen of the Central Committee Vorsitzender des Zentralkommitees
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \|		Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973)	3 May 1971	1 August 1973	SED

On December 1, 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

№	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Political Party
State President Staatspräsident
style="background:Template:Liberal Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \|	Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969) Acting President	7 October 1949	11 October 1949	LDPD
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 1	Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960)	11 October 1949	7 September 1960	SED
style="background:Template:Liberal Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \|	Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969) Acting President	7 September 1960	12 September 1960	LDPD
Chairman of the State Council Vorsitzender des Staatsrats
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 1	Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973)	12 September 1960	1 August 1973	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \|	Friedrich Ebert, Jr. (1894–1979) Acting Chairman	1 August 1973	3 October 1973	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 2	Willi Stoph (1914–1999)	3 October 1973	29 October 1976	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 3	Erich Honecker (1912–1994)	29 October 1976	18 October 1989	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 4	Egon Krenz (born 1937)	18 October 1989	6 December 1989	SED
style="background:Template:Liberal Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 5	Manfred Gerlach (1928–2011)	6 December 1989	5 April 1990	LDPD
President of the People's Chamber of the GDR Präsident der Volkskammer
style="background:Template:Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)/meta/color; color:white;" \| 1	Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946)	5 April 1990	2 October 1990	CDU

Heads of government

№	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Political Party
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vorsitzender des Ministerrats
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 1	Otto Grotewohl (1894–1964)	12 October 1949	21 September 1964	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 2	Willi Stoph (1914–1999)	21 September 1964	3 October 1973	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 3	Horst Sindermann (1915–1990)	3 October 1973	29 October 1976	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 4	Willi Stoph (1914–1999)	29 October 1976	13 November 1989	SED
style="background:Template:Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)/meta/color; color:white;" \| 5	Hans Modrow (born 1928)	13 November 1989	12 April 1990	SED / PDS
style="background:Template:Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)/meta/color; color:white;" \| 6	Lothar de Maizière (born 1940)	12 April 1990	2 October 1990	CDU

Heads of parliament

№	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Political Party
President of the People's Chamber Präsident der Volkskammer
style="background:Template:Liberal Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 1	Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969)	7 October 1949	22 February 1969	LDPD
style="background:Template:Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)/meta/color; color:white;" \| 2	Gerald Götting (1923–2015)	12 May 1969	29 October 1976	CDU
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 3	Horst Sindermann (1915–1990)	29 October 1976	13 November 1989	SED
4	Günther Maleuda (1931–2012)	13 November 1989	5 April 1990	DBD
style="background:Template:Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)/meta/color; color:white;" \| 5	Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946)	5 April 1990	2 October 1990	CDU

Heads of the military

№	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Political Party
Chairman of the National Defense Council Vorsitzender des Nationalen Verteidigungsrates
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 1	Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973)	10 February 1960	3 May 1971	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 2	Erich Honecker (1912–1994)	3 May 1971	18 October 1989	SED
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" \| 3	Egon Krenz (born 1937)	18 October 1989	6 December 1989	SED

External links

World Statesmen – East Germany