Walter Ulbricht
| Walter Ulbricht | |
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Ulbricht in 1970
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First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (to 1953 as General Secretary) |
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In office |
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| Preceded by | Wilhelm Pieck and Otto Grotewohl (joint chairmanship) |
| Succeeded by | Erich Honecker |
| Chairman of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) |
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In office 12 September 1960 – 1 August 1973 |
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| Preceded by |
Wilhelm Pieck As State President |
| Succeeded by | Willi Stoph |
| Chairman of the National Defense Council of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) |
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In office 1960–1971 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Erich Honecker |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht 30 June 1893 Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire |
| Died | 1 August 1973 (aged 80) Groß Dölln, Templin, East Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party |
SPD (1912–1917) USPD (1917–1920) KPD (1920–1946) SED (1946–1973) |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Schmellinsky (1920 -?) Lotte Kühn (1953–1973) |
| Profession | Politician |
In office
25 July 1950 – 3 May 1971
Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (30 June 1893 – 1 August 1973) was a German Communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later (after spending the years of Nazi rule in exile in France and the Soviet Union) in the early development and establishment of East Germany (the German Democratic Republic). As the First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party 1950 to 1971, he was the chief decision maker in East Germany. From President Wilhelm Pieck's death in 1960, he was also the East German head of state until his own death in 1973.
Ulbricht was born in Leipzig, Saxony, to Pauline Ida (née Rothe) and Ernst August Ulbricht, a tailor. He spent eight years in primary school (Volksschule). After leaving school, he trained to be a joiner. Both his parents worked actively for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which Walter joined in 1912.
Ulbricht served in World War I from 1915 to 1917 in Galicia on the Eastern Front, and in the Balkans. He deserted in 1918, as he had opposed the war from the beginning. Imprisoned in Charleroi, in 1918 he was released as part of the collapse of Imperial Germany.
In 1917 he became a member of the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD) after it split off from the Social Democratic Party over support of Germany's participation in World War I. During the German Revolution, he became a member of the soldier's soviet of his army corps.
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