Who was the last Communist leader of East Germany?

Egon Krenz was the last Communist leader of East Germany. He succeeded Erich Honecker as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party in October 1989, during the mounting protests that brought down the regime.

Krenz had been Honecker’s deputy and a senior Communist official for years. He also became chairman of the Council of State and the National Defence Council, making him the country’s principal political and military leader during the final weeks of Communist rule.

His tenure was extremely brief. The Berlin Wall opened on 9 November 1989 after Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced that new travel regulations took effect “immediately.” Krenz could not restore the government’s authority, and he resigned from his remaining leadership posts on 6 December.

A common mix-up is Lothar de Maizière, who became East Germany’s first and only freely elected prime minister in 1990. Hans Modrow was the last Communist premier, but Krenz was the final Communist leader of the state and ruling party. After reunification, Krenz was convicted for his role in deaths at the inner-German border.