Modrow government
The Modrow government refers to the final socialist government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was led by Socialist Unity Party (SED) official Hans Modrow from November 1989 until East Germany's first democratically elected government took power on 18 March 1990.
Background
Further information: Die Wende
Spurred on by the liberal policies of Glasnost and Perestroika in the Soviet Union, and Mikhail Gorbachev's apparent tolerance of liberal reforms in other countries in the Warsaw Pact, protests began to spread in the German Democratic Republic in 1989. This culminated in a large increase in citizens escaping from the country during the summer of 1989 after Hungary dismantled its portion of the Iron Curtain. At the same time opposition to the incumbent SED was growing - on 9 October 1989, for example, 70,000 people took part in a demonstration in Leipzig calling for free elections and other democratic rights which had been denied to East German citizens since the founding of the GDR. On 18 October 1989 Erich Honecker was ousted as leader by his Politburo as a result of his unwillingness to confront the societal problems which had led to the mass exodus and political protest.[1] The relatively youthful Egon Krenz who was chosen as successor proved to be ineffective, and on 9 November 1989 the Berlin Wall was opened, becoming a symbol of the SED's complete loss of power. Within the first four days of the Wall's opening, 4.3 million people or 25% of the East German population had made the trip across the border to West Germany with many choosing to remain there to take advantage of the higher quality of life. Since 8 November a new Politburo had been in power when the previous one had unanimously resigned. Amongst the new members was former First Secretary of the SED in Dresden Hans Modrow. Despite the personnel change the new government was unable to bring stability to the situation, with increased absenteeism through emigration and citizens taking trips to West Germany placing higher pressure on the East German economy.[2]
Round Table
As a result of the increasingly fragmented nature of the East German political landscape[3]
Ministers
- Acting Foreign Secretary: Harry Ott[4]
- Chairman of the National Defence Council (and therefore Head of State): Egon Krenz (until 6 December 1989), thereafter Manfred Gerlach
- Chairman of the State Planning Commission: Gerhard Schürer[5]
- Deputy Chairpersons: Christa Luft, Lothar de Maizière and Peter Moreth
- General of the People's Police: Lothar Arendt
- Head of the Office for National Security: Wolfgang Schwanitz
- Minister for Economic Questions: Christa Luft
- Minister for Work and Wages: Hannelore Mensch
- Ministers Without Portfolio: Wolfgang Ullmann, Rainer Eppelmann, Sebastian Pflugbeil, Gerd Poppe, Konrad Weiß and Walter Romberg
- Secretary of State: Wolfgang Rauchfuß
See also
References
- ↑ Dennis, Mike (2000). The Rise and Fall of the German Democratic Republic 1945-1990. London: Pearson Education. pp. 286–287. ISBN 0582245621.
- ↑ Childs, David (2001). The Fall of the GDR - Germany's Road to Unity. London: Pearson Education. pp. 86–89. ISBN 0582315697.
- ↑ Niedermayer, Oskar (December 1995). "Party System Change in East Germany". German Politics. Frank Cass. 4 (3): 80.
- ↑ Sommer, Lothar. "Neutrales Deutschland - Geschichtliches". www.neutrales-deutschland.de (in German). Retrieved 2015-05-26.
- ↑ Childs p.103