Egon Krenz

General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany

Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz 19 March 1937 Kolberg, Nazi Germany

-

18 October 1989 – 3 December 1989

Head of state of East Germany (GDR) Egon KrenzKrenz in 1984General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of GermanyIn office 18 October 1989 – 3 December 1989Preceded by Erich HoneckerSucceeded by Office abolishedGregor Gysi as leader of the PDS Chairman of the State CouncilIn office 24 October 1989 – 6 December 1989Prime Minister Willi Stoph Hans ModrowPreceded by Erich HoneckerSucceeded by Manfred GerlachChairman of the National Defense CouncilIn office 18 October 1989 – 6 December 1989Preceded by Erich HoneckerSucceeded by Office abolished Personal detailsBornEgon Rudi Ernst Krenz (1937-03-19 ) 19 March 1937 (age 84) Kolberg, Nazi Germany (now Kołobrzeg, Poland)NationalityGermanPolitical partySocialist Unity Party of Germany (1961–1989) Independent (1989–present)Spouse(s)Erika Krenz (1961–2017) ChildrenThorsten CarstenProfessionPoliticianSignatureCriminal informationCriminal statusServed prison sentence 13 January 2000 – 18 December 2003, released on parole until 2006. Released since 2006, sentence served in full.Conviction(s) ManslaughterCriminal chargeManslaughter, Electoral fraudPenalty6½ years' imprisonment Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz (German pronunciation: ; born 19 March 1937) is a former East German politician who was the last communist leader of East Germany during the final months of 1989. He succeeded Erich Honecker as the General Secretary of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), but was forced to resign only weeks later when the Berlin Wall fell. Throughout his career, Krenz held a number of prominent positions in the SED. He was Honecker's deputy from 1984 until he succeeded him in 1989 amid protests against the regime. Krenz was unsuccessful in his attempt to retain the communist regime's grip on power, and was forced to resign some weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was expelled from the SED party on 21 January 1990. In 2000, he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for manslaughter, for his role in the crimes of the communist regime. After his release from prison in 2003, he retired to the small town of Dierhagen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He remained on parole until the end of his sentence in 2006.