Egon Krenz
| Egon Krenz | |
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Egon Krenz in 1984
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| General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany | |
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In office 18 October 1989 – 3 December 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Erich Honecker |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Chairman of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) |
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In office 24 October 1989 – 6 December 1989 |
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| Prime Minister |
Willi Stoph Hans Modrow |
| Preceded by | Erich Honecker |
| Succeeded by | Manfred Gerlach |
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Chairman of the National Defense Council of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (October to December 1989) |
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| Preceded by | Erich Honecker |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz 19 March 1937 Kolberg, Germany (now Kołobrzeg, Poland) |
| Political party | Socialist Unity Party of Germany |
| Spouse(s) | Erika Krenz |
| Children | Thorsten Carsten |
| Profession | Politician |
| Signature |  |
| Egon Krenz | |
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Krenz in 2007
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| Nationality | German |
| Criminal penalty | 6.5 years imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Served prison sentence 13 January 2000 – 18 December 2003, released on probation until 2006. Released since 2006, sentence served in full. |
| Conviction(s) | Manslaughter |
Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz (born 19 March 1937) is a former East German politician who was the last communist leader of East Germany during the final months of 1989. He succeeded Erich Honecker as the General Secretary of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), but was forced to resign only months later when the Berlin Wall fell.
Throughout his career, Krenz held a number of prominent positions in the SED. He was Honecker's deputy from 1984 onward, until he succeeded him in 1989 amid protests against the regime. Krenz was unsuccessful in his attempt to retain the communist regime's grip on power, and was forced to resign some weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. After German reunification in 1990 he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for manslaughter, for his role in the crimes of the government. He retired to the small town Dierhagen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern upon his release from prison in late 2003.
Krenz was born in Kolberg in what was part of Germany, now Poland. His family resettled in Damgarten in 1944.
After serving in the Volksarmee, Krenz joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1955. Throughout his career, Krenz held a number of posts in the SED and the communist government. He was leader of the Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation from 1971 to 1974, and became a member of the central committee of the party in 1973. He was also a member of the People's Chamber (the GDR's legislature) from 1971 to 1990, and a member of its presidium from 1971 to 1981. Between 1974 and 1983, he was leader of the communist youth movement, the Free German Youth. From 1981 to 1984 he was a member of the Council of State.
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