Volkskammer
Encyclopedia
The People's Chamber was the unicameral legislature
of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). From its founding in 1949 until the first free elections on 18 March 1990, all members of the Volkskammer were elected on a slate controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(SED), called the National Front
. Despite the appearance of a multi-party system, all these Bloc parties were effectively controlled by the dominant SED. In addition, seats were also allocated to various mass organizations affiliated with the SED, such as the Free German Youth
.
Initially, it existed alongside the Chamber of States
, or Länderkammer, but in 1952 the states of East Germany (and with it the chamber) were dissolved.
In theory, the Volkskammer was the highest organ of state power in the GDR. Both GDR constitutions vested it with great lawmaking powers. It also formally appointed the Council of State (after 1960), the Council of Ministers
, and the National Defence Council.
In practice, like most other legislatures in Communist countries, the People's Chamber did little more than rubber-stamp decisions already made by the SED. All parties were expected to respect democratic centralism
, and the most dissent in voting ever shown by the Volkskammer to the SED were fourteen nays and eight abstentions on the part of CDU representatives in a vote on liberalising abortion
law.
A typical slate was as follows:
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
Party/Group Acronym Members
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
SED 127
Free German Trade Union Federation
FDGB 68
Christian Democratic Union
CDU 52
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
LDPD 52
Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany
DBD 52
National Democratic Party of Germany
NDPD 52
Free German Youth
FDJ 50
Democratic Women's League of Germany
DFD 35
Cultural Association of the DDR KB 22
In 1976, the Volkskammer moved into a specially-constructed building on Marx-Engels-Platz (now Schloßplatz
again), the Palast der Republik
(Palace of the Republic).
After the 1990 elections
, the disposition of the parties was as follows:
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
Party/Group
Acronym
Members
Alliance for Germany
CDU
, DA
, DSU
192
Social Democratic Party of Germany
SPD 88
Party of Democratic Socialism PDS, former SED 66
Association of Free Democrats
DFP
, FDP, LDP
21
Alliance 90
B90 12
East German Green Party and Independent Women's Association Grüne
, UFV 8
National Democratic Party of Germany
NDPD 2
Democratic Women's League of Germany
DFD 1
United Left
VL 1
Below is a list of office-holders:
{|class="wikitable"
!Name
!Entered office
!Left office
!Party
|-
|Johannes Dieckmann
|October 7, 1949
|February 22, 1969
|LDPD
|-
|Gerald Götting
|May 12, 1969
|October 29, 1976
|CDU
|-
|Horst Sindermann
|October 29, 1976
|November 13, 1989
|SED
|-
|Günther Maleuda
|November 13, 1989
|April 5, 1990
|DBD
|-
|Sabine Bergmann-Pohl
|April 5, 1990
|October 2, 1990
|CDU
|}
Sabine-Bergmann-Pohl was also head of state of the German Democratic Republic, due to the State Council having been abolished.
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). From its founding in 1949 until the first free elections on 18 March 1990, all members of the Volkskammer were elected on a slate controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
(SED), called the National Front
National Front (East Germany)
The National Front of the German Democratic Republic was an alliance of political parties and mass organisations in East Germany...
. Despite the appearance of a multi-party system, all these Bloc parties were effectively controlled by the dominant SED. In addition, seats were also allocated to various mass organizations affiliated with the SED, such as the Free German Youth
Free German Youth
The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ , was the official socialist youth movement of the German Democratic Republic and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany....
.
Initially, it existed alongside the Chamber of States
Länderkammer
The Länderkammer was one of the two legislative chambers of the German Democratic Republic from 1949, when the GDR was formed, until 1952, at which time it was largely sidelined, when the five Länder of the GDR were abolished and replaced with smaller administrative regions. The Länderkammer...
, or Länderkammer, but in 1952 the states of East Germany (and with it the chamber) were dissolved.
In theory, the Volkskammer was the highest organ of state power in the GDR. Both GDR constitutions vested it with great lawmaking powers. It also formally appointed the Council of State (after 1960), the Council of Ministers
Ministerrat
The Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic was the chief executive body of East Germany from November 1950 until the GDR was unified with the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990...
, and the National Defence Council.
In practice, like most other legislatures in Communist countries, the People's Chamber did little more than rubber-stamp decisions already made by the SED. All parties were expected to respect democratic centralism
Democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties, and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist policy inside a political party...
, and the most dissent in voting ever shown by the Volkskammer to the SED were fourteen nays and eight abstentions on the part of CDU representatives in a vote on liberalising abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
law.
A typical slate was as follows:
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
Free German Trade Union Federation
The Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund , was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer....
Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ) was an East German political party founded in 1945. It was part of the National Front with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany until 1989....
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the SED in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer.-Foundation:...
Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany
The Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany ) was an East German political party. The DBD was founded in 1948. It had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer, as part of the National Front. The DBD participated in all GDR cabinets...
National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany)
The National Democratic Party of Germany was an East German political party that acted as an organisation for former members of the NSDAP, the Wehrmacht and middle classes...
Free German Youth
The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ , was the official socialist youth movement of the German Democratic Republic and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany....
Democratic Women's League of Germany
The Democratic Women's League of Germany was the mass women's organisation in East Germany.It was established in March 1947 and had the following official aims:*Removal of fascist ideas...
In 1976, the Volkskammer moved into a specially-constructed building on Marx-Engels-Platz (now Schloßplatz
Schloßplatz
Schloßplatz is a common name for squares in many German-speaking countries. Cities which have a Schloßplatz include Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart and Dresden.-Overview:...
again), the Palast der Republik
Palast der Republik
The Palace of the Republic in Berlin was the seat of the parliament of the German Democratic Republic, the People's Chamber, and also served various cultural purposes...
(Palace of the Republic).
After the 1990 elections
East German general election, 1990
Legislative elections were held in the German Democratic Republic on 18 March 1990. It was the first—and as it turned out, only—free parliamentary election in East Germany, and the first truly free election held in that part of Germany since 1933...
, the disposition of the parties was as follows:
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
Alliance for Germany
The Alliance for Germany was an opposition coalition in East Germany. It was formed on 5 February 1990 in Berlin to stand in the East-German Volkskammer elections. It consisted of the Christian Democratic Union, Democratic Awakening and the German Social Union...
Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ) was an East German political party founded in 1945. It was part of the National Front with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany until 1989....
, DA
Democratic Awakening
Democratic Awakening was an East German opposition political movement. It was founded in October 1989, based on existing politically active church groups. Founding members included Wolfgang Schnur, Friedrich Schorlemmer, Rainer Eppelmann, Günter Nooke and Thomas Welz. The organisation was...
, DSU
German Social Union (East Germany)
The German Social Union is a small right-wing conservative political party active in the eastern German states since 1990. It was started as a conservative opposition group during the "Wende" in the German Democratic Republic...
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
Association of Free Democrats
The Association of Free Democrats was a liberal coalition formed in East Germany on 12 February 1990. It originally consisted of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Free Democratic Party and the German Forum Party. In the Volkskammer election of the 18 March 1990 the Association of Free Democrats...
German Forum Party
The German Forum Party was an opposition political party in East Germany. It was formed from the New Forum citizens' movement. It was founded in Karl-Marx-Stadt on 27 January 1990. Its first chairman was Jürgen Schmieder...
, FDP, LDP
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the SED in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer.-Foundation:...
Alliance 90
Alliance 90 was an alliance of three non-Communist political groups in East Germany. It merged with the German Green Party in 1993 to form Alliance '90/The Greens....
East German Green Party
The Green Party in East Germany was founded in February 1990. At the first free Volkskammer elections it stood with the Independent Women's Association and received 2.0% of the vote. They received 8 seats but could not resolve how to allocate them...
, UFV
National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany)
The National Democratic Party of Germany was an East German political party that acted as an organisation for former members of the NSDAP, the Wehrmacht and middle classes...
Democratic Women's League of Germany
The Democratic Women's League of Germany was the mass women's organisation in East Germany.It was established in March 1947 and had the following official aims:*Removal of fascist ideas...
United Left (East Germany)
The United Left was an alliance of several leftist opposition groupings in the German Democratic Republic. Among them were Christian Socialists, Trotskyists, adherents of the Titoistic system of self-management and some SED-members, who were critical of their party's policy. It was founded on...
Chairmen of the People's Chamber
List of Presidents of the People's ChamberBelow is a list of office-holders:
{|class="wikitable"
!Name
!Entered office
!Left office
!Party
|-
|Johannes Dieckmann
Johannes Dieckmann
Johannes Dieckmann held the office of State President of East Germany on an acting basis in 1949 and again in 1960....
|October 7, 1949
|February 22, 1969
|LDPD
|-
|Gerald Götting
Gerald Götting
Gerald Götting is a former East German Christian Democratic politician.-Life:Götting was born in Nietleben, Province of Saxony, now part of Halle/Saale. During World War II, he served in the Reichsarbeitsdienst, an auxiliary support and supply organization, and later in the Wehrmacht...
|May 12, 1969
|October 29, 1976
|CDU
Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ) was an East German political party founded in 1945. It was part of the National Front with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany until 1989....
|-
|Horst Sindermann
Horst Sindermann
Horst Sindermann was a Communist German politician and one of the leaders of East Germany.-Early life:Sindermann was born in Dresden as the son of the Saxon Social Democratic politician Karl Sindermann...
|October 29, 1976
|November 13, 1989
|SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
|-
|Günther Maleuda
Günther Maleuda
Günther Maleuda is a former East German politician. From 13 November 1989 to March 1990 he was the President of the People's Chamber .-Early years:...
|November 13, 1989
|April 5, 1990
|DBD
Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany
The Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany ) was an East German political party. The DBD was founded in 1948. It had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer, as part of the National Front. The DBD participated in all GDR cabinets...
|-
|Sabine Bergmann-Pohl
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl née Schulz is a German politician. A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany , she was president of the People's Chamber of the German Democratic Republic from April to October 1990 and as such the last head of state...
|April 5, 1990
|October 2, 1990
|CDU
Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ) was an East German political party founded in 1945. It was part of the National Front with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany until 1989....
|}
Sabine-Bergmann-Pohl was also head of state of the German Democratic Republic, due to the State Council having been abolished.
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