Otto grotewohl biography

Otto Emil Franz Grotewohl (German pronunciation: [ˈɔtoː ˈɡʁoːtəvoːl]; 11 March 1894 – 21 September 1964) was a German politician who served as the first prime minister of the German Democratic Republic (GDR/East Germany) from its foundation in October 1949 until his death in September 1964.
Otto Emil Franz Grotewohl was a German politician who served as the first prime minister of the German Democratic Republic from its foundation in October 1949 until his death in September 1964.
The former Social Democrat Otto Grotewohl as premier at the head of a cabinet that was nominally responsible to the chamber.

•

Otto Grotewohl

(b. Braunschweig, 11 Mar. 1894; d. Berlin, 21 Sept. 1964)

German; head of government of the GDR 1949–64 Born the son of a master tailor, Grotewohl was a full-time SPD politician before 1933. In the Third Reich he worked as a small businessman, being held in custody in 1938 for seven months for illegal SPD activities.

Many regarded Grotewohl as a duped opportunist when he led the Social Democrats (SPD) in the Soviet Zone into a merger with the Communists to form the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in April 1946. The SPD was, however, under heavy pressure from the Soviet military authorities, who arrested some Social Democrats. Many activists fled to the West where they were welcomed by Kurt Schumacher. Grotewohl remained to save what he could of the SPD legacy. His reward was election as co-chairman of the SED and, in 1949, becoming head of government (Minister-President) of the government of the new East German state. Although he remained head of government until his death in 1964 he saw his power steadily decline. The government became secondary to the SE

•

Dierk Hoffmann.Otto Grotewohl (1894-1964): Eine politische Biographie. Munich: R. Oldenbourg Verlag, 2009. viii + 721 pp. Pictures, notes, list of abbreviations, bibliography, name index. EUR 69.80 (cloth), ISBN 978-3-486-59032-6.

Reviewed by Gary Roth (Rutgers University at Newark)
Published on H-German (November, 2010)
Commissioned by Benita Blessing (Oregon State University)

Against the Stream

Otto Grotewohl, the first president of the German Democratic Republic, was one of the few socialists to embrace the Soviet system in the post-World War II era. Grotewohl was an anomaly, and he has puzzled observers ever since. A prominent and committed Social Democrat over many decades, he nonetheless supported the drive for a combined Social Democratic-Communist Party, pushed through this unification despite considerable opposition in the Soviet and Allied zones of occupation, and then, to the renewed shock of his colleagues, helped purge the new party of members who equivocated at Soviet dominance and the replacement of the electoral system by an elite political cad

•

Otto Grotewohl

Chairman of the Council of Ministers
In office 12 October 1949 – 21 September 1964
President	Wilhelm Pieck Walter Ulbricht
Preceded by	None Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, as last Head of Government of Nazi Germany
Succeeded by	Willi Stoph
Co-Chairman of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (with Wilhelm Pieck)
In office 22 April 1946 – 25 July 1950
Preceded by	None (office created)
Succeeded by	Walter Ulbricht (as First Secretary)
Personal details
Born	(1894-03-11)11 March 1894 Braunschweig, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire
Died	21 September 1964(1964-09-21) (aged 70) East Berlin, East Germany
Nationality	German
Political party	USPD, SPD, SED
Spouse(s)	Marie Martha Louise
Children	2
Profession	Printer, politician

Otto Grotewohl (German pronunciation: [ˈɔtoː ˈɡʁoːtəvoːl]; 11 March 1894 – 21 September 1964) was a German politician and the first prime minister of the German Democratic Republic from 1949 until his death in 1964