ERICH HONECKER

Travis Hargett

EARLY LIFE

• Born on August 25, 1912

• His father was a coal miner, and also was a political activist.

• In 1922, he joined the Spartacus League’s children group, which introduced him to socialist and communist morals.

• 4 years later, he then joined the Young Communist League of Germany and worked under the leader of the group.

BACKGROUND

• He returned to his hometown and started working as a farmer and an apprenticeship with his uncle who was a roofer.

• Then, he was hand picked by the KJVD to attend the Interntional Lenin school in Moscow, and went under an alias, “Fritz Malter”.

• He ended up Managing different branches of the KJVD all around Germany

CONT.

• After returning to his hometown, he worked against Germanys attempts to reincorporate his region that he lived in and failed.

• Fled to France until he returned illegally under an another alias, against the Nazis

• He was caught by the Gestapo, and put in prison for 10 years with the charge of preparing treason and falsification of documents.

• He was released from prison when Soviet troops freed the prisoners since they were pushing across Europe.

• Seemed like somewhat of a coward because he gave information about his fellow prisoners to the Gestapo.

• He also renounced his alliance to commusnism while in prison, and volunteered to join the German army.

POST WAR

• He returned to the Soviet Union after the Nazis regime had ended, and befriended Watler Ulbricht, the man he succeeded in the position of General Secretary of the Central committee of the Socialist Party of Germany

• The two of them laid the groundwork for what would be the Weimar Republic and also forming East Germany.

• Probably his most acclaimed act was the formation of the Berlin wall, and his praises of hit. He even claimed that it prevented a third World War.

• He believed it would be standing for 50 to 100 years.

• He set forth his plans for economic balance and construction of East Germany’s “consumer socialism”, aiming to raise the living standards of the people.

• He signed a treaty between east and west Germany that was supposed to make the relationship of East and West Germany normal.

• Also planned to get East Germany to be an actual member of the UN, which was one of his more known successes.

• He was the first East German Official to travel to West Germany, and spoke about how a time in the future there wouldn’t be any borders in Germany.

• In the 1980’s, Honecker started to disagree with Gorbachev, who wanted more and more political reform.

• Honecker outlawed books and and publishings about the reform, and protests against his regime began.

• Honecker beame ill with biliary colic during the making of the Warsaw pact, which included the changing of the Soviet political view to “freedom of choice”.

• For health reasons, he became succeeded in his position of General Secretary.

• He joined the newly formed Communist Party.

• Was investigated again for high treason and embezzlement. Which resulted in him being put on house arrest for a month.

• He got off house arrest and after many different investigations and visits to different prisons, hospitals, and detainments areas, he was homeless.

• He was evading authority and sought refuge from Chile, but he didn’t have a valid passport.

• After more detainments and trials, he went to Chile and lived out his life holding onto the Socialist ideas.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Honecker#

• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/fall-of-the-berlin-wall-history-catches-up-with-erich-honecker--the-east-german-leader-who-praised-the-iron-curtain-and-claimed-it-prevented-a-third-world-war-9826715.html