Günter Mittag (8 October 1926 – 18 March 1994) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
member of parliament, secretary of the
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (german: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, ; SED, ), often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East German ...
(SED), and a central figure in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
's
command economy
A planned economy is a type of economic system where investment, production and the allocation of capital goods takes place according to economy-wide economic plans and production plans. A planned economy may use centralized, decentralized, p ...
.
Biography
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-Z0612-024, Günter Mittag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-Z0612-024%2C_G%C3%BCnter_Mittag.jpg)
Born to a working-class family in
Stettin (now Szczecin). After completing vocational education with the
Reichsbahn
The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...
Mittag served in a flak regiment of the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. He joined the
Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1945, became a member of the SED in 1946 and by 1958, when he had earned his doctorate with a dissertation entitled "Die Überlegenheit der sozialistischen Organisation und Leitung im Eisenbahnwesen der DDR gegenüber dem kapitalistischen Eisenbahnwesen" (en: The Superiority of Socialist Organisation and Performance in the Railroads of the GDR to the Capitalist Railroads), he became Secretary of the Economic Commission at the Politbüro. In 1963 he became a member of parliament and (until 1971, and then again from 1979 to 1989) a member of the
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
of the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
(GDR).
Also in 1963 he became ''Leiter des Büros für Industrie- und Bauwesen des ZK'' ("Head of the Office for Industry and Construction of the Central Committee of the SED"). He and
Erich Apel
Erich Apel (3 October 1917 – 3 December 1965) worked during Second World War, World War Two as a rocket engineer at the Peenemünde Army Research Center in Nazi Germany. After his return from the Soviet Union, where he had forcibly worked for r ...
designed the
New System for Economic Management and Planning (NÖSPL), to modernise and streamline the formerly-bureaucratic economy of the GDR. This was politically controversial and only very partially implemented.
In 1976 Mittag became Secretary for the Economy of the ZK (Central Committee of the SED). He advocated, and implemented, strict economic controls throughout his tenure. His leadership style was controversial, involving confrontations with ministers and demands for the summary dismissal of certain officials. He was particularly close to
Franz Josef Strauß
Franz Josef Strauss ( ; 6 September 1915 – 3 October 1988) was a German politician. He was the long-time chairman of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) from 1961 until 1988, member of the federal cabinet in different positions between ...
, and in the early 1980s arranged the so-called "Billion Loan" from
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
.
Mittag was severely
diabetic
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
and in 1984 one of his lower legs was amputated: the other was removed in 1989.
He left office after a controversy that resulted in him being taken into custody, but he was released on health grounds. In 1991 he was accused of using government funds for a private home.
He received honorary doctorates from the
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...
and the
University of Leoben
The University of Leoben (German: ''Montanuniversität Leoben'') in Austria is the country's university for mining, metallurgy and materials.
It was founded on 4 November 1840 as the ''Steiermärkisch-Ständische Montanlehranstalt'' in Vordernbe ...
in Austria.
Sources
* Przybylski, Peter: Tatort Politburo, 1992,
* Hertle, Hans-Hermann: Prior to the bankruptcy of the GDR: documents of the Politburo of the CC of the SED from 1988 to the failure of the "Economic and social policy" (The Schürer / Mittag controversy). In an interview with
Gerhard Schürer
Gerhard Schürer (14 April 1921 – 22 December 2010) was a leading politician in East Germany.
Between 1963 and 1989 he was a member of the powerful Central Committee of the country's ruling SED (party). He also served, between 1965 and 198 ...
, Berlin 1991
* Janson, Carl-Heinz: Gravedigger of the GDR. How Günter Mittag ruined state, Düsseldorf 1991
* Mittag, Günter: At any price. In the tension between two systems, Berlin / Weimar, 1991
* Mittag, Günter: "It breaks my heart': Spiegel-interview with the former East German economic czar Günter Mittag on his policies and his errors, in Der Spiegel, 37/1991, p. 88-104.
Notes
External links
*
Biographie: Günter Mittag, 1926–1994Chronik-Biographie: Günter Mittag
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mittag, Gunter
1926 births
1994 deaths
Politicians from Szczecin
People from the Province of Pomerania
Communist Party of Germany politicians
Members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Members of the State Council of East Germany
Members of the 4th Volkskammer
Members of the 5th Volkskammer
Members of the 6th Volkskammer
Members of the 7th Volkskammer
Members of the 8th Volkskammer
Members of the 9th Volkskammer
German hunters
Free German Trade Union Federation members
Luftwaffenhelfer
German amputees