The German Economic Commission () was the top administrative body in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany prior to the creation of the

German Democratic Republic 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 ...

(). The DWK was established in June 1947 by the

Soviet Military Administration in Germany The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (; ''Sovyetskaya Voyennaya Administratsiya v Germanii'', SVAG; , SMAD) was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin- Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone in German ...

(German: ''Sowjetische Militäradministration in Deutschland'' or SMAD) as a central German auxiliary institution of the SMAD with the task of assisting the SMAD in the execution of economic affairs. The DWK was housed in the former

Reich Air Ministry The Ministry of Aviation (, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin, Germany, which ...

building in

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

, at Leipziger Strasse 7. Initially the SMAD resisted giving the DWK power independent of itself, but this changed after the creation of the merger of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

' and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's occupation zones into the Bizone in January 1947. A SMAD order from Marshal Vasily Sokolovsky on 12 February 1948 granted the DWK legislative power to issue orders and directives to all German organs within the Soviet zone and converted it into a nascent state structure for all intents and purposes, with competence far beyond the economy proper, thus it became the predecessor of the eventual East German government.Naimark, Norman M. ''The Russians In Germany: a History of the Soviet Zone of Occupation, 1945-1949.'' E-book, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995 Heinrich Rau became chairman of the converted body and after a reorganisation, announced the new organisational structure on 9 March 1948. In November 1948, the Soviet Central Committee issued another decree authorizing an increase in size of the DWK. This allowed the

Socialist Unity Party of Germany 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 Mar ...

under Wilhelm Pieck and

Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; ; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar republic, Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later in the early development ...

to consolidate its control over the DWK, although many former members of the

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

and 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 ...

continued to hold posts in it.Naimark, Norman M. ''The Russians In Germany: a History of the Soviet Zone of Occupation, 1945-1949.'' E-book, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995 The DWK ceased to exist on 7 October 1949 with the proclamation of the German Democratic Republic.

References

{{Authority control East Germany–Soviet Union relations 1947 establishments in Germany 1949 disestablishments in East Germany Politics of East Germany

See also

References