- Wilhelm Pieck
Infobox_President|name=Wilhelm Pieck
nationality=German
order=State President of the German Democratic Republic
term_start=October 11 ,1949
term_end=September 7 ,1960
predecessor=Position establishedKarl Dönitz (Third Reich )
Allied military occupation 1945-1949successor=
Walter Ulbricht (as Chairman of the Council of State)
birth_date=birth date|1876|1|3|mf=y
birth_place=Guben ,German Empire
dead=alive
death_date=death date and age|1960|9|7|1876|1|3|mf=y
death_place=East Berlin , East Germany
spouse=
party=SPD, KPD, SED
vicepresident=
religion=Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck (
January 3 ,1876 -September 7 ,1960 ) was a German communist and the first and only president of the German Democratic Republic.Biography
Wilhelm Pieck was born to a coachman in the eastern part of
Guben ,Germany , which is now Gubin and part ofPoland . 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 political activism.As a carpenter, in 1894 Pieck joined the wood-workers' federation, which steered him towards joining the
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) the following year. Pieck became the chairman of the party urban district in 1899, and in 1906 became full-time secretary of the SPD. Although the majority of the SPD supported the German government inWorld War I , Pieck was a member of the party's left wing, which opposed the war. Pieck's openness in doing so led to his arrest and placement in a military prison. After being released, Pieck briefly lived inAmsterdam . Upon his return to Berlin in 1918, Pieck joined the newly-foundedCommunist Party of Germany (KPD).Following the
Nazi Party 's takeover in 1933, Pieck left Germany for France that same year, then moved toMoscow in 1935. InMoscow , Pieck served the Communist Party in a variety of capacities. From 1938 until 1943, he filled the position of General Secretary of the Communist International. In 1943 Pieck was among the founders of theNational Committee for a Free Germany (NKFD). The NKFD planned for the future of Germany afterWorld War II . At the conclusion of the war in 1945 Pieck returned to Germany with the victorious Red Army.In 1949 Pieck was elected President of the newly-established
German Democratic Republic (GDR). Pieck served as the only president of the GDR until his death in 1960. Pieck maintained his posts in politics due toStalin 's trust in him.Pieck lived in
Majakowskiring 29,Pankow ,East Berlin . His daughter,Elly Winter (1898-1987), held various posts in the SED and East German government.
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