Willi Stoph - Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GDR

Willi Stoph

Willi Stoph was born on July 9, 1914 in Berlin, Germany. He grew up in a working-class family and worked as a bricklayer in his youth. From 1928 he was a member of the Communist Youth of Germany. In 1931 he joined the Communist Party of Germany.

After the Nazis came to power, Stoph participated in the underground Resistance movement for some time. In 1935 he was called up for service in the Wehrmacht, and served in an artillery regiment until 1937. Then he worked as an engineer in an architectural firm. In 1940 he was called up for service in the Wehrmacht again. He fought on the Eastern Front. He was wounded in 1942. In 1945 he was captured by Soviet troops. He completed a course at an "anti-fascist school" for prisoners of war and was prepared to take up administrative positions in the Soviet occupation zone.

After leaving captivity, Willy Stoph rejoined the Communist Party of Germany and received the post of head of the industrial and construction department in the capital's party apparatus. He headed a number of departments of the German Central Office of Industry. In 1948, he became head of the economic policy department in the central office of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. Since 1950, he was chairman of the economic committee of the People's Chamber of the GDR, director of the economic department of the Council of Ministers of the GDR. Stoph played an important role in the formation of the security forces of the German Democratic Republic - the army, police, state security. Since May 1952, he held the post of Minister of the Interior. He actively participated in the suppression of the riots of June 17, 1953. It was after this that he was introduced to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. In 1954, he became deputy chairman of the GDR government, overseeing the implementation of party decisions by government agencies. In 1955, he received the military rank of Colonel General. He coordinated the activities of the People's Police, the Ministry of State Security and the Nuclear Energy Department of the GDR. From 1956 to 1960, he held the post of Minister of National Defense of the Republic. During this period, he received the rank of Army General. He was a member of the National Defense Council. He was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact.

In 1964, Stoph replaced the late Otto Grotewohl as Chairman of the GDR Government, which was then renamed the Council of Ministers. He left this post in 1973, heading the State Council of the GDR. In 1976, he returned to the post of head of government. At the same time, he was Deputy Chairman of the State Council. He took a significant part in establishing relations between the GDR and the FRG.

In October 1989, mass protests against the Socialist Unity Party of Germany regime began. The government of Willi Stoph was dismissed on November 7. In a speech before the People's Chamber, he admitted political responsibility for the total crisis in the country. Then he was removed from the State Council and resigned from the People's Chamber. In December, he was expelled from the party by decision of the Central Committee. At the same time, he was arrested on suspicion of corruption and abuse of office to the detriment of the national economy. In February 1990, he was released due to health reasons. In May 1991, he was prosecuted for the murders of GDR fugitives at the Berlin Wall. But in June 1993, the trial was suspended due to the age and health of the accused. Willi Stoph lived his last years as a private individual, avoiding publicity. He died on April 13, 1999 in Berlin and was buried in Wildau.