1. Manfred Gerlach was a German jurist and politician, and the longtime leader of the East German Liberal Democratic Party.
13 Facts About Manfred Gerlach
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Manfred Gerlach served as Chairman of the Council of State and was thus head of state of East Germany from 6 December 1989 to 5 April 1990.
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Manfred Gerlach was a co-founder of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany and the Free German Youth in Leipzig.
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Manfred Gerlach was the LDPD youth leader of North-West Saxony from 1946 to 1950.
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From 1949 to 1990, Manfred Gerlach was a member of the People's Chamber.
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Manfred Gerlach was one of the deputy chairmen of the Council of State from 1960 until 1990.
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Manfred Gerlach initially supported the Socialist Unity Party line of Gleichschaltung of the East German non-communist parties.
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Manfred Gerlach reportedly welcomed the liberalisation in the USSR started by Mikhail Gorbachev.
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On 13 October 1989, Manfred Gerlach was the first important East German politician to publicly question the monopolistic role of the SED.
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Manfred Gerlach held this post until April 1990, when the State Council was abolished in a prelude to reunification with West Germany.
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Manfred Gerlach was a signatory of the Berliner Alternatives Geschichtsforum, which promoted more positive views on GDR history.
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Manfred Gerlach had earned numerous state awards by the GDR, including the Patriotic Order of Merit and the Star of People's Friendship in 1964 and 1988 and the Order of Karl Marx in 1988.
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On 17 October 2011, Manfred Gerlach died, aged 83, in Berlin following a long illness.