This project has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
(Grant Agreement n. 669194)
(Berlin, 28/12/1907 - Berlin, 21/5/2000)
Minister - Ministry of State Security (1957-1989)Member - Politburo (1976-1989)
The head of the East German Ministry of State Security naturally had an in-depth knowledge about the overall situation in the GDR – also regarding economics. Mielke had a close relationship to Erich Honecker and they exchanged their views regularly. The Ministry of State Security was not only directly connected to Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski’s KoKo, but it established its own economic department which assembled a lot of unfiltered expertise (Alfred Kleine, Horst Roigk). However, due to Mielke’s loyalty to Honecker he refrained from openly communicating the economic warnings by the state security and thus did not contribute to any policy change. Even though Mielke supposedly also belonged to the critics of closer relations with the West not least because he was the responsible to prevent the potential repercussions on the East German regime, at least regarding financial matters he defended the German-German dealings in his conversations with the Soviets.
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As head of the Department (XVIII) of the Ministry of State Security he oversaw the work of experts like Horst Roigk and forwarded it to his superiors. His department provided unfiltered expertise on the East German economy and advocated to red... |
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It is hard to measure the Prime Minister’s influence on the East German economic policy and the GDR’s dealing with the West. He was personally involved in the early negotiations between East and West Germany, nevertheless, his infl... |
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As Deputy Minister of the Ministry of State Security, Rudi Mittag, received the unfiltered expertise by the Department (XVIII, Alfred Kleine and Horst Roigk) about the economic situation of the GDR. Archival evidence suggests that he played a ... |
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Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski was the most enigmatic figure of the East German economic elite. As the founding father and head of the Commercial Coordination division (Bereich Kommerzielle Koordinierung or KoKo), he presided over a sector that... |
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Günter Mittag was the economic mastermind of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. Within the provisions set by Erich Honecker he executed control over the East German economy. He served as Secretary of the Central Committee for Economics... |
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From 1973 to 1976 Werner Krolikowski replaced Günter Mittag as Secretary of the Central Committee for Economics. He had no professional or academic experience in this field, nevertheless, initially he aimed at learning the ropes. However,... |
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As Secretary General of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany Erich Honecker shaped the East German economic and foreign policy most. It was him who took the final decisions. By introducing and pursuing the concept of “Unity of Economic a... |
