With the founding act of the German Democratic Republic on October 7, 1949, the previously existing German People's Council transformed into the Provisional People's Chamber of the GDR. At 12:45 PM on October 7, during its 9th and final session in the Grand Hall of the German Economic Commission, the German People's Council decided to transform itself into the Provisional People's Chamber of the GDR. At 5:35 PM on the same day, the Provisional People's Chamber was constituted. One of the purposes of this constitution was to enact the Constitution of the GDR into effect.

Composition

Members of the Presidium of the Provisional People's Chamber

* President

Johannes Dieckmann Johannes Dieckmann (19 January 1893 – 22 February 1969) was a German journalist and politician who served as the 1st President of the Volkskammer, the parliament of East Germany, from 1949 to 1969. Biography Dieckmann was born in Fischerhude i ...

( LDPD) * Deputy President

Hermann Matern Hermann Matern (17 June 1893 – 24 January 1971) was a German communist politician (Communist Party of Germany, KPD) and high ranking functionary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in the East Germany, German Democratic Republic. Life and ...

(SED)
Hugo Hickmann ( CDU) until February 1950
Josef Rambo ( CDU)
August Bach ( CDU)

Jonny Löhr Jonny Löhr (20 February 1899 – 15 July 1967) was a German politician and diplomat. He was the first ambassador of the German Democratic Republic to Romania from 1950 to 1951. Life Jonny Löhr was born into a working-class family in Hamburg o ...

(NDP) until April 1950

Heinrich Homann Heinrich Homann (6 March 1911 – 4 May 1994) was a German communism, communist politician and former Wehrmacht officer who held a number of offices in the German Democratic Republic. Biography Heinrich Homann was born on 6 March 1911, the son ...

(NDP) * Members
Herbert Hoffmann ( DBD)
Erich Geske (

SDA SDA or sda may refer to: Science and technology Computing * /dev/sda, Device file#Naming conventions, the first mass-storage disk in Unix-like operating systems * T-Mobile SDA, a smartphone * Screen Design Aid, a utility program used by midrange ...

)
Friedel Malter (

FDGB The Free German Trade Union Federation ( or ''FDGB'') was the sole national trade union centre of the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) which existed from 1946 to 1990. As a mass organisation of the GDR, nominally representing al ...

)

Friedrich Ebert Friedrich Ebert (; 4 February 187128 February 1925) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as the first President of Germany (1919–1945), president of Germany from 1919 until ...

(SED)
Elli Schmidt ( DFD) Note: The composition of the Presidium contradicted Article 57 of the Constitution of the GDR dated October 7, 1949. According to this article, only factions with at least 40 deputies would have been allowed to send a representative to the Presidium. Specifically, this would have been the SED, LDPD, and CDU. The differentiation between NDP and DBD is also striking. While the National Democrats received a deputy position, the DBD was only represented by a member. The reason why no other mass organizations were considered except for the DFD and

is not clear.

Faction Leaders

* Faction of the SED

* Faction of the CDU
August Bach * Faction of the LDPD
Ralph Liebler * Faction of the DBD
Paul Scholz * Faction of the NDPD

Vincenz Müller Vincenz Müller (5 November 1894 – 12 May 1961) was a military officer and general who served in the Imperial German army, the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, and after the war in the National People's Army of the (East) German Democratic Republic ...

* Faction of the

/ FDJ/Cooperatives

Herbert Warnke Herbert Warnke (24 February 1902 – 26 March 1975) was an East German trade unionist and politician who served as both Chairman of the Free German Trade Union Federation and a member of the Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party. Biography ...

* Faction of the Kulturbund/ DFD/ VVN
Klaus Gysi * Faction of the

August Burde

MPs

''Note:'' A manual or directory in book form for the deputies of the Provisional People's Chamber was not available until November 2017.

References

External links

Protokolle der Provisorischen Volkskammer
{{portalbar, East Germany Volkskammer members Government of East Germany 00 Lists of national legislators 1949 in East Germany

Volkskammer The Volkskammer (, "People's Chamber") was the supreme power organ of East Germany. It was the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs were subservient to it. The Volkskammer was initia ...