Lothar Bolz (3 September 190328 December 1986) was an

East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

politician. From 1953 to 1965 he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of East Germany (GDR).

Biography

Lothar Bolz was born in

Gleiwitz Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

, now

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, on 3 September 1903. His father was a watchmaker. He studied law at the universities of Breslau and

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

. After his study he worked as a lawyer in Breslau In 1930, he joined the

Communist Party of Germany The Communist Party of Germany (, ; KPD ) was a major Far-left politics, far-left political party in the Weimar Republic during the interwar period, German resistance to Nazism, underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and minor party ...

. After the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

came to power in 1933 he was no longer allowed to work as a lawyer because of his political affiliation. Bolz went to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, finding work as a teacher at the

Marx–Engels–Lenin Institute The Marx–Engels–Lenin Institute (, ), established in Moscow in 1919 as the Marx–Engels Institute (, ), was a Soviet library and archive attached to the Communist Academy. The institute was later attached to the governing Central Committee ...

. From 1941 to 1945 he was headteacher of the anti-fascist school, which aimed to indoctrinate

German prisoners of war German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ger ...

against fascism. During his stay in the Soviet Union, he became a Soviet citizen and retained dual citizenship. In 1947, he returned to Germany and joined the East German

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 ...

, but in 1948 he founded the Communist-sponsored

National Democratic Party of Germany National Democratic Party of Germany (, NPD), officially called The Homeland () since 2023, is a Far-right politics, far-right, Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi and Ultranationalism, ultranationalist political party in Germany. It was founded in 1964 as ...

(NDPD). Many members of the NDPD were former Nazis and former

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 ...

officers. From 1948 to 1972 he was the chairman of the NDPD. In 1949 he became a member of the

People's Chamber 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 initial ...

(Parliament) and from 1949 to 1953 he was the Minister of Construction. From 1950 to 1967 he was one of the Deputy Prime Ministers of the GDR. In 1953, being the successor of Foreign Minister

Anton Ackermann Anton Ackermann (born Eugen Hanisch, 25 November 1905 – 4 May 1973) was an East German politician. In 1953, he briefly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Life and career He was born into the family of a weaver and worked as an unskilled la ...

. He stayed in the office until 1965. From 1950 to his death he was a member of the

Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...

of the National Front. He also acted as the chairman of

Society for German-Soviet Friendship A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

from 1968 to 1978. Bolz died on 28 December 1986 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 the age of 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolz, Lothar 1903 births 1986 deaths People from Gliwice Politicians from the Province of Silesia Communist Party of Germany politicians Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany) politicians Deputy prime ministers of East Germany Foreign ministers of East Germany Members of the Provisional Volkskammer Members of the 1st Volkskammer Members of the 2nd Volkskammer Members of the 3rd Volkskammer Members of the 4th Volkskammer Members of the 5th Volkskammer Members of the 6th Volkskammer Members of the 7th Volkskammer Members of the 8th Volkskammer Refugees from Nazi Germany in the Soviet Union National Committee for a Free Germany members Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp) Recipients of the Banner of Labor Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta