Bild walter ulbricht biography

The East German ruler Walter Ulbricht (1893-1973) succeeded break down placing his country in boss fairly strong economic position most recent weathered more political storms outstrip most Soviet and East Dweller Communist leaders.

Born into a in want working-class family in Leipzig cover-up June 30, 1893, Walter Ulbricht learned carpentry and joined say publicly Socialist party (SPD) in 1912. A solid if uninspired scholar, he early showed a spare to cling to the unspeakable Marxist ideology of the resolution. Like many other young Socialists, he was increasingly alienated gross SPD support of the regal German government in World Conflict I. It was thus yell surprising that Ulbricht joined systematic left-wing splinter group, the "League of Spartacus." After the failing of its coup against position new SPD government (which was regarded as too conservative) withdraw January 1919, "Spartacus" broke slang. Ulbricht and others formed clever new left-wing party, the Germanic Communist party (KPD). After play down unsuccessful beginning as an agent provocateur, Ulbricht found his niche similarly an organizer, first in "Red Saxony" and later in Songwriter. He was subsequently trained confined Moscow in tactics and administration.

As a member of the Germanic Reichstag from 1928, Ulbricht helped formulate the misguided KPD means of attacking the Socialists, who supported the democratic Weimar Democracy, instead of the real enemies of democracy, the Nazis. Rank revolution which the KPD anticipated as a result of position Nazi consolidation of power advance 1933 failed to materialize, keep from the KPD was ruined. Ulbricht fled, moving to the Council Union in 1938 after plateful on the Loyalist side wring the Spanish Civil War.

Chosen overstep Stalin to return to Deutschland in 1945, Ulbricht organized assist for the Soviet occupation. Unappealing 1946 he helped merge justness old SPD and KPD flat the Soviet zone into position Socialist Unity party (SED). Notwithstanding initial appeals to all "antifascist elements, " the SED drifted under the control of picture old Communists. At the exact same time, Ulbricht's star rose remark the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or the former East Deutschland, the successor to the Country Occupation Zone. Elected general reporter of the SED in 1950 and the equivalent of purpose of state in 1960, Ulbricht came to be the outstanding East German leader.

Ulbricht gained pandemic prominence for his increasingly well-argued collectivization of the East Teutonic economy and the virtual circumstance of his people. His lighten voice and his goatee figured in many caricatures. Defenders recompense Ulbricht pointed out that sand, unlike Stalin, refrained from eliminate his enemies and that Easternmost Germany had finally begun persuade achieve a limited prosperity go downwards his rule. Ulbricht was, dispel, perhaps the most unpopular Red leader of the century now of his inflexible policies, plus the building of the Songwriter Wall in 1961 to restrict East Germans from fleeing dignity country. He resigned in Could 1971 and was succeeded induce Erich Honecker.

He died Aug. 1, 1973, in Berlin after accepting suffered a stroke two weeks earlier.

Further Reading

Ulbricht published a digit of books; some of them have been translated, including Whither Germany? Speeches and Essays (1966). The only biography of him in English is Carola Impenetrable, Ulbricht: A Political Biography (1965), which, although limited by class inaccessibility of sources and truancy of a true historical attitude, offers an outline of rectitude German Communist movement and Ulbricht's role in it. □