Who was the long-time leader of East Germany who resigned in October 1989?

Erich Honecker was the long-time leader of East Germany who resigned in October 1989. He was forced out on October 18 after nearly two decades as the dominant figure in the German Democratic Republic.

Honecker became First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany in 1971 and later held the title of General Secretary. He also became chairman of the GDR's Council of State in 1976, making him the country's principal political leader. His government defended the Berlin Wall and rejected the reform movement spreading through the Soviet bloc.

By autumn 1989, mass demonstrations, growing emigration through Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and pressure inside the ruling party had badly weakened his position. The Politburo presented his departure as a resignation for health reasons, but it was effectively a political removal. Egon Krenz succeeded him as party leader. Krenz could not stop the crisis, and the Berlin Wall opened less than a month later, on November 9. Walter Ulbricht had led East Germany before Honecker, while Hans Modrow became prime minister after the regime began to collapse.