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Margot HoneckerGDR statesman
Date of Birth: 17.04.1927
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Margot Honecker: GDR's Minister of Education
- Marriage and Rise to Power
- Controversies and Resignation
- Exile and Death
- Legacy and Later Life
- She passed away on 6 May 2016, at the age of 93, in Santiago, Chile.
Margot Honecker: GDR's Minister of Education
Early Life and Political InvolvementMargot Feist was born into a family of shoemakers. After completing school, she joined the League of German Girls (BDM) from 1938 to 1945. Her mother passed away in 1940. In 1945, she joined the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).
From 1946, Margot became a secretary of the Free German Youth (FDJ) and, from 1948, headed the Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organization.
Marriage and Rise to Power
In the early 1950s, she met Erich Honecker, who was 15 years her senior and married at the time. In 1952, Margot gave birth to Erich's daughter, Sonja. He subsequently divorced his second wife and married Margot in 1953.
In 1963, Margot Honecker was appointed Minister of Education of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). She implemented policies that standardized the education system and introduced military education in schools. She held this position for an unprecedented 25 years.
Controversies and Resignation
In 1989, Margot Honecker resigned from her post along with her husband. In 1990, she was accused of involvement in dissident arrests and separating children from unfavorable parents against their will.
Exile and Death
Margot Honecker was unpopular among East Germans, earning the nicknames "Miss Education" and "Purple Witch" due to her purple-tinted hair. She was skilled in Russian and occasionally served as her husband's interpreter.
In 1991, she and Erich Honecker fled to the USSR to escape prosecution in West Germany. After the collapse of the USSR, they were extradited back to Germany.
From 1992, Margot lived in Santiago, Chile, with her daughter and son-in-law. Erich died in 1994. She unsuccessfully attempted to sue the German government for property confiscation in 1999 and lost her appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in 2001.
Legacy and Later Life
Margot Honecker remained steadfast in her support of the GDR and criticized post-reunification policies. She gave public speeches, sang patriotic songs, and expressed her belief that East Germans had better lives in the GDR.
She passed away on 6 May 2016, at the age of 93, in Santiago, Chile.
Awards and Recognition- Twice Hero of Labor of the GDR (1969, 1984)
- Order of Rubén Darío
