Joachim Herrmann (politician, Born 1928)

Joachim "Achim" Herrmann (29 October 1928 – 30 July 1992) was a journalist and high-ranking party functionary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED).

Herrmann initially had a career as journalist for the SED's various party newspapers, first for the ''Berliner Zeitung'', then, after a stint as State Secretary for West German Affairs, for the SED ''Zentralorgan'' ''Neues Deutschland''.

From the late 1970s, he was a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED and the powerful SED Agitation Secretary, ''de facto'' commanding East German press. Herrmann was a part of Erich Honecker's inner circle, closely working with him to align the news to the party's and Honecker's personal liking.

Herrmann was one of the first high-ranking SED functionaries to be deposed during the Peaceful Revolution, being removed from the Politburo alongside Honecker in October and expelled from the Central Committee in November 1989. He died not long after in reunified Germany.

Life

Early career

From 1938 to 1945 he was a member of the Hitler Youth, and was drafted towards the end of World War II as a Luftwaffe auxiliary.

Journalist

He became a journalist, and by 1949 was working at the Berliner Zeitung. He then joined the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED). From 1949 to 1952 he was deputy editor-in-chief of the Freie Deutsche Jugend's paper ''Junge Welt'', and from 1954 to 1960, he was editor-in-chief. During that time he served as a member of the Central Council of the FDJ.

From 1960 to 1962 he worked as deputy head of a department in the Central Committee of the SED. He then served from 1962 to 1965 as editor-in-chief of the ''Berliner Zeitung'', the newspaper of the Berlin SED.

In January 1966, Herrmann was made head of the newly created State Secretariat for All-German Affairs, renamed to West German Affairs the same year. As State Secretary, Herrmann was tasked with influencing West German public opinion towards the SED's conception of a reunified Germany under their rule. His deputy was Herbert Häber, a longtime associate and friend, who he already knew from their common Berlin FDJ time. Despite this, when Häber faced an intrigue directed against him and his political objectives, Herrmann abandoned him. The State Secretariat was abolished in July 1971, as part of new SED leader Erich Honecker's policy of distancing from German reunification.

He subsequently became the editor-in-chief of the SED ''Zentralorgan'' ''Neues Deutschland'' in 1971.

During this time he quickly rose among government circles. Having already been elected as a candidate member in April 1967 ( VII. Party Congress), he became a full member of the Central Committee in June 1971 ( VIII. Party Congress). In 1973, he became a candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee, the ''de facto'' highest leadership body in East Germany.

Central Committee Secretary

On 25 May 1978, Herrmann was made a full member of the Politburo and elected to the Central Committee Secretariat. There he took on the responsibilities of Propaganda, Agitation (both from Werner Lamberz, who had been killed in a helicopter crash) and so-called "Friendly Parties" (meaning satellite parties) from retiring Politburo member Albert Norden.

As Agitation Secretary, Herrmann wielded absolute power over East German press, most of which was directly owned by the SED. Together with his department head Heinz Geggel, who held weekly 'argumentation sessions' at the SED headquarters, Herrmann controlled East German reporting in minute detail, setting out the wording of headlines, arrangement of pictures and specific phrases.

Herrmann quickly became part of Erich Honecker's inner circle, alongside Günter Mittag and Erich Mielke, shunning most of the other Politburo members to rubber stamp decisions pre-approved by them.

Peaceful Revolution

On 18 October 1989, a group of Politburo members lead by Egon Krenz deposed of Erich Honecker. Due to their close relation to Honecker, Herrmann and Economics czar Günter Mittag were also removed. Günter Schabowski, his former deputy and successor as editor-in-chief of ''Neues Deutschland'', succeeded him as Agitation Secretary.

On 10 November 1989, he was expelled from the SED Central Committee, as part of a move to save face by General Secretary Egon Krenz. He was additionally removed by his party from the Volkskammer a week later, on 16 November 1989.

On 20 January 1990, he was expelled from the now-renamed SED-PDS party in a unanimous vote, the party Central Arbitration Commission citing personal enrichment and his manipulation of the media.

He died in Berlin in 1992.

Awards

Hermann received the Banner of Labor Order in 1968, the Patriotic Order of Merit in 1970,Neues Deutschland, 7. Mai 1970, S. 2 and the Order of Karl Marx in 1978 and 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hnann, Joachim
Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians
1928 births
1992 deaths
Hitler Youth child soldiers
East German journalists
German male journalists
German newspaper journalists
20th-century German journalists