Paul Heider (historian)

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Paul Heider (2008)

Paul Heider (born December 31, 1931 - † August 4, 2014 ) was a German military historian and colonel in the National People's Army (NVA) . He was a full professor at the military academy "Friedrich Engels" of the NVA. From 1985 he worked at the Military History Institute of the GDR and was its last director in 1989/90.

Life

Origin and education

Paul Heider was born in Silesia on December 31, 1931. After being expelled and escaping , he finished school in his new home.

With his voluntary entry in January 1949 he became a member of the armed organs - in the main administration training (HVA), the predecessor organization of the barracked people's police (KVP) of the GDR.

career

After his appointment as an officer (1951) he was employed as a teacher in social science training at schools of the border police. In the years 1955 to 1961 Heider completed a distance learning course in history at the Humboldt University in Berlin, which he graduated with a degree in history. In autumn 1961 he became a university professor at the military academy "Friedrich Engels" of the NVA. Heider was the head of the department and chair of the "History of the Labor Movement / Military History".

Heider received his first academic title Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. phil.) In 1969 . Heider dealt critically with the politics of the KPD in the Weimar Republic with an openness that was unusual at the time and clarified the issue of the KPD's secret military apparatus, which was still largely under wraps.

In 1974 Heider became a member of the Scientific Council of the Military History Institute (MGI) of the GDR. In 1978 he received his PhD B (Dr. sc. Phil.) And in the following year he was appointed full professor (1979) for the history of the labor movement and military history at the military academy.

In 1985 Heider became deputy director of research at the Military History Institute of the GDR (MGI) in Potsdam. During this time he was responsible for a multi-volume edition on German military history from the beginnings to 1985. On September 1, 1989, during the peaceful revolution in the GDR , he succeeded Reinhard Brühl as director of the MGI.

After German reunification

Paul Heider was active as a scientist and author on military history and military political topics. He made scientific contributions to publications of the Military History Research Office (MGFA) and subjected the NVA and its traditional references to a critical assessment.

In 2003 he became a member of the Dresden Study Group on Security Policy . V. and published in the DSS working papers . In 2004 he became a member of the German Commission for Military History .

Publications (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary notice in Sächsische Zeitung from August 9, 2014.
  2. ↑ a b See Biographical Data Paul Heider. In: For the demilitarization of security. 20 years of the Dresdener Studiengemienschaft Sicherheitsppolitik e. V. (DSS). (Ed.) Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik (DSS) e. V: DSS papers, Dresden 2010, Issue 100, p 154. urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14 qucosa2-327018
  3. ↑ a b See Wolfgang Scheler: Obituary for Colonel a. D. Prof. Dr. sc. Paul Heider. In: Website of the Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitspektiven e. V. (DSS), Dresden 2014, web account has been closed since 2017.
  4. ↑ See: Appointed University Lecturers at the Military Academy. In: Wolfgang Demmer / Eberhard Haueis: Military Academy "Friedrich Engels" 1959 to 1990. A documentation. (Ed.) Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitspektiven e. V., Dresden 2008, p 123. urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14 qucosa2-321551
  5. ↑ Torsten Diedrich , Hans Ehlert , Rüdiger Wenzke (ed.): In the service of the party, manual of the armed organs of the GDR (= research on GDR society ). Commissioned by the Military History Research Office, Ch. Links, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-86153-160-7 , p. 718.
  6. ↑ Book contributions by Paul Heider for the MGFA are for example: a) Ideological indoctrination and tradition maintenance in the National People's Army. In: (Ed.) Hans Ehlert / Matthias Rogg: Military, State and Society in the GDR. Research fields, results, perspectives. (= Military history of the GDR, volume 8). On behalf of the Military History Research Office. Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-86153-329-4 , pp. 303-322. b) The Working Group of Former Officers (AeO) - propaganda and diversion instrument of the SED. In: Military History Journal, No. 61, (Ed.) Military History Research Office, Potsdam 2002, pp. 461–488. c) The Society for Sport and Technology (1952–1990). In: (Ed.) Torsten Diedrich / Hans Ehlert / Rüdiger Wenzke: In the service of the party. Handbook of the armed organs of the GDR. (= Research on GDR society). Commissioned by the Military History Research Office, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-86153-160-7 , pp. 69-200.


personal data
SURNAME Heider, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German NVA colonel and military historian
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1931
DATE OF DEATH 4th August 2014