Wilhelm Pieck

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Wilhelm Pieck

State President of the German Democratic Republic
In office October 11, 1949 – September 7, 1960
Preceded by	None (position first established)
Succeeded by	Walter Ulbricht (as Chairman of the Council of State)

Born	January 3, 1876 Guben, German Empire
Died	September 7, 1960 East Berlin, East Germany
Political party	SPD, KPD, SED

Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck (January 3, 1876 - September 7, 1960) was a German communist, statesman and president of East Germany.

[edit] Biography

Wilhelm Pieck was born to a coachman in the eastern part of Guben, Germany, which is now Gubin and part of Poland. While he initially went to school to become a carpenter, the combination of world events, determined ideology, and political ambition led Pieck to a life of party leadership.

As a carpenter, Pieck joined the wood-worker's federation in 1894, which steered him to join the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in 1895. Moving up the ranks, Pieck became the chairman of the party urban district in 1899, and in 1906 he was the full-time secretary of the SPD. The overall SPD response to the outbreak of World War I, was that of strong opposition, and in turn, Pieck subscribed to pacifism. Although he followed Germany's policy of army conscription, Pieck's openness in opposing the war led to his arrest and placement in a military prison. After being released, Pieck briefly lived in Amsterdam. Upon his return to Berlin in 1918, Pieck played several roles in politics, including membership in the state parliament and the Politburo of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), which he co-founded in 1918.

In a speech given on August 5, 1930, Pieck called on the "working men and women" to outline his pro- Marxist-Leninist world view. Fearing the rise of the Nazi party, Pieck passionately differentiated between his communist system and that of the 'fascists.' Pieck argued "Only the communists help the worker," whereas for the Nazi party, "Under their guidance the radicalization of the masses grows." Pieck believed that "The united strength of the working people is enormous," and that Germans should maintain their "struggles against the imperialistic threat of war and fascism, struggles for a socialist Soviet Germany."

Pieck was known for his disagreement with Hitler's ascension to power, and for his alignment with Stalin. Due to the Nazi takeover and consolidation of power, Pieck left Germany for France in 1933, and then moved to Moscow in 1935. In Moscow, Pieck served the communist party in a variety of capacities. From 1938 until 1943, Pieck served as the General Secretary of the Communist International. Pieck played an important role to Stalin as an advisor on Germany's intentions and the future course of war. In 1941 Pieck, along with Walter Ulbricht, met with Stalin to fully analyze Hitler's warnings and to discuss Stalin's hopes of driving the Red Army westward. Pieck's responsibilities included conducting the meeting and recording notes, which were not recovered until fifty years later. In 1943 Pieck was among the chief founders of the National Committee for a Free Germany (NKFD), a resistance group operating in Russia against Nazism in Germany. The NKFD also planned for the future of socialism in Germany after World War II. At the conclusion of the war in 1945 Pieck returned to Germany with the Red Army. Pieck effectively connected the KPD with the SPD to initiate the dictatorship of the proletariat and communism that would be a model after the Soviet system.

In 1949 Pieck was elected President of the newly-established German Democratic Republic (GDR), and was contrary to Communist boss Walter Ulbricht, the first secretary of the Council of State, a very popular president. Pieck served as the only president of the GDR until his death in 1960. Pieck's ideology enabled him to obtain and maintain his posts in politics due to Stalin's overall trust in him. Overall, Stalin was confident in Pieck's ability to expand Stalinism abroad, especially in a Germany divided between the Eastern and Western political systems. He died of a heart attack.

He had a daughter named Elly Winter

Preceded by (created)	State President of the German Democratic Republic 1949–1960	Succeeded by Walter Ulbricht (as Chairman of the Council of State)