| Egon Krenz | |
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| In office 18 October 1989 – 3 December 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Erich Honecker |
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| In office 18 October 1989 – 3 December 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Erich Honecker |
| Succeeded by | Manfred Gerlach |
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| Born | 19 March 1937 Kolberg, Germany (Now in Poland) |
| Political party | Socialist Unity Party of Germany |
| Profession | Politician |
Egon Krenz (born 19 March 1937) is a German former Communist, who briefly served as leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1989 before the end of Communist rule. The first constitution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR in October 1949 created the office of de Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (President of the Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Erich Honecker ( August 25, 1912 – May 29, 1994) was a German Communist Politician who led the German Democratic The first constitution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR in October 1949 created the office of de Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (President of the Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Erich Honecker ( August 25, 1912 – May 29, 1994) was a German Communist Politician who led the German Democratic Manfred Gerlach (born May 8, 1928) is a former East German politician ( LDPD) who acted as Chairman of the Council of State and thus Head Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kołobrzeg (Kolberg Kòłobrzeg Cholbergensis is a City in Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with some 50000 inhabitants (as of Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Socialist Unity Party of Germany ( German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) was the governing party of the German Democratic A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar)
Throughout his career, Krenz held a number of prominent positions in the Communist regime, but he is most remembered as the Communist leader during the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including After Reunification he was sentenced to a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany
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Early years
Krenz was born in Kolberg in what was then Germany, now Poland. Kołobrzeg (Kolberg Kòłobrzeg Cholbergensis is a City in Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with some 50000 inhabitants (as of Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland His family were resettled in Damgarten in 1944, when Germans were expelled from eastern Brandenburg. Ribnitz-Damgarten is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The expulsion of Germans after World War II was the Forced migration and Ethnic cleansing of German nationals ( Reichsdeutsche) and ethnic Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany.
He joined the Communist-led Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1955. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The Socialist Unity Party of Germany ( German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) was the governing party of the German Democratic Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Throughout his career, Krenz held a number of senior posts in the SED, joining the politburo in 1983. Politburo, short for Political Bureau, Russian Politicheskoye Buro, is the executive organization for a number of Political parties, most notably Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) He was also General Secretary of the Communist youth movement, the FDJ. The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ ( German: Freie Deutsche Jugend, was the official Socialist Youth movement of
Leader of the German Democratic Republic
Following popular protests against the GDR's Communist regime, long-serving leader Erich Honecker was forced to resign on October 18, 1989. Erich Honecker ( August 25, 1912 – May 29, 1994) was a German Communist Politician who led the German Democratic Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) At Honecker's suggestion, Krenz was elected as the new General secretary of the SED Central Committee. The term General Secretary (alternatively First Secretary) denotes a leader of various unions parties churches or associations Central Committee most commonly refers to the central executive unit of a Leninist (commonly also Trotskyist) or Communist party, whether ruling or
Despite many protests, Krenz was elected by the People's Chamber to the positions of both Chairman of the Council of State and Chairman of the National Defense Council. The Volkskammer ("People's Chamber" was the unicameral Legislature of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany) For the second time (the first was on the law on abortion) in the parliament's forty-year history, the vote was not unanimous; 26 deputies voted against and 26 abstained. In the evening, East German television broadcast Krenz's first public pronouncement in his new capacity, with the new leader promising to introduce democratic reforms.
On November 7, Krenz approved the resignation of Prime Minister Willi Stoph and his entire cabinet along with two-thirds of the politburo. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Willi Stoph (9 July 1914 &ndash 13 April 1999 was an East German politician However, the Central Committee unanimously re-elected Krenz to the position of General Secretary. In a speech, Krenz attempted a reckoning with history, which also criticized his political mentor Erich Honecker. Yet, by this stage, events were rapidly spiralling out of his control.
Despite promises of reform, public opposition to the regime continued to grow. In an attempt to stem the tide, Krenz authorized the reopening of the border with Czechoslovakia, which had been sealed to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany [1]. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( The newly formed Politburo agreed to adopt new regulations for trips to the West by way of a Council of Ministers resolution.
On the evening of November 9, Politburo member Günter Schabowski announced the results of the Central Committee plenary. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Günter Schabowski (born 4 January 1929) was an official of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED the ruling party during most of the existence of Although the East German government had approved the opening of the borders, a misunderstood press briefing by Schabowski resulted in a spontaneous mass exodus of East Germans into West Berlin. The sudden and dramatic opening of the Berlin Wall would ultimately lead to the political collapse of the SED regime. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including
On November 18, Krenz swore in the new coalition government. Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Instead of an oath, it consisted of a simple handshake. However, in the first days of December, the entire SED Central Committee and Politburo resigned; a working committee assumed the duties of Party leadership in its place. The CDU and the LDPD announced that they were leaving the so-called democratic bloc. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU was an East German political party founded in 1945 The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ( German: Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands (LDPD was a Political party in East Germany. The National Front of Democratic Germany ( German: Nationale Front des Demokratischen Deutschlands, NF was a Popular front of political parties The CDU Presidium also demanded the resignation of Krenz as head of the Council of State and Chairman of the National Defense Council.
On December 7, 1989, Krenz—the GDR's last Communist head of state—resigned as leader. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) In a desperate attempt to improve its image, the Party of Democratic Socialism (the successor to the SED) stripped him of his party membership in 1990. This article is about the party before the merger with WASG in 2007 Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar)
Trial and prison
In 1997, Krenz was sentenced to six-and-a-half years imprisonment for Cold War crimes, specifically manslaughter of those Germans attempting to escape the communist regime over the Berlin Wall. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being in a manner considered by law as less culpable than Murder. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including He was also charged with electoral fraud, along with other criminal offences. Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an Election.
He appealed, arguing that the legal framework of the newly reunited German state did not apply to events that had taken place in the former GDR. Krenz also argued that the prosecution of former GDR officials was a breach of a personal agreement given by West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev during their talks which led to German reunification. Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born 3 April 1930 is a German conservative politician and statesman Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev ( Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov;; born 2 March 1931 in Privolnoye Stavropol Krai) is a Russian politician However, the verdict was upheld in 1999. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Krenz has been said to have described his conviction as "victor's justice". The label " victor's justice " (in German,) to a situation in which they believe that a victorious nation is applying different rules to judge what is right (In a letter to the German pastor Friedrich Schorlemmer Krenz writes that he has never used the words "victor's justice" in regard of his conviction, since the collapse of the GDR was not at all a historic victory of the Federal Republic of Germany and its political system[1] and "cold war in court". The label " victor's justice " (in German,) to a situation in which they believe that a victorious nation is applying different rules to judge what is right The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state )
Krenz began serving his sentence in Berlin-Spandau shortly thereafter. He was released from prison in December, 2003 after serving somewhat more than three years of his sentence, and quietly retired to Dierhagen in Mecklenburg. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Dierhagen is a municipality in the Nordvorpommern district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Mecklenburg ( Low German: Mekelnborg) is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern He remained on parole until the end of his sentence in 2006. Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
To this day, Krenz is one of the few former Communist politicians who continues to defend the former German Democratic Republic, asserting that both victims and perpetrators had been held hostage by the events of the Cold War.
Quotes
- "I had only 50 days to change things — most politicians get at least 100 … I realised the way of politics was not working, but what could I do? You have the feeling something is very wrong, but cannot fix it. " [2]
- "The victorious power is revenging itself on the representatives of the defeated power" [3]
See also
| Preceded by Erich Honecker |
General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany 1989 |
Succeeded by Position abolished Party renamed the Party of Democratic Socialism |
| Chairman of the Council of State of the German Democratic Republic 1989 |
Succeeded by Manfred Gerlach |
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