Council of Ministers of East Germany

The Council of Ministers of the GDR since November 1950, the government of the GDR. He was under the Constitution, the supreme executive organ of the State and was formed exclusively by the SED and with it the " Democratic Bloc " united parties. In 1950 it consisted of 18 members, in 1989 he owned to 39 members.

Construction

The Council of Ministers was only a subordinate authority to approve resolutions and bills of the SED leadership in the power structure of the GDR. On the one decreed the East German government as well as the Government of the Federal Republic in the early years only a limited sovereignty. Particularly with respect to the external relations issues, the choices were very limited and subordinate to the government of the GDR directly the Soviet Control Commission.

The real center of power in the GDR was the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED with his secretaries. It controlled the party and government. What role approached him, illustrates a decision of the Secretariat of the Politburo on 17 October 1949

"Laws and regulations of importance, materials otherwise, are to be brought about government decisions, further proposals for the adoption of laws and regulations must be submitted for decision prior to their adoption by the People's Chamber and the Government of the Politburo and Secretariat of the Politburo. "

In addition, departments were formed in June 1950 in the Central Committee of the SED, which corresponded to the departments of the ministries. These departments of the Central Committee of the SED were the real decision-making centers. The Council of Ministers headed by a Chairman (Prime Minister). There were two first deputy chairman and nine other Deputy Chairperson. Along with several ministers they formed the Bureau of the Council of Ministers. The Executive Committee prepared before any decisions in consultation with the relevant departments of the Central Committee (ZK ) of the SED and the SED Politburo. The Secretaries and Head of the Central Committee of the SED were the ministers give instructions.

First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers were until 1989 Günther Kleiber and Alfred Neumann, both members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED. Alfred Neumann had already been under Ulbricht Chairman of the Economic Council. Additional Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers were each leading representatives of the four block parties.

The Council of Ministers also included the Chairman of the State Planning Commission, the President of the State Bank of the German Democratic Republic and a number of state secretaries, who were mostly self- heads of offices of Ministers on. All members of the Council of Ministers - including ministers - were elected by the People's Chamber for five years. The Bureau was the working member between the weekly meetings of the Council of Ministers. This took place regularly on Wednesdays held to implement the decisions of the Politburo meeting of the Central Committee of the SED on Tuesday. In the centralized state structure of the GDR Council of Ministers were subordinate to other levels of government as the councils of the districts and the councils of the urban and rural districts.

From the Council of Ministers Office and the Official Gazette of the GDR was issued. Since 1983, the electronic "Central squad data storage " ( ZKDS ) of the GDR was performed at the Council of Ministers. In addition, the Council of Ministers was the press office, which issued official government pronouncements and was responsible for the accreditation of foreign journalists in the GDR. His longtime leader was Kurt Blecha.

Office of the Council of Ministers was from 1950 to 1953, the former Prussian Parliament, from 1961 the former Old Town House in Berlin-Mitte in the monastery road 47 The ministries had their own building in Berlin. In the House of Ministries in Leipziger Strasse, near the Berlin Wall, the ministries of economic activities were summarized.

Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Prime Minister

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister were:

Director of the Office of the Council of Ministers was State Secretary Kurt Kleinert ( 1972-1989 ).

Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers

• First Deputy Chairman (all SED): Walter Ulbricht (1955-1960)
• Willi Stoph (1962-1964)
• Alfred Neumann (1968-1989)
• Horst Sindermann (1971-1973)
• Günter Mittag (1973-1976)
• Werner Krolikowski (1976-1988)
• Günther Kleiber (1988 [? ] -1989 )

• Alexander Abusch (SED, 1961-1971 )
• Erich Apel (SED, 1963-1965 )
• Julius Balkow (SED, 1965-1967 )
• Lothar Bolz ( NDPD, 1950-1967 )
• Kurt Fichtner (SED, 1967-1974 )
• Manfred Flegel ( NDPD, 1967-1989 )
• Hans -Joachim Heusinger ( Liberal Democratic Party, 1972-1989 )
• Günther Kleiber (SED, 1971-1988 )
• Bruno Leuschner (SED, 1955-1965 )
• Hans hole ( Liberal Democratic Party, 1950-1960 )
• Alfred Neumann (SED, 1965-1971 )
• Otto Nuschke (CDU, 1949-1957 )
• Fred Oelßner (SED, 1955-1958 )
• Heinrich Rau ( SED, 1950-1961 )
• Wolfgang Rauchfuß (SED, 1965-1989 )
• Hans Reichelt (DBD, 1972-1989 )
• Paul Scholz ( DBD, 1952-1967 )
• Gerhard Schurer (SED, 1967-1989 )
• Rudolph Schulze (CDU, 1971-1989 )
• Max Sefrin (CDU, 1958-1971 )
• Fritz Selbmann (SED, 1956-1958 )
• Horst kettle holes (SED, 1986-1989)
• Willi Stoph (SED, 1954-1958 )
• Max Suhr beer ( Liberal Democratic Party, 1960-1965 )
• Werner Title ( DBD, 1967-1971 )
• Walter Ulbricht (SED, 1949-1955 )
• Herbert Weiz (SED, 1967-1989 )
• Margarete Wittkowski (SED, 1961-1967 )
• Kurt wishes ( Liberal Democratic Party, 1965-1972 )

Ministries

The ministries and ministers were:

Provisional Government of the German Democratic Republic (1949-1950) | 1950-1954 | 1954-1958 | 1958-1963 | 1963-1967 | 1967-1971 | 1971-1976 | 1976-1981 | 1981-1986 | 1986-1989 | Modrow government (1989 -1990 ) | de Maizière government (1990 )

Usual ministries

The ministries of the armed forces

The Ministries of Economic Activities

Besides the usual in every government department of the Council of Ministers was marked by a variety of industrial ministries that have been established since 1950. The State Planning Commission was a key organ of the Council of Ministers ( "Plan carrier, stage 1" ) to coordinate the work of individual industrial ministries ("Plan carrier stage 2" ). In 1958, the industrial ministries were dissolved and merged in 1961 in the newly established National Economy ( VWR). Chairman of the VWR was Alfred Neumann ( SED). These organizational changes occurred following the introduction of the New Economic System of Planning and Management ( NÖSLP ). The VWR 1965 abolished and individual industrial ministries were re-established. These were under as before the State Planning Commission.

The ministries equivalent commissions

Other government agencies of Ministers

In addition, the Council of Ministers were directly subordinate to independent Secretaries of State and Central agencies, including

• The State Secretariat for Labour and Wages: Hellmuth Geyer since 1965
• The State Secretariat for Religious Affairs: Werner Eggerath, Hans Seigewasser, Klaus Gysi, Kurt Löffler
• The State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports
• The Office of prices under Secretary of State at ministerial rank Walter Halbritter,
• The Central State Office for Statistics ( SZS ): Arno Donda since 1963
• The Office of Standards, Metrology and Inspection of goods ( ASMW )
• The Office of Industrial Design (AiF ): Martin Kelm since 1972

New ministries from 1989/1990

→ see also Cabinet Modrow, → see also Cabinet de Maizière