Anton Ackermann

Anton Ackermann (real name: Eugen Hanisch, 25 December 1905 - 4 May 1973) was an East German politician. In 1953 he briefly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

From 1920 to 1928 he worked as functionary of the Communist Youth Movement of Germany. In 1926 he joined the Communist Party of Germany. He studied at the Lenin School in Moscow. Back in Germany, the Communist Party was expelled after the Nazi's seized power in 1933. Ackermann continued working for the illegal Communist Party.

From 1935 to 1937 he lived in Prague. During the Spanish Civil War, Ackermann was the leader of the Political School of the International Brigades. After staying a shortwhile, he went to Moscow and became editor of the German language newspaper "The Free Word".

In 1943 he became an active member of the Moscow based National Committee Free Germany (NKFD).

After World War II he went back to Germany and joined the East German Communist party, the Socialist Unity Party (SED). He was elected into the Central Committee and became a candidate member of the Politburo in 1949. From 1950 to 1954 he was a member of the People's Chamber.

From 1949 to 1953 he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the arrest of the minister, Georg Dertinger, Ackermann served briefly as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 1953/1954 he was expelled from the Politburo and fired as minister because of "party-hostile activity."

In 1956 he was rehabiltated and worked for the State Planning Bureau.

In 1970 he was rewarded with the Patriotic Service Medal. In 1973 he committed suicide.

ee also

* German Democratic Republic
* Socialist Unity Party