Rulers: German Democratic Republic
Ministries, political parties, etc.
Key ministries
Foreign Affairs
Ministers
12 Oct 1949 - 23 Jan 1953 Georg Dertinger CDU (b. 1902 - d. 1968)
23 Jan 1953 - 1 Oct 1953 Anton Ackermann (acting) SED (b. 1905 - d. 1973)
1 Oct 1953 - 24 Jun 1965 Lothar Bolz NDPD (b. 1903 - d. 1986)
24 Jun 1965 - 20 Jan 1975 Otto Winzer SED (b. 1902 - d. 1975)
20 Jan 1975 - 12 Apr 1990 Oskar Fischer SED (b. 1923 - d. 2020)
12 Apr 1990 - 20 Aug 1990 Markus Meckel SPD (b. 1952)
20 Aug 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 Lothar de Maizière CDU (b. 1940)
Defense
Ministers
18 Jan 1956 - 14 Jul 1960 Willi Stoph SED (b. 1914 - d. 1999)
14 Jul 1960 - 2 Dec 1985 Heinz Hoffmann SED (b. 1910 - d. 1985)
3 Dec 1985 - 18 Nov 1989 Heinz Kessler SED (b. 1920 - d. 2017)
18 Nov 1989 - 12 Apr 1990 Theodor Hoffmann SED (b. 1935 - d. 2018)
12 Apr 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 Rainer Eppelmann DA;
5 Aug 1990: CDU (b. 1943)
Finance
Ministers
12 Oct 1949 - 25 Nov 1955 Hans Loch LDPD (b. 1898 - d. 1960)
25 Nov 1955 - 12 Dec 1966 Willy Rumpf SED (b. 1903 - d. 1982)
12 Dec 1966 - 5 May 1980 Siegfried Böhm SED (b. 1928 - d. 1980)
4 Jun 1980 - 26 Jun 1981 Werner Schmieder SED (b. 1926)
26 Jun 1981 - 18 Nov 1989 Ernst Höfner SED (b. 1929 - d. 2009)
18 Nov 1989 - 12 Apr 1990 Uta Nickel (f) SED (b. 1941)
12 Apr 1990 - 15 Aug 1990 Walter Romberg SPD (b. 1928 - d. 2014)
15 Aug 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 Werner Skowron CDU (b. 1943)
Interior
Ministers
12 Oct 1949 - 9 May 1952 Karl Steinhoff SED (b. 1892 - d. 1981)
9 May 1952 - 1 Jul 1955 Willi Stoph SED (b. 1914 - d. 1999)
1 Jul 1955 - 14 Nov 1963 Karl Maron SED (b. 1903 - d. 1975)
14 Nov 1963 - 18 Nov 1989 Friedrich Dickel SED (b. 1913 - d. 1993)
18 Nov 1989 - 12 Apr 1990 Lothar Ahrendt SED (b. 1936)
12 Apr 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 Peter-Michael Diestel DSU
(to 30 Jun 1990); 3 Aug 1990: CDU (b. 1952)
Justice
Ministers
12 Oct 1949 - 15 Jul 1953 Max Fechner SED (b. 1892 - d. 1973)
15 Jul 1953 - 14 Jul 1967 Hilde Benjamin (f) SED (b. 1902 - d. 1989)
14 Jul 1967 - 16 Oct 1972 Kurt Wünsche (1st time) LDPD (b. 1929)
16 Oct 1972 - 11 Jan 1990 Hans-Joachim Heusinger LDPD (b. 1925 - d. 2019)
11 Jan 1990 - 15 Aug 1990 Kurt Wünsche (2nd time) LDPD (s.a.)
15 Aug 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 Manfred Walther CDU (b. 1948)
State Security
8 Feb 1950 Ministry for State Security established
24 Jul 1953 - 24 Nov 1955 State Secretariat for State Security (under the Ministry
of Interior)
18 Nov 1989 Office for National Security
11 Jan 1990 abolished
Ministers
8 Feb 1950 - 24 Jul 1953 Wilhelm Zaisser SED (b. 1893 - d. 1958)
24 Jul 1953 - 1 Nov 1957 Ernst Wollweber SED (b. 1898 - d. 1967)
(state secretary to 24 Nov 1955)
1 Nov 1957 - 18 Nov 1989 Erich Mielke SED (b. 1907 - d. 2000)
18 Nov 1989 - 11 Jan 1990 Wolfgang Schwanitz SED (b. 1930 - d. 2022)
(director)
Parliament
Volkskammer
Presidents
7 Oct 1949 - 22 Feb 1969 Johannes Dieckmann LDPD (b. 1893 - d. 1969)
12 May 1969 - 29 Oct 1976 Gerald Götting CDU (b. 1923 - d. 2015)
29 Oct 1976 - 13 Nov 1989 Horst Sindermann SED (b. 1915 - d. 1990)
13 Nov 1989 - 5 Apr 1990 Günther Maleuda DBD (b. 1931 - d. 2012)
5 Apr 1990 - 2 Oct 1990 Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (f) CDU (b. 1946)
Länderkammer
11 Dec 1958 abolished
Presidents
11 Oct 1949 - 5 Mar 1955 Reinhold Lobedanz CDU (b. 1880 - d. 1955)
May 1955 - 11 Dec 1958 August Bach CDU (b. 1897 - d. 1966)
Political parties
National Front
Note: The National Front of Democratic Germany (from 1971, National Front of the German Democratic Republic) (NF) was formed by the parties SED, CDU, LDPD, DBD, NDPD, and the mass organizations Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB), Free German Youth (FDJ), Democratic Women's Association (DFD), Culture Association (KB), Union of Mutual Peasants' Help (VdgB), Society for German-Soviet Friendship (DSF), Committee of the Anti-Fascist Resistance Fighters (KAW), People's Solidarity (VS), Young Pioneers (JP), and the Writers' Association of the GDR.
Presidents of the National Council of the National Front
Aug 1950 - 18 May 1981 Erich Correns (b. 1896 - d. 1981)
30 Oct 1981 - Dec 1989 Lothar Kolditz (b. 1929)
Socialist Unity Party
22 Apr 1946 Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Communist Party (KPD)
in the Soviet occupation zone united as Socialist Unity
Party of Germany (SED)
15 Dec 1989 renamed Socialist Unity Party of Germany-Party of
Democratic Socialism (SED-PDS)
4 Feb 1990 renamed Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS)
Co-chairmen
22 Apr 1946 - 25 Jul 1950 Wilhelm Pieck (b. 1876 - d. 1960)
+ Otto Grotewohl (b. 1894 - d. 1964)
General secretaries (28 Jul 1953 - 22 May 1976, first secretaries)
25 Jul 1950 - 3 May 1971 Walter Ulbricht (b. 1893 - d. 1973)
3 May 1971 - 18 Oct 1989 Erich Honecker (b. 1912 - d. 1994)
18 Oct 1989 - 3 Dec 1989 Egon Krenz (b. 1937)
3 Dec 1989 - 9 Dec 1989 Herbert Kroker (b. 1929 - d. 2022)
(chairman of working committee)
Chairman
9 Dec 1989 - 4 Feb 1990 Gregor Gysi (b. 1948)
Christian Democratic Union
22 Jul 1945 Christian Democratic Union (CDU) established
1 Oct 1990 merged into West German Christian Democratic Union
Chairmen
Jul 1945 - Dec 1945 Andreas Hermes (b. 1878 - d. 1964)
4 Jan 1946 - Dec 1947 Jakob Kaiser (b. 1888 - d. 1961)
Sep 1948 - 27 Dec 1957 Otto Nuschke (b. 1883 - d. 1957)
Dec 1957 - 23 Mar 1966 August Bach (acting to Oct 1958) (b. 1897 - d. 1966)
May 1966 - 2 Nov 1989 Gerald Götting (b. 1923 - d. 2015)
2 Nov 1989 - 10 Nov 1989 Wolfgang Heyl (acting) (b. 1921 - d. 2014)
10 Nov 1989 - 1 Oct 1990 Lothar de Maizière (b. 1940)
Liberal Democratic Party
1945 Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) established
Oct 1951 renamed Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD)
9 Feb 1990 renamed Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
11 Aug 1990 merged into West German Free Democratic Party
Chairmen
Jul 1945 - Nov 1945 Waldemar Koch (b. 1880 - d. 1963)
Nov 1945 - 10 Apr 1948 Wilhelm Külz (b. 1875 - d. 1948)
Apr 1948 - 20 Oct 1948 Arthur Lieutenant (acting) (b. 1884 - d. 1968)
20 Oct 1948 - 11 Dec 1952 Karl Hamann (acting to Feb 1949) (b. 1903 - d. 1973)
Feb 1949 - Jul 1950 Hermann Kastner (co-chairman) (b. 1886 - d. 1957)
11 Dec 1952 - Jul 1960 Hans Loch (b. 1898 - d. 1960)
Jul 1960 - Nov 1967 Max Suhrbier (b. 1902 - d. 1971)
Nov 1967 - 9 Feb 1990 Manfred Gerlach (b. 1928 - d. 2011)
9 Feb 1990 - 11 Aug 1990 Rainer Ortleb (b. 1944)
Democratic Peasants' Party
Jun 1948 Democratic Peasants' Party of Germany (DBD) established
15 Sep 1990 merged into West German Christian Democratic Union
Chairmen
Jun 1948 - May 1982 Ernst Goldenbaum (b. 1898 - d. 1990)
May 1982 - 27 Mar 1987 Ernst Mecklenburg (b. 1927)
27 Mar 1987 - 30 Jun 1990 Günther Maleuda (b. 1931 - d. 2012)
30 Jun 1990 - 15 Sep 1990 Ulrich Junghanns (acting) (b. 1956)
National Democratic Party
Dec 1948 National Democratic Party of Germany (NDPD) established
11 Aug 1990 merged into West German Free Democratic Party
Chairmen
Dec 1948 - Apr 1972 Lothar Bolz (b. 1903 - d. 1986)
Apr 1972 - 2 Nov 1989 Heinrich Homann (b. 1911 - d. 1994)
2 Nov 1989 - 21 Jan 1990 Günter Hartmann (b. 1930)
21 Jan 1990 - 11 Feb 1990 Wolfgang Glaeser (b. 1940 - d. 2020)
11 Feb 1990 - 11 Aug 1990 Wolfgang Rauls (b. 1948)
Social Democratic Party
7 Oct 1989 Social Democratic Party in the German Democratic Republic
(SDP) founded
13 Jan 1990 renamed Social Democratic Party (SPD)
27 Sep 1990 merged into West German Social Democratic Party
Chairmen
7 Oct 1989 - 22 Feb 1990 Stephan Hilsberg (speaker) (b. 1956)
22 Feb 1990 - 1 Apr 1990 Ibrahim Böhme (b. 1944 - d. 1999)
1 Apr 1990 - 9 Jun 1990 Markus Meckel (acting) (b. 1952)
9 Jun 1990 - 27 Sep 1990 Wolfgang Thierse (b. 1943)
Democratic Awakening
17 Dec 1989 Democratic Awakening (DA) founded
5 Aug 1990 merged into West German Christian Democratic Union
Chairmen
17 Dec 1989 - 14 Mar 1990 Wolfgang Schnur (b. 1944 - d. 2016)
15 Mar 1990 - 5 Aug 1990 Rainer Eppelmann (b. 1943)
(acting to 22 Apr 1990)
German Social Union
20 Jan 1990 German Social Union (DSU) founded
Chairmen
20 Jan 1990 - 30 Jun 1990 Hans-Wilhelm Ebeling (b. 1934 - d. 2021)
30 Jun 1990 - 25 May 1991 Hansjoachim Walther (b. 1939 - d. 2005)
25 May 1991 - 24 Apr 1993 Reinhard Keller
24 Apr 1993 - Roberto Rink (b. 1959)
Labour unions
Free German Trade Union Federation
Chairmen
May 1946 - 25 Oct 1948 Hans Jendretzky (b. 1897 - d. 1992)
25 Oct 1948 - 26 Mar 1975 Herbert Warnke (b. 1902 - d. 1975)
26 Apr 1975 - 2 Nov 1989 Harry Tisch (b. 1927 - d. 1995)
2 Nov 1989 - 9 Dec 1989 Annelis Kimmel (f) (b. 1934)
9 Dec 1989 - 1 Feb 1990 Werner Peplowski (b. 1944)
1 Feb 1990 - 9 May 1990 Helga Mausch (f) (b. 1945)