Erich Honecker | East German Leader, Communist Politician

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href="https://cdn.britannica.com/51/133351-050-BEA95338/Erich-Honecker-1976.jpg" data-href="/media/1/270825/129762">Honecker, Erich</a> <span><span>Erich Honecker, 1976.</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Erich Honecker</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">German politician</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="270825"> <button class="js-tooltip btn 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1063&context=gov_fac_pubs" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Liberty University - Scholars Crossing - Honecker’s Legacy</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/fall-of-the-berlin-wall-history-catches-up-with-erich-honecker-the-east-german-leader-who-praised-the-iron-curtain-and-claimed-it-prevented-a-third-world-war-9826715.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Independent - Fall of the Berlin Wall: History catches up with Erich Honecker - the East German leader who praised the Iron Curtain and claimed it prevented a Third World War</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/people/honecker-erich-ernst-paul" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Wilson Center Digital Archive - Biography of Erich Ernst Paul Honecker</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/the-end-of-honecker" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">University of Cambridge - The End Of Honecker</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-07T00:00:00CST" >Nov 7, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erich-Honecker/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>August 25, 1912, Neunkirchen, <a href="/place/Germany">Germany</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Died: </dt> <dd>May 29, 1994, <a href="/place/Chile">Chile</a> (aged 81)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Title / Office: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/head-of-state">head of state (1971-1989)</a>, <a href="/place/East-Germany">East Germany</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Political Affiliation: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Communist-Party-of-Germany">Communist Party of Germany</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Socialist-Unity-Party-of-Germany">Socialist Unity Party of Germany</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>On the Web: </dt> <dd><a href="https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1063&context=gov_fac_pubs" target="_blank">Liberty University - Scholars Crossing - Honecker’s Legacy</a> (Nov. 07, 2024)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Erich-Honecker"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref268072"></span>Erich Honecker</strong> (born August 25, 1912, Neunkirchen, Germany—died May 29, 1994, Chile) was a communist official who, as first secretary of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/East-Germany" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">East Germany</a>’s <span id="ref268073"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Socialist-Unity-Party-of-Germany" class="md-crosslink ">Socialist Unity Party of Germany</a> (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, or SED), was East Germany’s leader from 1971 until he fell from power in 1989 in the wake of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/democracy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">democratic</a> reforms sweeping eastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Europe</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The son of a miner who was an official of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/communist-party-politics" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Communist Party</a>, Honecker joined the Communist Youth Movement at the age of 14 and in 1929 became a full party member. By trade he was a slater. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, he organized illegal activities by young communists in various parts of Germany. He was arrested by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gestapo" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Gestapo</a> in 1935 and sentenced to 10 years’ hard labour for “preparing treason.” He refused to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="repudiate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repudiate" data-type="MW">repudiate</a> his communist <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="convictions" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convictions" data-type="MW">convictions</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1945 he was freed by the Soviet Red Army as it swept across eastern Germany, and he quickly caught up with those German communists who had been trained in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Soviet-Union" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Soviet Union</a> to set up a communist government in the Soviet-occupied zone. He was one of the founders of the <span id="ref1073757"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Free-German-Youth" class="md-crosslink ">Free German Youth</a> movement (Freie Deutsche Jugend, or FDJ) and was its chairman from 1946 to 1955.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="196088" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="180275"><a data-id="180275" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/Erich-Honecker-secretary-Walter-Ulbricht-East-Germany-1971/-196088"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/180275-138-6A08FE4B/Erich-Honecker-secretary-Walter-Ulbricht-East-Germany-1971.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Transfer of power from Walter Ulbricht to Erich Honecker in East Germany" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/A23zHrDI.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/75/180275-138-6A08FE4B/Erich-Honecker-secretary-Walter-Ulbricht-East-Germany-1971.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/PUN8UktG", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/6tMk5HyZ.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="180275">Transfer of power from Walter Ulbricht to Erich Honecker in East Germany</span><span>Erich Honecker replacing Walter Ulbricht as first secretary of the Socialist Unity Party in East Germany, 1971.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/biography/Erich-Honecker/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">He was elected a member of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Central-Committee-Soviet-political-body" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Central Committee</a> of the Communist Party in 1946 and was one of the prime movers behind the fusion of the Communist and Social Democratic parties in East Germany into the newly formed SED. In 1961 he was put in charge of building the <span id="ref1073758"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Berlin-Wall" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Berlin Wall</a>. His influence in the SED grew rapidly, and in 1967 he was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="designated" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/designated" data-type="EB">designated</a> as the successor to the East German leader, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Walter-Ulbricht" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Walter Ulbricht</a>. He became leader of the SED in 1971 and chairman of the Council of State in 1976, thus heading both party and government. Under Honecker’s rule, East Germany was one of the more repressive but also one of the most prosperous of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-bloc" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Soviet-bloc</a> countries of eastern Europe. He allowed the growth of some trade and travel ties with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/West-Germany" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">West Germany</a> in return for West German financial aid. His wife, Margot, was minister of education in the East German government.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="139740" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/137026-050-DF7029C6/Mikhail-Gorbachev-Erich-Honecker-Communist-Party-of-1986.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/270825/139740"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/137026-050-DF7029C6/Mikhail-Gorbachev-Erich-Honecker-Communist-Party-of-1986.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/137026-050-DF7029C6/Mikhail-Gorbachev-Erich-Honecker-Communist-Party-of-1986.jpg?w=300" alt="Mikhail Gorbachev" data-width="777" data-height="453" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/137026-050-DF7029C6/Mikhail-Gorbachev-Erich-Honecker-Communist-Party-of-1986.jpg" data-href="/media/1/270825/139740">Mikhail Gorbachev</a><span>Mikhail Gorbachev (left), general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with Erich Honecker, first secretary of East Germany's Socialist Unity Party of Germany, 1986.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Having lost the support of the reform-minded Soviet leader <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mikhail-Gorbachev" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Mikhail Gorbachev</a>, the aged and inflexible Honecker was forced to resign in October 1989 when confronted with massive prodemocracy demonstrations in East German cities. In the face of growing public agitation, he was then charged with abuses of power and other crimes. In ill health, he was released by the German authorities in 1993 and allowed to go to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Chile" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Chile</a>, where he died.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892">Encyclopaedia Britannica</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":270825,"pageLength":424,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Erich Honecker | East German Leader, Communist Politician | Britannica