Editing German Democratic Republic (section)

== '''People in positions of power''' ==
In the GDR, leading politicians such as Walter Ulbricht, Erich Honecker and Erich Mielke played a key role in shaping and implementing the political agenda. Walter Ulbricht, as the first General Secretary of the SED, played a decisive role in the development of the socialist system. Erich Honecker later took over the leadership and significantly shaped the GDR era of the 1970s and 1980s. As Minister for State Security, Erich Mielke was an outstanding figure who ensured the security of the state through the State Security (Stasi).