Friedrich Dickel
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Friedrich Dickel | |
|---|---|
 Dickel in 1983 | |
| Minister of the Interior Head of the Volkspolizei | |
| In office 15 November 1963 – 17 November 1989 | |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers |
|
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Karl Maron |
| Succeeded by | Lothar Ahrendt |
| Member of the Volkskammer for Auerbach, Klingenthal, Oelsnitz, Plauen-Stadt, Plauen-Land | |
| In office 2 July 1967 – 16 November 1989 | |
| Preceded by | multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Ludwig Erlenbeck |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1913 |
| Died | 23 October 1993 (aged 79) |
| Party | Socialist Unity Party (1946–1989) |
| Other political affiliations | Communist Party of Germany (1931–1946) |
| Occupation |
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Central institution membership
Other offices held
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Friedrich Dickel (9 December 1913 – 23 October 1993) was a German politician, veteran of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War and law enforcement administrator who served as the interior minister for nearly twenty-six years, the longest-serving individual to hold that post in East Germany.
Dickel was born on 9 December 1913 in Vohwinkel, later part of Wuppertal, in the Prussian Rhine Province of the German Empire.[1]
Career
Dickel joined the Communist Party of Germany in 1931.[2] He fought in the international brigades in the civil war of Spain together with others, including future Stasi chief Erich Mielke.[2][3] Dickel commanded a platoon unit in the civil war in Spain.[4]
After the Nazi rule in Germany, he settled in the Soviet Union where he taught at the Soviet General Staff Academy.[4] He returned to East Germany in 1946[1] and served as the commander of the Officers’ School for Political Work in East Berlin from 1950.[4] He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1956.[4] Next year he was named as the deputy national defense minister.[4]
Dickel became a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and of its central committee.[5] His tenure in the SED central committee was between 1967 and 1989.[4] He also served as a police chief in East Berlin.[6]
Dickel was appointed interior minister on 14 November 1963, replacing Karl Maron in the post.[7] He also led the Volkspolizei during his tenure.[5][8] During Dickel's time, majority of the East German paramilitary troops organized for territorial defense were also under the interior ministry's control.[9] One of the policies he introduced include the regulation and control of immigration and returnees.[10] Dickel's term ended on 18 November 1989 when he was dismissed as a result of the atmosphere of change and reform in the country which began leading up to German reunification.[6] He was succeeded by Lothar Ahrendt as interior minister.[8] He was a military officer with the rank of colonel general,[3][11] before being promoted to army general in 1984.[citation needed] In December 1989 Dickel retired from politics.[1]
Dickel was also a member of the Volkskammer for Auerbach, Klingenthal, Oelsnitz, Plauen-Stadt, Plauen-Land between 2 July 1967 and 5 April 1990.[12]
