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Erich Honecker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 August 1912 Neunkirchen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 29 May 1994 (aged 81) Santiago, Chile |
| Nationality | German |
| Political orientation | Marxism–Leninism |
| Political party | Socialist Unity Party of Germany |
Erich Honecker (25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (the GDR, or East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before its annexation by the West in 1989. He was the chairman of the National Defense Council and an influential figure in late Soviet politics. Honecker is known for his progressive policies in the GDR and critiques of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Erich Honecker, son of a miner, was born on 25 August 1912 in Neunkirchen, a town located in the west of the German Empire. He joined the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1930 and became active in the resistance movement against Adolf Hitler. He was arrested in 1935 and remained imprisoned until the end of the Second World War.[1]
Political career[edit | edit source]
Following the Soviet liberation of Germany, Honecker joined the Socialist Unity Party and was elected to the parliament of German Democratic Republic in 1949. As a member of the Politburo he had an instrumental role in the building of the Berlin Wall in August 1961, about the wall he would later say: "Without the wall through Berlin there could have been a nuclear war with thousands or millions of dead."[1]
General Secretary[edit | edit source]
Honecker replaced Walter Ulbricht as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party in 1971. During his leadership he remained firm in his Marxist-Leninist principles but, at the same time, he continued working with his West German counterparts towards a reconciliation between East and West.[1]
On 9 October 1989, Egon Krenz failed to meet with Honecker, who was in meetings all day, but he told the Stasi to allow a counterrevolutionary demonstration in Leipzig. On 18 October, Egon Krenz replaced him as leader.[2]
Later life[edit | edit source]
After the annexation of the GDR he was arrested by counterrevolutionary forces and falsely charged with treason, corruption and abuse of power. In 1993 the courts finally decided that Honecker, who was suffering from liver cancer, was too ill to stand trial and he was allowed to retire to Chile with his wife where he died on 29 May 1994.[1] He and his wife Margot Honecker (who served as Minister of Education under the socialist state) defended the cause down to their last breath.[3]
Further reading[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "30 years since the death of Erich Honecker" (2024-05-29). In Defense of Communism. Archived from the original on 2024-11-15.
- ↑ Austin Murphy (2000). The Triumph of Evil: 'A Detailed Autopsy of the Collapse of the Superior System in the Divided Germany' (pp. 143–5). [PDF] Fucecchio: European Press Academic Publishing. ISBN 8883980026
- ↑ "Interview with the GDR’s Margot Honecker — ‘The past was brought back’" (2015-11-16). Workers World. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20.