The Order of Karl Marx () was the most important

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

in 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 ...

(GDR). The award of the order also included a prize of 20,000

East German mark The East German mark ( ), commonly called the eastern mark ( ) in West Germany and after German reunification, reunification, was the currency of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Its ISO 4217, ISO 4217 currency code w ...

s. The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

's 135th birthday during Karl Marx Year and on the recommendation of the GDR Council of Ministers. It was granted to individuals, enterprises, organizations, and military groups for exceptional merit in relation to ideology, culture, economy, and other designations. Additionally, citizens of other countries could also be awarded the order.

Notable recipients of the Order

*1953:

Hermann Duncker Hermann Ludwig Rudolph Duncker (24 May 1874 – 22 June 1960) was a German Marxist politician, historian and social scientist. He was a lecturer for the workers' education movement, co-founder of the Communist Party of Germany, professor at the U ...

Otto Grotewohl Otto Emil Franz Grotewohl (; 11 March 1894 – 21 September 1964) was a German politician who served as the first prime minister of the German Democratic Republic (GDR/East Germany) from its founding in October 1949 until his death in Septembe ...

Luise Kähler Luise Kähler (12 January 1869 – 22 September 1955) was a German socialist, trade union leader and politician. She was one of a small number of women union officials that held a prominent position within Germany's trade unions in the first hal ...

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 ...

Wilhelm Pieck Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck (; 3 January 1876 – 7 September 1960) was a German communist politician who served as the Leadership of East Germany, chairman of the Socialist Unity Party from 1946 to 1950 and as the only president of the Ger ...

Wilhelm Zaisser Wilhelm Zaisser (20 June 1893 – 3 March 1958) was a German communist politician and statesman who served as the founder and first Minister for State Security of the German Democratic Republic (1950–1953). Early life Born in Gelsenkirche ...

*1956:

Wilhelm Koenen Wilhelm Koenen (7 April 1886 – 19 October 1963) was a German communist activist and an East Germany, East German politician. He was married to Emmy Damerius-Koenen and was the father of Heinrich Koenen and Johanna Koenen. Biographical details ...

*1961: Alfred Kurella,

Gherman Titov Gherman Stepanovich Titov (; 11 September 1935 – 20 September 2000) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut who, on 6 August 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth, aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1. He was the fou ...

*1962: Alexander Abusch, Karl Bittel,

Franz Dahlem Franz Dahlem (14 January 1892 – 17 December 1981) was a German communist politician who was a leading official of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, Socialist Unity Party (SED). Dahlem helped establish the SED and German Democratic Republic, ...

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 ...

, Otto Winzer *1963:

Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful Human spaceflight, crewed sp ...

Karl Maron Karl Maron (1903–1975) was a German politician, who served as the interior minister of East Germany. He also assumed different posts in East Germany's government. Early life and education Maron was born in Berlin on 27 April 1903 and was educa ...

, Willy Rumpf,

Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born 6 March 1937) is a Russian engineer, member of the State Duma, and former Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first Women in space, woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. S ...

*1964:

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

*1965:

Pavel Belyayev Pavel Ivanovich Belyayev (; 26 June 1925 – 10 January 1970) was a Soviet cosmonaut who commanded the historic 1965 Voskhod 2 space mission which saw the first space walk. He had been a fighter pilot with extensive experience in piloting diff ...

, Paul Fröhlich,

Alexei Leonov Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov. (30 May 1934 – 11 October 2019) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut and aviator, Soviet Air Forces, Air Force major general, writer, and artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first person to conduct a Extravehic ...

Hans Schaul Hans Schaul (13 December 1905 – 19 May 1988) was a German politician and a long-standing legally trained editor of the theoretical magazine of the Socialist Unity Party, '' Einheit.'' As a younger man he volunteered and participated on the Repu ...

*1966: Helene Berg *1967: Rudolf Dölling,

John Heartfield John Heartfield (born Helmut Herzfeld; 19 June 1891 – 26 April 1968) was a German visual artist who pioneered the use of art as a political weapon. Some of his most famous photomontages were anti-Nazi and anti-fascist statements. Heartfield a ...

Wilhelm Kling Wilhelm Kling (7 February 1902 – 17 November 1973) was a Communist Party of Germany (KPD) functionary, and later an associate in the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in East Germany. Kling was bor ...

, Karl Mewis *1968:

Max Burghardt Max Burghardt (November 27, 1893 – January 22, 1977) was a German actor, director, and president of the Cultural Association of the GDR. Life Burghardt was born in Wickendorf, Schwerin, where his maternal grandfather owned a small estate nea ...

, Roman Chwalek,

Kurt Seibt Kurt Seibt (13 February 1908 in Berlin – 21 June 2002) was chairman of the Central Revision Commission of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (''Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands''; SED) and East Germany's Minister for Direction and C ...

*1969: Walter Beling,

Paul Dessau Paul Dessau (19 December 189428 June 1979) was a German composer and conductor. He collaborated with Bertolt Brecht and composed incidental music for his plays, and several operas based on them. Biography Dessau was born in Hamburg into a m ...

Erich Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the post ...

, Jürgen Kuczynski,

, Albert Norden,

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 ...

, Lotte Ulbricht, Paul Verner *1970:

Bruno Apitz Bruno Apitz (28 April 1900 – 7 April 1979) was a German writer and a survivor of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Life and career Apitz was born in Leipzig, as the twelfth child of a washer woman. He attended school until he was fourteen, th ...

Otto Braun Otto Braun (28 January 1872 – 15 December 1955) was a politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) during the Weimar Republic. From 1920 to 1932, with only two brief interruptions, Braun was Minister President of Prussia, Ministe ...

, Ernst Busch,

Fritz Dallmann Fritz Dallmann (17 June 1923 – 4 May 1999) was an East German politician who served as Chairman of the Peasants Mutual Aid Association from 1982 until German reunification in 1990. Dallmann's political career began after World War II, and he ...

Heinz Hoffmann Heinz Hoffmann (28 November 1910 – 2 December 1985) was a German military officer and politician who served as the Ministry of National Defense (East Germany), Minister of National Defense in the Council of Ministers of the East Germany, Germ ...

, Erwin Kramer,

Erich Mückenberger Erich Mückenberger (8 June 1910 – 10 February 1998) was a German socialist politician. He began his political career in the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He became a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) when the Eas ...

Harry Tisch Harry Tisch (March 28, 1927, Heinrichswalde – June 18, 1995) was an East German politician and trade unionist who served as Chairman of the Free German Trade Union Federation between 1975 and 1989. He was also a member of the State Council f ...

*1971: Erich Correns *1972: Fritz Cremer,

Max Fechner Max Fechner (27 July 1892 – 13 September 1973) was a German politician who served as Minister of Justice of East Germany from 1949 to 1953. Life and career Fechner was born in Berlin and was a trained tool maker. He joined the Social Democra ...

, Klaus Gysi, Kurt Hager,

, Max Spangenberg *1973: Ernst Albert Altenkirch, Eva Altmann, Werner Bruschke, Friedrich Dickel,

Ernst Goldenbaum Ernst Goldenbaum (15 December 1898, Parchim – 13 March 1990, East Berlin) was a German politician who served as the chairman of the Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany from 1948 to 1982. Biography Goldenbaum was born in Parchim, Grand ...

Erich Mielke Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (; 28 December 1907 – 21 May 2000) was a German communist official who served as head of the East Germany, East German Ministry for State Security (''Ministerium für Staatsicherheit'' – MfS), better known as the Sta ...

, Fred Oelßner *1974: Walter Arnold,

Kurt Bachmann Kurt Bachmann (July 18, 1936 – August 29, 2014) was a Filipino basketball player who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics. Bachmann was born in Iloilo City. Bachmann led the De La Salle Green Archers to a juniors' National Collegiate Athletic ...

, Walter Bartel, Bruno Beater,

Jurij Brězan Jurij Brězan (9 June 1916 – 12 March 2006) was a Sorbs, Sorbian writer. His works, especially the novels, narrative works and children's books, were available in the two languages German and Upper Sorbian language, Upper Sorbian. He lived, f ...

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...

, Walter Buchheim, Fritz Cremer,

Käthe Dahlem Käthe Dahlem (born Käthe Weber: 20 March 1899 – 25 December 1974) was a German political activist (USPD, KPD) who, after being forced into exile, became an anti-fascist Resistance activist, participating in the Spanish Civil War and, subseq ...

, Arthur Franke, Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski,

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

Markus Wolf Markus Johannes Wolf (19 January 1923 – 9 November 2006), also known as Mischa, was a German spymaster who served as the head of the Main Directorate for Reconnaissance (), the foreign intelligence division of East Germany's Ministry for Sta ...

Todor Zhivkov Todor Hristov Zhivkov ( ; 7 September 1911 – 5 August 1998) was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian communist statesman who served as the ''de facto'' leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1954 until 1989 as General Secretary of the Cen ...

*1975:

Edmund Collein Edmund Collein (10 January 1906 – 21 January 1992) was an East German architect and urban planner. He is also known for his photography while studying at the Bauhaus art school. As a functionary of the SED, the ruling political party of East Ge ...

Werner Eggerath Werner Eggerath (16 March 1900 – 16 June 1977) was an East German author and communist politician. He was a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED / ''Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands'') and its first secretary in ...

, Horst Sindermann,

Aleksandr Vasilevsky Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky ( 1895 – 5 December 1977) was a Soviet general who served as a top commander during World War II and achieved the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. During World War II, he served as the Chief of the General ...

, Paul Wandel *1976:

Vladimir Aksyonov Vladimir Viktorovich Aksyonov (; 1 February 1935 – 9 April 2024) was a Russian-born Soviet cosmonaut who served as the flight engineer on Soyuz 22 and Soyuz T-2. Early life Aksyonov was born on 1 February 1935 in in the Kasimovsky Distric ...

Hermann Axen Hermann Axen (6 March 1916 – 15 February 1992) was a German political activist who became involved in political resistance during the twelve Nazi years, most of which he spent in state detention. After the war he became a national politician ...

Valery Bykovsky Valery Fyodorovich Bykovsky (; 2 August 1934 – 27 March 2019) was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on three space flights: Vostok 5, Soyuz 22, and Soyuz 31. He was also backup for Vostok 3 and Soyuz 37. Early life and career Born in Pavlovs ...

Luis Corvalán Luis Nicolás Corvalán Lepe (14 September 1916 – 21 July 2010) was a Chilean politician, teacher, and writer. He was the general secretary of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh) for more than three decades and was twice elected to the Senate ...

, Luise Ermisch, Manfred Ewald, Wolfgang Junker,

Günter Mittag Günter Mittag (8 October 1926 – 18 March 1994) was a German member of parliament, secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), and a central figure in East Germany's command economy. Biography Born to a working-class family in St ...

, Ernst Scholz, Paul Verner, Werner Walde *1977:

Friedel Apelt Friedel Apelt (1 November 1902 - 12 December 2001) was a German political activist, trades union official and politician ( KPD/ SED). During the Nazi years she participated actively in anti-fascist resistance, and spent much of the time in priso ...

, Hilde Benjamin, Klaus Gysi, Kurt Hager,

Margot Honecker Margot Honecker (née Feist; 17 April 1927 – 6 May 2016) was an East German politician and influential member of the country's Communist government until 1989. From 1963 until 1989, she was Minister of National Education (''Ministerin für Vol ...

*1978:

, Fritz Eikemeier, Werner Felfe,

Hans Modrow Hans Modrow (; 27 January 1928 – 10 February 2023) was a German politician best known as the last communist premier of East Germany. Coming into office amidst the Peaceful Revolution, he was the ''de facto'' leader of East Germany through ...

, Joachim Herrmann,

Werner Krolikowski Werner Krolikowski (12 March 1928 – 27 November 2016) was a German politician and high-ranking party functionary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED). In the German Democratic Republic, he served as the First Secretary of the SED in Bezirk Dres ...

, Konrad Naumann, Elli Schmidt,

Sigmund Jähn Sigmund Werner Paul Jähn (; 13 February 1937 – 21 September 2019) was a German Aircraft pilot, pilot, cosmonaut, and ''Generalmajor#Generalmajor in East Germany, Generalmajor'' (equivalent to a Brigadier General in Western armies) in the Nat ...

*1979:

, Johannes Chemnitzer,

Horst Dohlus Horst Dohlus (30 May 1925 – 28 April 2007) was a high ranking Socialist Unity Party of Germany, SED party functionary in the German Democratic Republic and a member of the country's People's Chamber, National Legislative Assembly (''Volkska ...

, Peter Edel, Ernst Engelberg,

Klaus Fuchs Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs (29 December 1911 – 28 January 1988) was a German theoretical physicist and atomic spy who supplied information from the American, British, and Canadian Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union during and shortly a ...

, Gerhard Grüneberg, Heinz Keßler *1980:

, Alfred Lemmnitz, Siegfried Lorenz *1981:

Peter Florin Peter Florin (2 October 1921 – 17 February 2014) was an East German politician and diplomat. Early life Florin was born in Cologne on 2 October 1921.

, Erwin Geschonneck, Albert Norden,

Gerhard Schürer Gerhard Schürer (14 April 1921 – 22 December 2010) was a leading politician in East Germany. Between 1963 and 1989 he was a member of the powerful Central Committee of the country's ruling SED (party). He also served, between 1965 and 198 ...

*1982: Hilde Eisler, Kurt Hager,

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

, Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, Paul Scholz *1983: Theo Balden, Gerhard Beil, Friedrich Dickel,

Wilhelm Ehm Wilhelm Ehm (30 August 1918 – 9 August 2009) was an East German admiral who served as a Deputy Minister of National Defense of the German Democratic Republic and the head of the Volksmarine. Early life Ehm's father was a carpenter who serve ...

Oskar Fischer Oskar Fischer (12 April 1876 – 28 February 1942) was a Czech academic, psychiatrist and neuropathologist whose studies on dementia and Alzheimer's disease were rediscovered in 2008. Early life and education Fischer was born into a German ...

Egon Krenz Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz (; born 19 March 1937) is a German former politician who was the last Communist leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during the Revolutions of 1989. He succeeded Erich Honecker as the Secretary (title), ...

, Werner Scheler, Lotte Ulbricht,

Gustáv Husák Gustáv Husák ( , ; ; 10 January 1913 – 18 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak politician who served as the long-time First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1969 to 1987 and the President of Czechoslovakia from 1975 ...

*1984: 6th Flotilla of the East German People's Navy, Alfred Neumann,

, Wilhelm Sann *1985: Friedrich Dickel,

, Bruno Lietz,

, Ilse Thiele *1986: Heinrich Adameck,

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

Luise Dornemann Luise Dornemann (born Luise Fremy: 23 February 1901 - 17 January 1992) was a women's rights activist-politician and, in her later years, a writer. Life Luise Fremy was born in Aurich, a midsized town in East Frisia, in the northwestern corner of ...

, Gisela Glende,

*1987: Hilde Benjamin,

, Werner Jarowinsky,

*1988: Georgi Atanasov,

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...

Manfred Gerlach Manfred Gerlach (8 May 1928 – 17 October 2011) was a German jurist and politician, and the longtime leader of the East German Liberal Democratic Party. He served as ''Chairman of the Council of State'' and was thus head of state of East Ge ...

, Joachim Herrmann,

*1989:

Horst Brünner Horst Brünner (1929–2008) was deputy Defense Minister in the East Germany, East German Council of Ministers of the GDR, Council of Ministers and chief of the Central Political Administration of the National People's Army. Life The son o ...

, Angel Dimitrov, Aleksi Ivanov,

Günter Schabowski Günter Schabowski (; 4 January 1929 – 1 November 2015) was a German politician who served as an official of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (''Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands'' abbreviated ''SED''), the ruling party during m ...

, Petar Tanchev, Herbert Weiz, Günther Wyschofsky

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of Karl Marx Orders, decorations, and medals of East Germany Awards established in 1953 Awards disestablished in 1989 1953 establishments in East Germany 1989 disestablishments in East Germany Monuments and memorials to Karl Marx

Notable recipients of the Order

See also

References