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Lothar Ahrendt (born 13 March 1936) is one of the former interior ministers of the German Democratic Republic.

Biography

Ahrendt was born on 13 March 1936 in Erfurt.[1] He was trained as a car mechanic.[1]

Ahrendt was a member of Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) which he joined in 1957.[1] He served as deputy interior minister until 18 November 1989, when he was appointed minister of interior, replacing Friedrich Dickel in the post.[2] Ahrendt was part of interim and "reform-minded" cabinet formed by Prime Minister Hans Modrow.[2][3]

Unlike previous East German interior ministers, Ahrendt was not the chief of the German People's Police (Deutsche Volkspolizei).[4] as for the first time since the DDR's establishment these two offices were divided.[2] However, in February 1990, he was appointed to the post as an acting chief.[5] In mid-January 1990, the Ministry of Interior declared that by 25 January all weapons from former secret police agents, including 124,000 pistols, 76,000 submachine guns, about 3,500 grenade-launchers and 342 anti-aircraft guns, would be retrieved.[6]

Ahrendt's term ended on 12 April 1990.[1] Peter-Michael Diestel succeeded him as interior minister.[7] Ahrendt was also dismissed from the post as the acting chief of the German People's Police in August 1990.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Ahrendt, Lothar" (in German). Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung.
  2. ^ a b c Nancy Travis Wolfe (1992). Policing a Socialist Society: The German Democratic Republic. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-3132-6530-3.
  3. ^ "East Germany Approves "Reform-minded" Cabinet". Times Daily. West Berlin. AP. 19 November 1989. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Deutsche Volkspolizei". Axis History. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Das Ende der Volkspolizei – Chronologie des Zerfalls". CILIP (in German). 27 December 1990. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  6. ^ "E. German Reveals Secret-Police Levels -- 1 In 80 Worked for or Aided Stasi". The Seattle Times. East Berlin. AP. 16 January 1990. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Karriere für Alt-Kader". Der Spiegel (in German). 19 August 1990. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Interior
1989 – 1990
Succeeded by


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