Günter Mittag
Encyclopedia
Günter Mittag was a German member of parliament, secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(SED), and a central figure in the German planned economy
.
in the Second World War. He joined the SED in 1946 and by 1958, when he had earned his doctorate with a dissertation entitled "Problems of Socialist Development of the Transport System", he became Secretary of the Economic Commission at the Politbüro. In 1963 he became a member of parliament and (until 1971, and then again from 1979-1989) a member of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic
(GDR).
Also in 1963 he became Leiter des Büros für Industrie- und Bauwesen des ZK ("Head of the Office for Industry and Construction of the Central Committee of the SED"). He and Erich Apel designed the New System for Economic Management and Planning (NÖSPL), to modernise and streamline the formerly-bureaucratic economy of the GDR. This was politically controversial and only very partially implemented.
In 1976 Mittag became Secretary for the Economy of the ZK (Central Committee of the SED). He advocated, and implemented, strict economic controls throughout his tenure. His leadership style was controversial, involving confrontations with ministers and demands for the summary dismissal of certain officials. He was particularly close to Franz Josef Strauß
, and in the early 1980s arranged the so-called "Billion Loan" from West Germany
.
Mittag was severely diabetic and in the mid-1980s both his lower legs were amputated. He left office after a controversy that resulted in him being taken into custody, but he was released on health grounds. In 1991 he was accused of using government funds for a private home.
He received honorary doctorates from the University of Tokyo
and the University of Leoben
in Austria.
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
(SED), and a central figure in the German planned economy
Planned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...
.
Biography
Born to a working class family, Mittag served in a flak regiment of the WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
in the Second World War. He joined the SED in 1946 and by 1958, when he had earned his doctorate with a dissertation entitled "Problems of Socialist Development of the Transport System", he became Secretary of the Economic Commission at the Politbüro. In 1963 he became a member of parliament and (until 1971, and then again from 1979-1989) a member of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
(GDR).
Also in 1963 he became Leiter des Büros für Industrie- und Bauwesen des ZK ("Head of the Office for Industry and Construction of the Central Committee of the SED"). He and Erich Apel designed the New System for Economic Management and Planning (NÖSPL), to modernise and streamline the formerly-bureaucratic economy of the GDR. This was politically controversial and only very partially implemented.
In 1976 Mittag became Secretary for the Economy of the ZK (Central Committee of the SED). He advocated, and implemented, strict economic controls throughout his tenure. His leadership style was controversial, involving confrontations with ministers and demands for the summary dismissal of certain officials. He was particularly close to Franz Josef Strauß
Franz Josef Strauß
Franz Josef Strauss was a German politician. He was the leader of the Christian Social Union, member of the federal cabinet in different positions and long-time minister-president of the state of Bavaria....
, and in the early 1980s arranged the so-called "Billion Loan" from West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
Mittag was severely diabetic and in the mid-1980s both his lower legs were amputated. He left office after a controversy that resulted in him being taken into custody, but he was released on health grounds. In 1991 he was accused of using government funds for a private home.
He received honorary doctorates from the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
and the University of Leoben
University of Leoben
The University of Leoben, in the town of Leoben, Austria, is the country's university for mining, metallurgy, and materials.It was founded on 4 November 1840, as the Steiermärkisch-Ständische Montanlehranstalt in Styria, Austria's mining region. In 1848 Peter Tunner relocated the university to the...
in Austria.
Sources
Translator's note: These are in German.- Przybylski, Peter: Tatort Politburo, 1992, ISBN 3-49919-328-0
- Hertle, Hans-Hermann: Prior to the bankruptcy of the GDR: documents of the Politburo of the CC of the SED from 1988 to the failure of the "Economic and social policy" (The Schürer / Mittag controversy). In an interview with Gerhard Schürer, Berlin 1991
- Janson, Carl-Heinz: Gravedigger of the GDR. How Günter Mittag ruined state, Düsseldorf 1991
- Mittag, Günter: At any price. In the tension between two systems, Berlin / Weimar, 1991
- Mittag, Günter: "It breaks my heart': Spiegel-interview with the former East German economic czar Günter Mittag on his policies and his errors, in Der Spiegel, 37/1991, p. 88-104.