The de facto leader of the GDR was an informal term for the most powerful political figure in the German Democratic Republic between 1949 and 1990. During this period the de facto leader was not always the titular head of government or head of state, but was often the General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party.
Development Walter Ulbricht era (1949–1971) From the establishment of the German Democratic Republic on 7 October 1949, the Socialist Unity Party (SED) had a monopoly on power, which meant that the party leader held the highest position in the country.Fulbrook, Mary (2006). The People's State: East German Society from Hitler to Honecker.Yale University Press. pp. 31–34. ISBN 9780300108842.McCauley, Martin (1986). The German Democratic Republic since 1945. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 141–143. ISBN 9780312325541. While Wilhelm Pieck and Otto Grotewohl were the Joint Chairmen of the Socialist Unity Party and thus the de jure party leaders, the de facto leader of the SED and thus the GDR was Walter Ulbricht. On 25 July 1950, Ulbricht became the sole de jure party leader of the SED as General Secretary (renamed as First Secretary in 1953). In this position, Ulbricht continued to rule the country until 3 May 1971.Walter Ulbricht: Herausgegeben von Egon Krenz," Publisher Das Neue Berlin (The New Berlin), 2013.
Erich Honecker era (1971–1989) On 3 May 1971, Secretary of the Central Committee Erich Honecker won the power struggle against Ulbricht and became the new First Secretary of the SED (changed back to General Secretary in 1976), and thus the new de facto leader of the GDR.
On 7 July 1989, Honecker was hospitalized after gallbladder complications. He left the hospital on 12 July 1989, however from then on nothing was heard of him until 26 September 1989, except for one occasion on 14 August 1989. During this period was still gravely ill after his first hospital stay, and took a vacation to recuperate. He was readmitted to hospital, but left it again, and then finally reappeared on 26 September 1989. During this period, other people took over the leadership. On 24 July 1989 and 14 September 1989, it was reported that Egon Krenz was in charge since Honecker was in hospital, however later it came out that Secretary of the Central Committee Günter Mittag was in charge rather than Egon Krenz.
On 26 September 1989, Honecker reappeared and was in charge again; however this period of leadership was short-lived: on 18 October 1989, Honecker was ousted by other party members, following protests which demanded reforms. Later it was reported that Honecker did not understood what had happened.
Egon Krenz era (1989) On 18 October 1989, when Honecker was ousted, Egon Krenz became the new General Secretary and thus the new de facto leader. Under his leadership, the SED officially gave up its power monopoly on 1 December 1989, although Krenz continued as General Secretary until 3 December 1989, however some sources say he was for two more days the de facto leader.
Hans Modrow era (1989–1990) On 5 December 1989, Egon Krenz was succeeded by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Hans Modrow. He was the de facto leader of the GDR until 12 April 1990, when he was succeeded as Chairman of the Council of Ministers by Lothar de Maizière as Minister-President. He was the first and last legitimately elected Minister-President.
Aftermath On 18 March 1990 the first free elections were held in the GDR, and on 12 April 1990 Lothar de Maizière became the first and last legitimately elected Minister-President.
Soviet Union oversight of the leadership of the GDR Besides the native de facto leadership, the Soviet Union oversaw the leadership of the German Democratic Republic and allegedly interfered in the domestic affairs of the GDR through various bodies, like the Soviet Military Administration in Germany, the German Economic Commission, the Soviet Control Commission, the High Commission of the USSR in Germany and the Embassy of the USSR in the GDR. One person who served as head of one of these bodies was Vasily Chuikov, who was described as "Front Man" and as "Top Man of East Germany". While the GDR was until 1990 considered to be a satellite state,Hans-Ulrich Wehler, Deutsche Gesellschaftsgeschichte, Band 5: Bundesrepublik und DDR 1949–1990, C.H. Beck, München 2008, S. 252.Herwig Roggemann, Systemunrecht und Strafrecht am Beispiel der Mauerschützen in der ehemaligen DDR, Verlag Arno Spitz, Berlin 1993, S. 67 ff.; Peter-Alexis Albrecht, Das Bundesverfassungsgericht und die strafrechtliche Verarbeitung von Systemunrecht – eine deutsche Lösung, in: NJ 1997, S. 1; Uwe Wesel, Der Honecker-Prozeß, in KJ 1993, S. 198 ff. (200). it had already been announced in July of the preceding year that the Soviet Union would not interfere in the GDR's domestic affairs. This became official with the Sinatra Doctrine, which was proclaimed on 25 October 1989. Vyacheslav Kochemasov was the last Soviet official to serve as Ambassador to the GDR during the period where the Soviet Union uphold the Brezhnev Doctrine.
List of de facto leaders Portrait Name Term of office Party Deputy Took office Left office Time in office1 Walter Ulbricht 7 October 1949 3 May 1971 Socialist Unity Party Karl SchirdewanErich Honecker2 Erich Honecker 3 May 1971 18 October 1989 Socialist Unity Party Paul VernerKonrad NaumannEgon Krenz– Günter Mittag 7 July 1989 26 September 1989 Socialist Unity Party Egon Krenz3 Egon Krenz 18 October 1989 5 December 1989 Socialist Unity Party Günter SchabowskiNone4 Hans Modrow 5 December 1989 12 April 1990 Socialist Unity PartyParty of Democratic Socialism–Socialist Unity Party None
Timeline
See also List of leaders of the Soviet Union Paramount leader List of de facto leaders of the Mongolian People's Republic List of de facto leaders of the People's Republic of Kampuchea Supreme Leader (North Korean title) Supreme Leader of Democratic Kampuchea Führer
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