Hans Modrow

Hans Modrow
Chairman of the Council of Minsters of the German Democratic Republic
In office 13 November 1989 – 12 April 1990
President	Egon Krenz Manfred Gerlach Sabine Bergmann-Pohl
Preceded by	Willi Stoph
Succeeded by	Lothar de Maizière
Personal details
Born	January 27, 1928 (1928-01-27) (age 83) Province of Pomerania, Weimar Republic (now Jasienica,Police, Poland)
Political party	Socialist Unity Party of Germany (1949-1989) Party of Democratic Socialism (1989-2007) Left Party (2007-present)
Profession	Politician

Hans Modrow (German pronunciation: [ˈhans ˈmoːdʁo]; born 27 January 1928) is a German politician, best known as the last communist premier of East Germany. He currently is the honorary Chairman of the Left Party.^[1]

Modrow was born in Jasenitz, Province of Pomerania, Germany, now Jasienica part of the town of Police, Poland. He briefly served in the Volkssturm towards the end of World War II and was subsequently held as a prisoner of war. Upon release in 1949, he joined the Socialist Unity Party (SED). Modrow had a long political career in East Germany, including periods as a member of the Volkskammer. From 1973 onward, he was the SED leader in Dresden, East Germany's third-largest city.

Modrow was widely reckoned as one of the few truly competent leaders in the East German hierarchy. He was prevented from rising any further than a local party boss, however, largely because he was one of the few SED leaders who dared to publicly criticise longtime SED chief Erich Honecker. Nonetheless, he developed some important contacts with the Soviet Union, including eventual Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. When Honecker was toppled in October 1989, Gorbachev hoped that Modrow would become the new leader of the SED. However, Egon Krenz was selected instead.^[2]

He became premier following the resignation of Willi Stoph on 13 November 1989. After Krenz's resignation as leader of the SED on 3 December, Modrow became the de facto leader of East Germany, even though he did not become leader of the renamed Party of Democratic Socialism. Modrow remained premier until the elections on 18 March 1990.

After the German reunification, Modrow served as a member of the European Parliament (1999-2004)^[3] and of the Bundestag.

In 1993 the German Federal Court found Modrow guilty of electoral fraud committed in the Dresden municipal elections in May 1989, but the judge declined to impose a prison sentence or a fine.^[4]

References

1. ^ "West German Secret Service Opens GDR Files". Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,655350,00.html. Retrieved 18 February 2010. 
2. ^ Sebetsyen, Victor (2009). Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire. New York City: Pantheon Books. ISBN 0375425322. 
3. ^ "Hans MODROW". Your MEPs. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/archive/alphaOrder/view.do?language=EN&id=4301. Retrieved 18 February 2010. 
4. ^ Kinzer, Stephen (1993-05-28). "Ex-East German Leader Convicted Of Vote Fraud but Not Punished". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/28/world/ex-east-german-leader-convicted-of-vote-fraud-but-not-punished.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved 18 February 2010. 

Political offices
Preceded by Willi Stoph	Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic 1989–1990	Succeeded by Lothar de Maizière

Persondata
Name	Modrow, Hans
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	27 January 1928
Place of birth	Province of Pomerania, Weimar Republic (now Jasienica,Police, Poland)
Date of death
Place of death