Willi Stoph
| Willi Stoph | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) |
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In office 21 September 1964 – 3 October 1973 |
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| President | Walter Ulbricht |
| Preceded by | Otto Grotewohl |
| Succeeded by | Horst Sindermann |
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In office 29 October 1976 – 7 November 1989 |
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| President | Erich Honecker |
| Preceded by | Horst Sindermann |
| Succeeded by | Hans Modrow |
| Chairman of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) |
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In office 3 October 1973 – 29 October 1976 |
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| Prime Minister | Horst Sindermann |
| Preceded by | Walter Ulbricht |
| Succeeded by | Erich Honecker |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
9 July 1914 Berlin, German Empire |
| Died | 13 April 1999 (aged 84) Berlin, Germany |
| Political party |
KPD (1928–1946) SED (1946–1990) |
| Profession | Engineer |
Willi Stoph (German pronunciation: [ˈvɪli ˈʃtoːf]; 9 July 1914 – 13 April 1999) was an East German politician. He served as Prime Minister (Chairman of the Council of Ministers) of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1964 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1989. He also served as chairman of the State Council (nominal head of state) from 1973 to 1976.
Stoph was born in Berlin in 1914; his father died the following year in World War I. In 1928, Stoph joined the Communist Youth League of Germany (Kommunistischer Jugendverband Deutschlands; KJVD) and in 1931 he joined the Communist Party of Germany. He also served in the Wehrmacht from 1935 to 1937, and again during World War II from 1940 to 1945. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and rose to the rank of Unteroffizier.
Following the establishment of the GDR in 1949, Stoph became a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and member of the Volkskammer in 1950. He was named to the Politburo in 1953. He served as Interior Minister from 9 May 1952 to 1 July 1955, and as East Germany's first Defense Minister from 18 January 1956 to 14 July 1960. As defense minister, he was awarded the rank of Armeegeneral.
After serving as first deputy prime minister from 1960 to 1964, he was named Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Ministerrat), or prime minister, in 1964. He was initially thought to be the heir apparent to longtime East German leader Walter Ulbricht, but his ascendancy was checked by Erich Honecker. After Ulbricht's death in 1973, Stoph became Chairman of the Council of State--a post equivalent in rank to president of the GDR. After Volkskammer elections in 1976, the state and party leadership structure was re-arranged, and Stoph once again became Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
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