Leadership of East Germany

The political **leadership of East Germany** was in the hands of several offices.

## Leaders of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)

|-align="center"
! colspan=7|**Joint Chairmen of the Socialist Unity Party**

|-align="center"
! colspan=7| **General Secretary of the Central Committee**

|-align="center"
! colspan=7| **(Honorary) Chairman of the Central Committee**

On 1 December 1989, the People's Chamber removed the section of the East German Constitution granting the SED a monopoly of power—thus ending Communist rule in East Germany. Before the month was out, the SED transformed from a Leninist cadre party into a democratic socialist party, renaming itself first to Socialist Unity Party — Party of Democratic Socialism and later in the same year, to Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). Hence, the party's subsequent leaders were no more leaders of East Germany than the leaders of other parties.

## Heads of state

||Picture|width="150"|Name|width="150"|Took office|width="150"|Left office|width="150"|Political Party|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|colspan="6" align="center"|**President of the Republic**|||||||||
||Johannes Dieckmann|7 October 1949|11 October 1949|LDPD||||||
||Wilhelm Pieck|11 October 1949|7 September 1960|SED||||||
||Johannes Dieckmann|7 September 1960|12 September 1960|LDPD||||||
|colspan="6" align="center"|**Chairman of the State Council**|||||||||
||Walter Ulbricht|12 September 1960|1 August 1973|SED||||||
||Friedrich Ebert Jr.|1 August 1973|3 October 1973|SED||||||
||Willi Stoph|3 October 1973|29 October 1976|SED||||||
||Erich Honecker|29 October 1976|18 October 1989|SED||||||
||Egon Krenz|18 October 1989|6 December 1989|SED||||||
||Manfred Gerlach|6 December 1989|5 April 1990|LDPD||||||
|colspan="6" align="center"|**President of the People's Chamber of the GDR**|||||||||
||Sabine Bergmann-Pohl|5 April 1990|2 October 1990|CDU||||||

## Heads of government

||Picture|width="150"|Name|width="150"|Took office|width="150"|Left office|width="150"|Political Party|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|colspan="6" align="center"|**Chairman of the Council of Ministers**|||||||||
||Otto Grotewohl|12 October 1949|21 September 1964|SED||||||
||Willi Stoph|21 September 1964|3 October 1973|SED||||||
||Horst Sindermann|3 October 1973|29 October 1976|SED||||||
||Willi Stoph|29 October 1976|13 November 1989|SED||||||
||Hans Modrow|13 November 1989|12 April 1990|SED / PDS||||||
||Lothar de Maizière|12 April 1990|2 October 1990|CDU||||||

## Heads of parliament

||Picture|width="150"|Name|width="150"|Took office|width="150"|Left office|width="150"|Political Party|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|colspan="6" align="center"|**President of the People's Chamber**|||||||||
||Johannes Dieckmann|7 October 1949|22 February 1969|LDPD||||||
||Gerald Götting|12 May 1969|29 October 1976|CDU||||||
||Horst Sindermann|29 October 1976|13 November 1989|SED||||||
||Günther Maleuda|13 November 1989|5 April 1990|DBD||||||
||Sabine Bergmann-Pohl|5 April 1990|2 October 1990|CDU||||||

## Other websites

- World StatesmenEast Germany

## Infobox (official post)

- **post**: Leadership
- **body**: East Germany
- **insignia**: Coat of arms of East Germany (1955–1990).svg
- **insigniacaption**: Coat of Arms of the German Democratic Republic, State Coat of arms
- **image**: Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1984-0704-400, Egon Krenz.jpg
- **imagecaption**: **Last General Secretary**
**Egon Krenz**
18 October 1989 – 6 December 1989
- **formation**: 7 October 1949
- **residence**: Schönhausen Palace
Majakowskiring
Waldsiedlung