Partei und Staat in der DDR. Die Protokolle des Zentralsekretariats... / Die Protokolle des Politbüros 1953–1960

Part 3/2 of the microfiche edition contains the fair copy minutes, submittals and attachments from 488 meetings held by the Politbureau between 2 January 1953 and 28 December 1960. Whilst the earlier minutes documented the development of the SED into a “new type of party”, this development can now be followed further, up to the suppression and marginalization of state authorities by SED committees and Walter Ulbricht’s dictatorial regime. After the death of Stalin on 15 March 1953, his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, started the process of de-Stalinization. This led to a period of political thaw in Eastern Europe. Walter Ulbricht however, insisted on continuing down the road embarked upon by Stalin and succeeded in imposing his authority. As recorded in the minutes, various discussions and disagreements also took place within the SED’s Politbureau, with criticism of Walter Ulbricht’s dictatorial management style being voiced. All hope of a political thaw in the GDR vanished on 17 June 1953 when a workers’ strike was bloodily suppressed. This edition illustrates better than almost any other work the change in the nature of the SED and in the political system of the GDR. The Politbureau took over the role of the Central Committee of the SED in 1949, and from 1958 onwards the functions of the Secretariat and the Central Committee were amalgamated, leading to a further concentration of power. The minutes and attachments along with instructions and orders, paint a detailled picture of the contemporary political situation with which the Politbureau had to contend, and of the individual phases in the social development of the GDR. The themes and matters dealt with illustrate the unlimited regulatory powers of the Politbureau. They range from important foreign policy issues, such as the GDR’s Germany policy, to economic and commercial issues, as well as education, cultural and sporting matters. Even a recipe for bread and the introduction of a new type of butter are included as agenda items. The Politbureau’s minutes individually according to meeting and agenda items are listed in an index volume. Indexes of persons, subjects and places enable easy access to information. The finding aids can also be researched online by visiting www.bundesarchiv.de. .