1912- . East German communist politician, in
power 1973-89, elected chair of the council
of state (head of state) 1976. He governed in
an outwardly austere and efficient manner
and, while favouring East-West detente, was a
loyal ally of the USSR. In Oct 1989,
following a wave of pro-democracy
demonstrations, he was replaced as leader of
the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and head of
state by Egon Krenz, and in Dec expelled from
the Communist Party. Honecker, the son of a
miner, joined the German Communist Party 1929
and was imprisoned for anti-fascist activity
1935-45. He was elected to the East German
parliament (Volkskammer) 1949 and became a
member of the SED Politburo during the 1950s.
A security specialist, during the 1960s he
served as a secretary of the National Defence
Council before being appointed first
secretary of the SED 1971. After Ulbricht's
death 1973, Honecker became leader of East
Germany. In Feb 1990, following his
overthrow, he was arrested and charged with
high treason, misuse of office, and
corruption.