List of the members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED

The Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED, members and candidates 1955

The Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED, members and candidates 1968

This is a list of the members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED . Its predecessor was the Politburo of the SED party executive , which from January 24, 1949 to July 25, 1950 included Franz Dahlem , Friedrich Ebert , Otto Grotewohl , Helmut Lehmann , Paul Merker , Wilhelm Pieck and Walter Ulbricht .

1950-1954

Composition on July 25, 1950

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Franz Dahlem	58	1950	Head of the Cadre and Organization department and the party intelligence office at the Central Committee of the SED	Exclusion on May 13, 1953
Friedrich Ebert	55	1950	Berlin Lord Mayor
Otto Grotewohl	55	1950	Prime Minister
Hermann Matern	57	1950	Chairman of the Central Party Control Commission and Vice-President of the People's Chamber
Fred Oelßner	47	1950	Editor-in-chief of the SED organ unit
Wilhelm Pieck	74	1950	President
Heinrich Rau	51	1950	Chairman of the State Planning Commission
Walter Ulbricht	57	1950	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED
Wilhelm Zaisser	57	1950	Minister for State Security

Composition on July 26, 1953

After the uprising of June 17, 1953 , Karl Schirdewan and the 39-year-old Minister of the Interior Willi Stoph, two relatively young functionaries, were elected to the Politburo. With the exception of the President of the People's Chamber, all important state offices were united in the Politburo. Wilhelm Zaisser was not re-elected to the Politburo. Thus the Ministry of State Security, unlike the Ministry of National Defense, was not represented in the Politburo. The average age of the 9 officials was 56.4 years. This cut was never achieved again.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Friedrich Ebert	58	1950	Berlin Lord Mayor
Otto Grotewohl	59	1950	Prime Minister of the GDR
Hermann Matern	60	1950	Chairman of the ZPKK and Vice President of the People's Chamber
Fred Oelßner	50	1950	Editor-in-chief of the SED organ "Unity" until 1956, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Chairman of the Commission for Consumer Goods Production and Supply of the Population at the Presidium of the Council of Ministers
Wilhelm Pieck	77	1950	President
Heinrich Rau	54	1950	Minister for Mechanical Engineering, later Minister for Foreign Trade and Internal German Trade, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Karl Schirdewan	46	1953	Secretary for cadre issues in the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Willi Stoph	39	1953	Minister of the Interior and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1956 Minister for National Defense	newly elected to the Politburo
Walter Ulbricht	60	1950	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Average age: 56.7 years

1954-1958

Composition on February 3, 1958

The main reason for this conference was the impeachment of Karl Schirdewan and Fred Oelßner. Schirdewan, Ulbricht's political rival, failed because of his efforts to de-Stalinize . Oelßner also fell out of favor in the wake of this affair, which also affected Ernst Wollweber . The secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, 48-year-old Alfred Neumann, was newly elected to the Politburo. He should be one of the longest standing politburo members. The average age of the 8 officials around the 82-year-old President Wilhelm Pieck was 60.6 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Friedrich Ebert	63	1950	Berlin Lord Mayor
Otto Grotewohl	63	1950	Prime Minister
Hermann Matern	64	1950	Chairman of the ZPKK and Vice President of the People's Chamber
Alfred Neumann	48	1958	Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the SED. Member of the National Defense Council	newly elected to the Politburo
Wilhelm Pieck	82	1950	President
Heinrich Rau	58	1950	Minister for Foreign Trade and Internal German Trade Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Willi Stoph	43	1953	Minister for National Defense
Walter Ulbricht	64	1950	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers

1958-1963

Composition on July 16, 1958

After the fifth party congress of the SED, five new Politburo members were appointed for the first time, and the chairman of the largest GDR mass organization, the FDGB , was now integrated into the Politburo. With the death of Wilhelm Pieck, Walter Ulbricht became chairman of the newly created State Council and the newly founded National Defense Council in 1960. The average age of the 13 officials was 56.8 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Friedrich Ebert	63	1950	Berlin Lord Mayor
Otto Grotewohl	64	1950	Prime Minister Member of the National Defense Council (from 1960)
Erich Honecker	45	1958	Secretary for Security Issues in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council (from 1960)	newly elected to the Politburo
Hermann Matern	65	1950	Chairman of the ZPKK and Vice-President of the People's Chamber Member of the National Defense Council (from 1960)
Bruno Max Leuschner	47	1958	Chairman of the State Planning Commission until 1961 Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1962 Representative of the GDR at Comecon Member of the National Defense Council (from 1960)	newly elected to the Politburo in 1961, relieved of his position as chairman of the State Planning Commission
Erich Mückenberger	48	1958	Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Alfred Neumann	48	1958	Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED from 1961 Chairman of the Economics Council Member of the National Defense Council (from 1960)
Albert North	53	1958	Secretary for Agitation and Foreign Information in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council (from 1960)	newly elected to the Politburo
Wilhelm Pieck	82	1950	President	Died September 7, 1960
Heinrich Rau	59	1950	Minister for Foreign Trade and Internal German Trade Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers	died on March 23, 1961
Willi Stoph	44	1953	Minister for National Defense until 1960 Commissioner for the coordination and control of the implementation of the resolutions of the Central Committee of the SED and the Council of Ministers in the state apparatus from 1960 to 1962 Member of the National Defense Council (from 1960)
Walter Ulbricht	65	1950	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1960 Chairman of the Council of State and the National Defense Council
Herbert Warnke	56	1958	FDGB chairman	newly elected to the Politburo

1963-1967

Composition on January 21, 1963

After the VI. At the SED party congress, all surviving Politburo members kept their office. Paul Fröhlich, Kurt Hager and Paul Verner were elected three new members for the deceased Rau and Pieck, including two district secretaries. After all, 5 out of 9 secretaries from the Central Committee belonged to the Politburo. Otto Grotewohl and Bruno Leuschner died before the next change in personnel. The successor to the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers was regulated internally with Willi Stoph. The average age of the officials was 56.8 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Friedrich Ebert	68	1950	Berlin Lord Mayor
Paul Fröhlich	49	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Leipzig	newly elected to the Politburo
Otto Grotewohl	66	1950	Chairman of the Council of Ministers	died on September 21, 1964
Kurt Hager	50	1963	Secretary for Science, Culture and Education in the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Erich Honecker	50	1958	Secretary for security and cadre issues in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Bruno Max Leuschner	52	1958	Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers permanent representative of the GDR in the Executive Committee of the Comecon Member of the National Defense Council	died on February 10, 1965
Hermann Matern	69	1950	Chairman of the ZPKK and Vice President of the People's Chamber Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mückenberger	52	1958	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Frankfurt / Oder
Alfred Neumann	53	1958	Chairman of the Economics Council from 1965 Minister for Materials Management Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	58	1958	Secretary for Agitation and Foreign Information in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	48	1953	1. Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1964 Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Walter Ulbricht	69	1950	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the National Defense Council
Paul Verner	51	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin Secretary for health policy at the SED Central Committee	newly elected to the Politburo
Herbert Warnke	60	1958	FDGB chairman

Composition on September 15, 1966

After the failure of the Economics Council , two economic experts were elected to the Politburo: Gerhard Grüneberg and Günter Mittag, who was still relatively young. The death of Grotewohl and Leuschner did not change the total number of 14 functionaries. With the two newcomers, 7 out of 10 Central Committee secretaries were now Politburo members. The average age of the officials was 57.6 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Friedrich Ebert	71	1950	Berlin Lord Mayor
Paul Fröhlich	53	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Leipzig
Gerhard Grüneberg	45	1966	Secretary for Agriculture and State and Legal Issues at the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Kurt Hager	54	1963	Secretary for Science, Culture and Education in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Honecker	54	1958	Secretary for security and cadre issues in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Hermann Matern	73	1950	Chairman of the ZPKK and Vice President of the People's Chamber Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	39	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy as well as basic industry in the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Erich Mückenberger	56	1958	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Frankfurt / Oder
Alfred Neumann	56	1958	Minister for Materials Management Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	61	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	52	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Walter Ulbricht	73	1950	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the National Defense Council
Paul Verner	55	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Herbert Warnke	64	1958	FDGB chairman

1967-1971

Composition on April 22, 1967

The existing Politburo was confirmed by the Seventh Party Congress of the SED. Horst Sindermann, SED district head of the important chemical district of Halle (Saale), joined the team. Thus the number of Politburo members increased to 15. Their average age was 57.7 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Friedrich Ebert	72	1950
Paul Fröhlich	54	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Leipzig	died on September 19, 1970
Gerhard Grüneberg	45	1966	Secretary for Agriculture and State and Legal Issues at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	55	1963	Secretary for Science, Culture and Education in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Honecker	55	1958	Secretary for security and cadre issues in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Hermann Matern	73	1950	Chairman of the ZPKK and Vice President of the People's Chamber Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	40	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy as well as basic industry in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	56	1958	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Frankfurt / Oder
Alfred Neumann	57	1958	Minister for Materials Management from 1968 First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	62	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	51	1967	1st Secretary of the SED District Management Halle (Saale)	newly elected to the Politburo
Willi Stoph	52	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Walter Ulbricht	73	1950	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the National Defense Council
Paul Verner	55	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Herbert Warnke	65	1958	FDGB chairman

Composition on December 11, 1970

After more than 3 years of personnel continuity, Central Committee Secretary Hermann Axen was elected to succeed Paul Fröhlich, who had recently passed away. The average age of the 15 functionaries was 61.1 years. Five members alone were now older than 65 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	54	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Friedrich Ebert	76	1950
Gerhard Grüneberg	49	1966	Secretary for Agriculture and State and Legal Issues at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	58	1963	Secretary for Science, Culture and Education in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Honecker	58	1958	Secretary for security and cadre issues in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Hermann Matern	77	1950	Chairman of the ZPKK and Vice President of the People's Chamber Member of the National Defense Council	died on January 24, 1971
Günter noon	44	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy as well as basic industry in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	60	1958	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Frankfurt / Oder
Alfred Neumann	60	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	66	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	55	1967	1st Secretary of the SED District Management Halle (Saale)
Willi Stoph	56	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Walter Ulbricht	77	1950	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the National Defense Council
Paul Verner	59	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Herbert Warnke	68	1958	FDGB chairman

Composition on May 3, 1971

At this central committee conference, Walter Ulbricht officially submitted his resignation as first secretary of the central committee of the SED. A majority in the Politburo had previously spoken out against him and was able to get it through in Moscow. Erich Honecker became his successor. Ulbricht remained Chairman of the State Council. In addition, Hermann Matern, a long-time member of the Politburo, died in January 71.

Surname	Age	Member since	function
Hermann Axen	54	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Friedrich Ebert	76	1950
Gerhard Grüneberg	49	1966	Secretary for Agriculture and State and Legal Issues at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	58	1963	Secretary for Science, Culture and Education in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Honecker	58	1958	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	44	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy as well as basic industry in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	60	1958	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Frankfurt / Oder
Alfred Neumann	60	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	66	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	55	1967	1st Secretary of the SED District Management Halle (Saale)
Willi Stoph	56	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Walter Ulbricht	77	1950	Chairman of the SED State Council Chairman Member of the National Defense Council
Paul Verner	59	1963	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Herbert Warnke	68	1958	FDGB chairman

1971-1976

Composition on June 19, 1971

The 8th party congress of the SED confirmed the change of power from Ulbricht to Honecker and legitimized the rejuvenation of the First Secretary. With Werner Krolikowski and Werner Lamberz, two very young members were newly elected. Krolikowski in particular achieved a top position as a functionary within a short time. In contrast to Lamberz, he was neither the Central Committee secretary nor a candidate for the Politburo before his election. In addition, there was a lively change of party functions. Now 8 out of 11 Central Committee secretaries were Politburo members. The average age of the 16 functionaries was 58.1 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	55	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics as well Foreign information at the Central Committee of the SED
Friedrich Ebert	76	1950	Deputy Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the SED parliamentary group
Gerhard Grüneberg	49	1966	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	58	1963	Secretary for Health Policy at the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Honecker	58	1958	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council
Werner Krolikowski	43	1971	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Dresden	newly elected to the Politburo
Werner Lamberz	42	1971	Secretary for agitation at the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Günter noon	44	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy as well as basic industry in the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	61	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Alfred Neumann	61	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	66	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information and Friendly Parties in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	55	1967	Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council (from 1972)
Willi Stoph	56	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers Deputy Chairman of the Council of State Member of the National Defense Council
Walter Ulbricht	77	1950	Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the SED Member of the National Defense Council	died on August 1, 1973
Paul Verner	60	1963	Secretary for financial administration and party operations at the Central Committee of the SED
Herbert Warnke	69	1958	FDGB chairman

Composition on October 2, 1973

After Walter Ulbricht's death on August 1, 1973, Honecker was able to redesign the Politburo as he saw fit at the next Central Committee meeting. Defense Minister Heinz Hoffmann was newly elected to the Politburo, so for the first time since 1960 the army leadership was represented directly in the Politburo. Günter Mittag, however, fell out of favor at first. Although he retained his seat in the Politburo, he was relieved of his functions as Central Committee secretary. Willi Stoph became Chairman of the State Council, Horst Sindermann Chairman of the Council of Ministers. These offices were also legitimized by parliament on October 3, 1973 by the People's Chamber. The average age of the 16 functionaries was 59.3 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	57	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Friedrich Ebert	78	1950	Deputy Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the SED parliamentary group
Gerhard Grüneberg	52	1966	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	61	1963	Secretary for Health Policy at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Hoffmann	62	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council	newly elected to the Politburo
Erich Honecker	61	1958	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council
Werner Krolikowski	45	1971	Secretary for Construction, Research and Technical Development, Trade Unions and Social Policy, Basic Industry at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Werner Lamberz	44	1971	Secretary for agitation at the Central Committee of the SED
Günter noon	46	1966	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Erich Mückenberger	63	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Alfred Neumann	63	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	68	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information and Friendly Parties in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	58	1967	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	59	1953	Chairman of the State Council Member of the National Defense Council
Paul Verner	62	1963	Secretary for financial administration and party operations at the Central Committee of the SED
Herbert Warnke	71	1958	FDGB chairman	died on March 26, 1975

Composition on June 5, 1975

For Herbert Warnke, who died on March 26, 1975, Harry Tisch was elected as his successor, who also became the new FDGB chairman. Despite the fact that the table was only 48 years old, the average age of the 16 officials increased to 59.4 years, as 9 members were now 60 and older.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	59	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Friedrich Ebert	80	1950	Deputy Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the SED parliamentary group
Gerhard Grüneberg	53	1966	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	62	1963	Secretary for Health Policy at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Hoffmann	64	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Honecker	62	1958	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council
Werner Krolikowski	47	1971	Secretary for Construction, Research and Technical Development, Trade Unions and Social Policy, Basic Industry at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Werner Lamberz	46	1971	Secretary for agitation at the Central Committee of the SED
Günter noon	48	1966	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Erich Mückenberger	64	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Alfred Neumann	64	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	70	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information and Friendly Parties in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	59	1967	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	60	1953	Chairman of the State Council Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	48	1975	FDGB chairman	newly elected to the Politburo
Paul Verner	64	1963	Secretary for financial administration and party operations at the Central Committee of the SED

Average age: 59.4 years

1976-1981

Composition on May 22, 1976

After the IX. At the 3rd party congress, the composition of the existing Politburo was confirmed and 3 new members were added to 19. The newcomers were Werner Felfe (48) and Konrad Naumann (47), as well as the 68-year-old Minister for State Security of the GDR, Erich Mielke. Thus, for the first time since 1953, the MfS was again represented by its minister directly in the Politburo. The title of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED has been renamed General Secretary. After the Volkskammer elections of October 1976, the SED also achieved total power. Erich Honecker became Chairman of the State Council, Willi Stoph again Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Horst Sindermann President of the People's Chamber. Until then, this office had remained with the bloc parties. Despite the partial rejuvenation, the average age was now 59.6 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	63	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Friedrich Ebert	81	1950	Deputy Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the SED parliamentary group
Werner Felfe	48	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Halle (Saale) Member of the National Defense Council	newly elected to the Politburo
Gerhard Grüneberg	54	1966	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	63	1963
Heinz Hoffmann	65	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR
Erich Honecker	63	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Werner Krolikowski	48	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Werner Lamberz	47	1971	Secretary for agitation at the Central Committee of the SED	Died March 6, 1978
Erich Mielke	68	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR	newly elected to the Politburo
Günter noon	49	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy, basic industry at the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	65	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Konrad Naumann	47	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin	newly elected to the Politburo
Alfred Neumann	66	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Albert North	71	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information and Friendly Parties in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	60	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	61	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	49	1975	FDGB chairman
Paul Verner	65	1963	Secretary for financial administration and party operations at the Central Committee of the SED

Composition on May 25, 1978

After the death of Werner Lamberz, regarded by many as a bearer of hope, in a helicopter crash in Libya , the then ND editor-in-chief and Politburo candidate Joachim Hermann was elected a full member. The aging of the ranks of officials continued unstoppably, even though their Nestor Friedrich Ebert died in December 1979 at the age of 85. Until then, the functionaries had an average age of 62.0 years.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	62	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Friedrich Ebert	83	1950	Deputy Chairman of the State Council Chairman of the SED parliamentary group	died on December 4, 1979
Werner Felfe	50	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Halle (Saale) Member of the National Defense Council
Gerhard Grüneberg	56	1966	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED
Kurt Hager	65	1963
Joachim Herrmann	49	1978	Secretary for agitation and friendly parties (from 1979) at the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Heinz Hoffmann	67	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Honecker	65	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Werner Krolikowski	50	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mielke	70	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	51	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy, basic industry at the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	67	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Konrad Naumann	49	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Alfred Neumann	68	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	73	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information and Friendly Parties in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council (1979)
Horst Sindermann	62	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	63	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	51	1975	FDGB chairman
Paul Verner	67	1963	Secretary for financial administration and party operations at the Central Committee of the SED

Average age: 62.0 years

Composition on May 21, 1980

After Friedrich Ebert's death on December 4, 1979, the next Central Committee meeting on December 13 and 14, 1979 came too quickly to elect a successor. It was not until May 1980 that Horst Dohlus was elected as a full member of the Politburo. This change did not significantly affect the average age, it was now 61.9 years. Subsequently, on April 10, 1981, the eve of the Xth SED party congress, the 59-year-old Gerhard Grüneberg died quite unexpectedly.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	64	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Horst Dohlus	54	1980	Secretary for party organs, financial administration and party operations, administration of business operations, management of the party organization, management of the BGL at the Central Committee of the SED, editorial department "Neuer Weg"	newly elected to the Politburo
Werner Felfe	52	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Halle (Saale) Member of the National Defense Council
Gerhard Grüneberg	58	1966	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED	died on April 10, 1981
Kurt Hager	67	1963
Joachim Herrmann	51	1978	Secretary for agitation and friendly parties at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Hoffmann	69	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Honecker	67	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Werner Krolikowski	52	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mielke	73	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	53	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy, basic industry at the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	69	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Konrad Naumann	51	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Alfred Neumann	70	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Albert North	75	1958	Secretary for Foreign Information and Friendly Parties in the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	64	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	65	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	53	1975	FDGB chairman
Paul Verner	69	1963	Secretary for State and Legal Issues at the Central Committee of the SED

Average age: 61.9 years

1981-1986

Composition on April 16, 1981

The Tenth Party Congress of the SED did not elect any new members of the Politburo. It was no longer possible to react to the sudden death of Gerhard Grüneberg. Albert Norden resigned from his position for health reasons. Thus, after years of continuous expansion, the Politburo was reduced to 17 functionaries for the first time.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	65	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Horst Dohlus	55	1980	Secretary for party organs, financial administration and party operations, administration of business operations, management of the party organization, management of the BGL at the Central Committee of the SED, the Neuer Weg editorial team
Werner Felfe	53	1976	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Kurt Hager	68	1963
Joachim Herrmann	52	1978	Secretary for agitation and friendly parties (from 1979) at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Hoffmann	70	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Honecker	68	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security and Cadre Questions in the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Werner Krolikowski	53	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mielke	73	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	54	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy, basic industry at the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	70	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Konrad Naumann	52	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Alfred Neumann	71	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	65	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	66	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	54	1975	FDGB chairman
Paul Verner	69	1963	Secretary for State and Legal Issues at the Central Committee of the SED

Average age: 62.73 years

Composition on November 24, 1983

In November 1983, Egon Krenz, a new, younger member of the Politburo was elected for the first time. Meanwhile, however, 10 of the now 18 functionaries were 65 years and older. This was also evident in the average age of 63.7 years, the highest that the Politburo had until then.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	67	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Horst Dohlus	58	1980	Secretary for party organs, financial administration and party operations, administration of business operations, management of the party organization, management of the BGL at the Central Committee of the SED, editorial department "Neuer Weg"
Werner Felfe	55	1976	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Kurt Hager	71	1963
Joachim Herrmann	55	1978	Secretary for agitation and friendly parties (from 1979) at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Hoffmann	72	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Honecker	71	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for cadre issues at the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Egon Krenz	46	1983	Secretary for security, state and legal issues in the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Werner Krolikowski	55	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mielke	75	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	57	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy, basic industry at the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Mückenberger	73	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Konrad Naumann	54	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Alfred Neumann	73	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Horst Sindermann	68	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	69	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	56	1975	FDGB chairman
Paul Verner	72	1963	Secretary for financial administration and party operations at the Central Committee of the SED

Average age: 63.7 years

Composition on May 24, 1984

At the next Central Committee meeting in May 1984 there was another attempt to rejuvenate the Politburo with new functionaries. Häber, Jarowinsky, Kleiber and Schabowski became full members of the Politburo. Particularly noteworthy is the career jump of the Central Committee department head Herbert Häber, who immediately became a Politburo member and Central Committee secretary without a candidate period. Thus 12 of the 13 Central Committee secretaries were now also members of the Politburo. The total number of members increased to 22 functionaries never before reached. Nevertheless, the average age only fell to 62.4 years, as 10 officials were 68 and older.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	68	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Horst Dohlus	58	1980	Secretary for party organs, financial administration and party operations, administration of business operations, management of the party organization, management of the BGL at the Central Committee of the SED, editorial department "Neuer Weg"
Werner Felfe	56	1976	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Kurt Hager	71	1963
Joachim Herrmann	55	1978	Secretary for agitation and friendly parties at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Hoffmann	73	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Herbert Häber	53	1984		newly elected to the Politburo
Erich Honecker	71	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for cadre issues at the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Werner Jarowinsky	57	1984	Secretary for trade, supply and foreign trade as well as church questions at the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Günther Kleiber	52	1984		newly elected to the Politburo
Egon Krenz	47	1983	Secretary for security, state and legal issues in the Central Committee of the SED
Werner Krolikowski	56	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mielke	76	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	57	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy, basic industry at the SED Central Committee, member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mückenberger	73	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Konrad Naumann	55	1976	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Alfred Neumann	74	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Günter Schabowski	55	1984		newly elected to the Politburo
Horst Sindermann	68	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	69	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	57	1975	FDGB chairman
Paul Verner	73	1963	Secretary for financial administration and party operations at the Central Committee of the SED	Resignation for health reasons

Composition on November 22, 1985

Almost exactly a year and a half after his surprising entry into the Politburo, Herbert Häber was expelled from this body. At the same time it also hit Konrad Naumann, who officially gave a critical speech, but unofficially, above all, his excessive alcohol consumption was fatal. After Zaisser's non-re-election over 30 years ago, this was the first official punitive action against members of the Politburo. Since Paul Verner resigned in 1984 for health reasons, the number of members was now 19. Shortly after the 11th conference, Defense Minister Heinz Hoffmann died.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	69	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Horst Dohlus	60	1980	Secretary for party organs, financial administration and party operations, administration of business operations, management of the party organization, management of the BGL at the Central Committee of the SED, editorial department "Neuer Weg"
Werner Felfe	57	1976	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Kurt Hager	73	1963
Joachim Herrmann	57	1978	Secretary for agitation and friendly parties at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Hoffmann	74	1973	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council	died on December 2, 1985
Erich Honecker	73	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for cadre issues at the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Werner Jarowinsky	58	1984	Secretary for trade, supply and foreign trade as well as church questions at the Central Committee of the SED
Günther Kleiber	54	1984
Egon Krenz	48	1983	Secretary for security, state and legal issues in the Central Committee of the SED
Werner Krolikowski	57	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mielke	77	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	59	1966	Secretary for Construction, Research and Technical Development, Trade Unions and Social Policy, Basic Industry at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mückenberger	75	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Alfred Neumann	75	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Günter Schabowski	56	1984
Horst Sindermann	70	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	71	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	58	1975	FDGB chairman

Average age: 64.81 years

1986-1989

Composition on April 21, 1986

From the XI. At the 1986 party congress, there was hardly any sign of renewal in terms of personnel. New successors were elected for the 4 vacant members, but younger and thus perhaps reformers did not get a chance. While there was no way around Heinz Keßler as the new defense minister, the election of the 66-year-old Werner Eberlein was particularly surprising, not least for himself. Even the two SED district chiefs Böhme and Lorenz in their mid-fifties were not necessarily a signal for a significant rejuvenation of the political bureau. Thus, the average age of the now 22 functionaries was still a high 63.6 years. Eight members alone were now 70 and older.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	70	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Hans-Joachim Böhme	56	1986	1st Secretary of the SED District Management Halle (Saale)	newly elected to the Politburo
Horst Dohlus	60	1980	Secretary for party organs, financial administration and party operations, administration of business operations, management of the party organization, management of the BGL at the Central Committee of the SED, editorial department "Neuer Weg"
Werner Eberlein	66	1986	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Magdeburg	newly elected to the Politburo
Werner Felfe	58	1976	Secretary for Agriculture at the Central Committee of the SED Member of the National Defense Council	died on September 7, 1988
Kurt Hager	73	1963
Joachim Herrmann	57	1978	Secretary for agitation and friendly parties at the Central Committee of the SED
Erich Honecker	74	1958	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for cadre issues at the Central Committee of the SED Chairman of the National Defense Council Chairman of the State Council
Werner Jarowinsky	58	1984	Secretary for trade, supply and foreign trade as well as church questions at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Keßler	66	1986	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council	newly elected to the Politburo
Günther Kleiber	54	1984
Egon Krenz	49	1983	Secretary for security, state and legal issues in the Central Committee of the SED
Werner Krolikowski	58	1971	First deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers (1976–1988), since 1988 Central Committee Secretary for Agriculture, member of the National Defense Council
Siegfried Lorenz	55	1986	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Karl-Marx-Stadt	newly elected to the Politburo
Erich Mielke	78	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günter noon	59	1966	Secretary for construction, research and technical development, trade unions and social policy, basic industry at the SED Central Committee, member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mückenberger	75	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Alfred Neumann	76	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Günter Schabowski	57	1984
Horst Sindermann	70	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	71	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	59	1975	FDGB chairman

Average age: 63.6 years

Composition on October 18, 1989

In the course of the fall of September 1989, the party leadership was also fermenting. Thus the sick Erich Honecker officially submitted his resignation. The all-powerful economic leader Mittag and the chief agitator Herrmann were officially recalled. The youngest member of the Politburo, Egon Krenz, who had long been seen as Honecker's successor, was elected as the new General Secretary of the Central Committee. New members of the Politburo were not initially elected, and the supposed big change was a long time coming. Since Werner Felfe died in September 1988, there were now 18 Politburo members.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hermann Axen	73	1970	Secretary for International Relations, International Politics and Economics and Foreign Information at the Central Committee of the SED
Hans-Joachim Böhme	59	1986	1st Secretary of the SED District Management Halle (Saale)
Horst Dohlus	64	1980	Secretary for party organs, financial administration and party operations, administration of business operations, management of the party organization, management of the BGL at the Central Committee of the SED, the Neuer Weg editorial team
Werner Eberlein	69	1986	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Magdeburg
Kurt Hager	77	1963
Werner Jarowinsky	62	1984	Secretary for trade, supply and foreign trade as well as church questions at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Keßler	69	1986	Minister for National Defense of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Günther Kleiber	58	1984
Egon Krenz	52	1983	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED Secretary for Security, State and Legal Issues in the Central Committee of the SED
Werner Krolikowski	61	1971	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Siegfried Lorenz	58	1986	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Karl-Marx-Stadt
Erich Mielke	81	1976	Minister for State Security of the GDR Member of the National Defense Council
Erich Mückenberger	79	1958	Chairman of the ZPKK
Alfred Neumann	79	1958	First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Member of the National Defense Council
Günter Schabowski	60	1984
Horst Sindermann	74	1967	People's Chamber President Member of the National Defense Council
Willi Stoph	75	1953	Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Member of the National Defense Council
Harry table	62	1975	FDGB chairman

Average age: 67.3 years

Composition after the 10th session of the Central Committee after the XI. SED party congress from November 8 to 10, 1989

The penultimate Central Committee meeting began one day after the Council of Ministers had resigned . Politburo members Horst Dohlus (64), Werner Krolikowski (61), Willi Stoph (75), Alfred Neumann (79), Erich Mückenberger (79), Hermann Axen (73), Kurt Hager (77), Horst Sindermann (74), Erich Mielke (82), Harry Tisch (62) and Günther Kleiber (58) with an average age of 71.3 years also resigned at the beginning of the conference. However, the remaining 7 members stood for election again and were also elected, but the Halle party leader Böhme had to resign from his office during the Central Committee meeting. Newly elected to the Politburo were the Dresden SED district chief and hopeful Hans Modrow , Wolfgang Herger, Wolfgang Rauchfuß and the 68-year-old economic expert Gerhard Schürer . After Boehme's resignation, 10 members remained. Thus the average age of the new Politburo was 60.8 years. In recognition of the political realities, however, the Politburo resigned less than a month later, on December 3, 1989, during the 12th and final Central Committee meeting.

Surname	Age	Member since	function	annotation
Hans-Joachim Böhme	59	1986	1st Secretary of the SED District Management Halle (Saale)
Werner Eberlein	69	1986	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Magdeburg
Wolfgang Herger	54	1989	Head of the security department at the Central Committee of the SED	newly elected to the Politburo
Werner Jarowinsky	62	1984	Secretary for trade, supply and foreign trade as well as church issues at the Central Committee of the SED
Heinz Keßler	69	1986	Minister for National Defense of the GDR
Egon Krenz	52	1983	General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, Chairman of the National Defense Council of the GDR, Chairman of the State Council of the GDR
Siegfried Lorenz	58	1986	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Karl-Marx-Stadt
Hans Modrow	61	1989	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Dresden	newly elected to the Politburo
Wolfgang Rauchfuß	57	1989	Deputy to the chairman of the GDR Council of Ministers, Minister for Materials Management of the GDR	newly elected to the Politburo
Günter Schabowski	60	1984	1. Secretary of the SED district leadership in Berlin
Gerhard Schürer	68	1989	Deputy to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GDR Chairman of the State Planning Commission	newly elected to the Politburo

Average age: 60.8 years

annotation

1. ↑ Official function still in the October days, whether this still existed on November 10, 1989, could not be verified.

See also

• List of candidates for the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED
• List of the members of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the SED
• List of the Central Committee departments and their department heads