Bruno Lietz (22 November 1925 – 11 May 2005) was a German politician and party functionary of the

Socialist Unity Party The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Ma ...

(SED). One of a few former Nazis to have a political career in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, Lietz rose to become an influential agriculture policymaker in the 1980s, briefly serving as head of the powerful Agriculture Department of the SED Central Committee and later Agriculture Minister before having to step down during the

Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution () – also, in German called ' (, "the turning point") – was one of the peaceful revolutions of 1989 at the peak of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s. A process of sociopolitical change that led to, am ...

Life and career

Early career

Lietz completed

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

as an

auto mechanic An auto mechanic is a mechanic who services and repairs automobiles, sometimes specializing in one or more List of car brands, automobile brands or sometimes working with any brand. In fixing cars, their main role is to Diagnosis, diagnose and ...

from 1940 to 1943. On 13 January 1943, he applied for membership in the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

(NSDAP) and was accepted on April 20 ( Hitler's birthday) of the same year (membership number 9,365,258). He served as a soldier in the

German Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

until 1945. From 1945 to 1947, he worked as an auto mechanic in

Apolda Apolda () is a town in central Thuringia, Germany, the capital of the Weimarer Land district. It is situated in the center of the triangle Weimar–Jena–Naumburg near the river Ilm, c. east by north from Weimar. Apolda station lies on the Ha ...

, then as a tractor operator at the VdgB in Wormstedt until 1949, and subsequently as a tractor operator, assistant, and technical director at the Machine Rental Stations (MTS) in Apolda, Holbach, and Krölpa until 1952. Between 1952 and 1954, Lietz served as a sector leader for political mass work in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Lietz, who had joined the ruling

(SED) in 1949, became a full-time party functionary in 1954, working as a staff member and later as a sector leader for Agricultural Production Cooperatives (LPGs) and MTS in the Agriculture Department of the SED Central Committee. In 1961, he was transferred to the

Bezirk Rostock The Bezirk Rostock was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Rostock. History The district was established, with the other 13, on 25 July 1952, substituting the old German states. After 3 October ...

SED as secretary for agriculture. Lietz further climbed the party ranks when he was elected as a candidate member of the Central Committee of the SED in January 1963 ( VI. Party Congress). In 1972, he returned to the state apparatus as a deputy chairman of the State Planning Commission, responsible for agriculture and food industry. He additionally became a member of the Council for Agricultural Production and Food Economy, successor of the GDR's Ministry of Agriculture, the same year. Lietz was awarded the

Banner of Labor The Banner of Labor () was an order issued in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was given for "excellent and long-standing service in strengthening and consolidating the GDR, especially for achieving outstanding results for the national ec ...

in 1976.

SED Central Committee and Agriculture Minister

In November 1981, Lietz acceded to head of the SED Agriculture Department. Longtime head and famed Stakhanovite activist Bruno Kiesler officially retired of his own will, but was actually dismissed due to his disagreements with the SED's economic policies. Lietz additionally rose to become a full Central Committee member in 1982. After about a year as department head and in what was at least technically a demotion – GDR ministries where subservient to their respective SED Central Committee department –, he replaced

Heinz Kuhrig Heinz Kuhrig (4 March 1929 – 13 September 2001) was an East German politician and party functionary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED). Kuhrig served as the East Germany's Agriculture Minister in the 1970s following Georg Ewald's death in a ...

as minister for agriculture, Forestry and Food in December 1982. Kuhrig had been officially relieved of his duties "at his own request", but he was likely forced into retirement. Internally, he had been accused of having to import grain for animal feed purposes. Lietz additionally became a member of the

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 ...

in June 1986, nominally representing a rural constituency in western

Bezirk Halle The Bezirk Halle was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Halle. History The district was established, with the other 13, on 25 July 1952, substituting the old German states. After 3 October 19 ...

. Lietz was again awarded the

in 1984, as well as the

Order of Karl Marx The Order of Karl Marx () was the most important order in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The award of the order also included a prize of 20,000 East German marks. The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of Karl Marx's 135th ...

in 1985.

Death

Bruno Lietz - Friedhof Kaulsdorf - Mutter Erde fec

During the

, on 7 November 1989, he resigned alongside rest of the government led by

Willi Stoph Wilhelm Stoph (9 July 1914 – 13 April 1999) was a German politician. He served as Council of Ministers of East Germany, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1964 to 1973, and again from ...

and retired in 1990. He died in 2005 and was buried in the

Berlin-Kaulsdorf Kaulsdorf () is a locality within the borough Marzahn-Hellersdorf of Berlin. Kaulsdorf was incorporated into Greater Berlin by the Prussian Greater Berlin Act in 1920. From then on it belonged to the former borough of Lichtenberg until 1979, when i ...

cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lietz, Bruno 1925 births 2005 deaths People from Weimarer Land Politicians from Thuringia Nazi Party members Members of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany Government ministers of East Germany Members of the 9th Volkskammer German Army soldiers of World War II Recipients of the Order of Karl Marx Recipients of the Banner of Labor