The political leadership of
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...
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
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in ...
established the
German Economic Commission
The German Economic Commission (german: Deutsche Wirtschaftskommission; DWK) was the top administrative body in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany prior to the creation of the German Democratic Republic (german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik) ...
(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 autumn of 1989, the most important position in the GDR was that of the
General Secretary
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
of the (SED), titled as the First Secretary between 1953 and 1976.
The formal
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
was originally the
President of the German Democratic Republic
The president of the German Democratic Republic (german: Präsident der Republik) was the head of state of the German Democratic Republic, commonly known as East Germany, from 1949 until 1960. The office was created by the Constitution of 1949 ...
. 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 commonly held by the party leader.
Government was headed by the
Council of Ministers
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or ...
and its chairman, sometimes colloquially called Prime Minister.
Other important institutions included the
People's Chamber, the legislature 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
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
and had unlimited authority over the State in time of war. The Council was composed exclusively of members of the SED's
Central Committee
Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party organizations, the ...
and
Politburo
A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states.
Names
The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contracti ...
, with the party leader serving as
Chairman of the National Defense Council.
The political landscape was completely changed by the
Peaceful Revolution
The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...
late in 1989, which saw the SED 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 became head of state by default for the remainder of the GDR's existence, and the Council of Ministers, both now constituted on basis of the country's first and only democratic
elections in March 1990. The GDR
joined the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
on 3 October 1990
Leaders of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, Joint Chairmen of the Socialist Unity Party
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, General Secretary of the Central Committee
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, (Honorary) Chairman of the Central Committee
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
Leninism is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establishm ...
cadre party into a
democratic socialist
Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...
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
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, President of the Republic
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, Chairman of the State Council
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, President of the People's Chamber
Heads of government
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, Minister-President
! colspan=7, Chairman of the Council of Ministers
! colspan=7, Minister-President
Heads of parliament
, -align="center"
! colspan=7, President of the People's Chamber
Heads of the military
See also
*
List of German monarchs
*
President of Germany
The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...
*
President of Germany (1919–1945)
The president of the Reich (german: Reichspräsident) was the German head of state under the Weimar constitution, which was officially in force from 1919 to 1945. In English he was usually simply referred to as the president of Germany.
The We ...
*
List of presidents of Germany
*
Chancellor of Germany
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
*
List of chancellors of Germany
Notes
References
External links
World StatesmenEast Germany
{{DEFAULTSORT:East German leaders
*
Leaders
East Germany leaders
Leaders