Volkskammer

Infobox Legislature Historic
name = Volkskammer


entity = German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
type = Unicameral
houses = 1
members = 400
location = Palast der Republik
year = 1949
year2 = 1991
before = Reichstag
after = Bundestag
notes = A legislature in name only, actual legislating was done by the SED's Politburo

The Volkskammer ("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 opposition 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.

On paper, the "Volkskammer" had great power, appointing the Councils of State and Ministers, and the Chairman of the National Defence Council. However, the "Volkskammer" had little real power, and parties were expected to respect democratic centralism, with the most dissent in voting ever shown by Parliament 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:

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

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

Chairmen of the People's Chamber

External links

* [http://www.archive.org/details/ASuccessfulPolicySearedtotheNeedsofthePeople "A Successful Policy Seared to the Needs of the People" "Deliberations" of the "Volkskammer" on nuclear disarmament, 1981.]