Egon Krenz (born 19 March 1937) is a former German Communist politician, who briefly served as leader of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1989 before the end of Communist rule. The logo of the SED The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) was the governing party of East Germany from its formation in 1949 until the elections of 1990. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Anthem: Auferstanden aus Ruinen Capital East Berlin, in spite of status as part of an occupied city Language(s) German Government Socialist state Head of State  - 1990 Sabine Bergmann-Pohl Head of Government  - 1990 Lothar de Maizière Historical era Cold War  - Established October 7 1949  - Final Settlement September 25... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the 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. After reunification he was sentenced to a six and a half year prison sentence for crimes committed during the Communist dictatorship. East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, 20 November 1961. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

Early years

Krenz was born in Kolberg in what was then Germany, now Poland. His family were resettled in Damgarten in 1944, when Germans were expelled from eastern Brandenburg. Kołobrzeg (pronounce: [kɔwɔbʒεg], German Kolberg) is a city in Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with some 50,000 inhabitants (2000). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Germans expelled from the Sudetenland // The expulsion of Germans after World War II refers to the escape and mass deportation of people considered Germans (Reichsdeutsche and some Volksdeutsche) from various European states and territories during 1945 and in the first three years after World War II 1946-48. ...   (Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ...

He joined the Communist-led Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1955. Throughout his career, Krenz held a number of senior posts in the SED, joining the politburo in 1983. He was also General Secretary of the Communist youth movement, the FDJ. This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... The logo of the SED The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) was the governing party of East Germany from its formation in 1949 until the elections of 1990. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Politburo is short for Political Bureau. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Free German Youth (Freie Deutsche Jugend or FDJ) was a youth movement in Germany, founded in 1936 to oppose Hitlers rule. ...

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. At Honecker's suggestion, Krenz was elected as the new General secretary of the SED Central Committee. Erich Honecker (25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German Communist politician who led German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until 1989. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term General Secretary (alternatively First Secretary) denotes a leader of various unions, parties or associations. ... Central Committee most commonly refers to the central executive unit of a communist party, whether ruling or non-ruling. ...

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. For the second time (the first was on the law on abort) 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. The Volkskammer (Peoples Chamber) was the de jure Legislature of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). ... For other uses of chair, see chair (disambiguation). ...

On November 7, Krenz approved the resignation of Prime Minister Willi Stoph and his entire cabinet along with two-thirds of the politburo. 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. November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... Willi Stoph (9 July 1914 - 13 April 1999) was Prime Minister of East Germany from 1973 to 1989. ...

Despite promises of reform, public opposition to the regime continued to grow. In an attempt to stem the tide, Krenz authorized the re-opening of the border with Czechoslovakia, which had been sealed to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany [1]. 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. 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. November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... Günter Schabowski (born January 4, 1929) was an official of the SED party in East Germany, famous for accidentally beginning the destruction of the GDR border system. ... East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, 20 November 1961. ...

On November 18, Krenz swore in the new coalition government. 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 CDU Presidium also demanded the resignation of Krenz as head of the Council of State and Chairman of the National Defense Council. November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Christian Democratic Union of Germany 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 was a united front of political parties and mass organisations in East Germany. ...

On December 7, 1989, Krenz—the GDR's last Communist head of state—resigned as leader. 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. December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Party of the Left. ... This article is about the year. ...

Trial and prison

In 1997, Krenz was sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment for Cold War crimes, specifically the murder of Germans attempting to escape the communist regime over the Berlin Wall. He was also charged with electoral fraud, along with other criminal offences. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, 20 November 1961. ... 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. However, the verdict was upheld in 1999. Krenz has been said to have described his conviction as "victor's justice" (In a letter to the German pastor Friedrich Schorlemmer Krenz writes that he has never used the word "victor's justice" in regard of his conviction, since the collapse of the GDR was not at all a historical victory of the Federal Republic of Germany and its political system - in "Widerworte", Egon Krenz, Edition Ost, Das Neue Berlin Verlag, 2006, p. 141) and "cold war in court". Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born April 3, 1930) is a Catholic German conservative politician and statesman. ... Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov ( , IPA: , commonly written as Mikhail Gorbachev; born March 2, 1931) was the last leader of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until its collapse in 1991. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The label victors justice (in German, Siegerjustiz) is applied by advocates to a situation in which they believe that a victorious nation is applying different rules to judge what is right or wrong for their own forces and for those of the (former) enemy. ... The label victors justice (in German, Siegerjustiz) is applied by advocates to a situation in which they believe that a victorious nation is applying different rules to judge what is right or wrong for their own forces and for those of the (former) enemy. ... Disambiguation Page Global Depositary Receipt East Germany ...

Krenz began serving his sentence in Berlin-Spandau shortly after. 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. He was still under parole till the end of his sentence in 2006. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The great coat of arms of Mecklenburg-Western-Pommerania Mecklenburg is a geographical area located in Northern Germany. ... Parole can have different meanings depending on the context. ... 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.

Quotations

• "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

• Day by Day - East Germany 1989

Heads of State of the German Democratic Republic

Wilhelm Pieck | Walter Ulbricht | Willi Stoph | Erich Honecker | Egon Krenz | Manfred Gerlach | Sabine Bergmann-Pohl // Leaders of the Socialist Unity Party Chairmen Wilhelm Pieck (formerly KPD) and Otto Grotewohl (formerly SPD) (1946–1954) First Secretaries / General Secretaries of the Central Committee German: Erster Sekretär des Zentralkomitees der Sozialistischen Einheitspartei Deutschlands, Generalsekretär des ZK der SED. Walter Ulbricht (1950–1971) Erich Honecker (1971–1989... Image File history File links Flag_of_president_of_state_council_of_East_Germany. ... Wilhelm Pieck (January 3, 1876 - September 7, 1960) was a German communist, politician and president of East Germany. ... Walter Ulbricht (June 30, 1893 – August 1, 1973) was a German communist politician. ... Willi Stoph (9 July 1914 - 13 April 1999) was Prime Minister of East Germany from 1973 to 1989. ... Erich Honecker (25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German Communist politician who led German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until 1989. ... Manfred Gerlach (born 1928) acted as Chairman of the Council of State and thus head of state in East Germany from December 6, 1989 to April 5, 1990. ... Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 20 April 1946) is a German conservative politician who served as the last Head of State of East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) from April 5 to October 2, 1990 - on October 3rd East and West Germany were reunited. ...