Otto Grotewohl
| Otto Grotewohl | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) |
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In office 12 October 1949 – 21 September 1964 |
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| President |
Wilhelm Pieck Walter Ulbricht |
| Preceded by |
None Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, as last Head of Government of Nazi Germany |
| Succeeded by | Willi Stoph |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
11 March 1894 Braunschweig, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire |
| Died | 21 September 1964 (aged 70) East Berlin, East Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | USPD, SPD, SED |
| Spouse(s) | Marie Martha Louise |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Printer, politician |
Otto Grotewohl (German pronunciation: [ˈɔtoː ˈɡʁoːtəvoːl]; 11 March 1894 – 21 September 1964) was a German politician and the first prime minister of the German Democratic Republic from 1949 until his death in 1964.
Grotewohl was born in the city of Braunschweig (which would be part of West Germany during the partition) on 11 March 1894 and his father was a master tailor. Following World War I started his political career as a leader of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) and minister in the Free State of Brunswick. In 1922 Grotewohl with the majority of the USPD members joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and from 1925 was a member of the Reichstag parliament. Dismissed after the Nazi Machtergreifung in 1933 he was imprisoned several times.
After World War II he became a leader of the SPD in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany and, fiercely opposed by chairman Kurt Schumacher, led his party into a merger with the Communist Party under Wilhelm Pieck. Grotewohl, after initial hesitation, yielded to the pressure by the Soviet Military Administration and Walter Ulbricht. In April 1946, the KPD and the eastern branch of the DOD merged as the Socialist Unity Party (SED), with Pieck and Grotewohl as co-chairmen.
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