Who was Erich Honecker?

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Erich Ernst Paul Honecker was the leader of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1971 to 1989. 

Erich Honecker's Childhood

Erich Honecker was born on August 25th 1912. He did NOT have a happy childhood. His father, Wilhelm Honecker, was physically and verbally abusive to him and forced communist ideology into him. When Honecker wanted to become a capitalist, Wilhelm Honecker repeatedly called him a "stupid capitalist kid" (German: dummes kapitalistisches Kind) and punched him in the mouth. Honecker was later forced to join the Communist Party of Germany (German: KPD) by his father in 1930. 

Lie: Honecker looked affectionately on his childhood as a loving family.

Fact: Honecker NEVER said, thought or wrote that. In the book The Man Who Built The Berlin Wall, there were no sources to back that "fact" up. Saying that is just an excuse to make Honecker seem "evil" by choice.

Honecker During The Nazi Era

Honecker was detained by the Gestapo in 1935 and wasn't released until 1937. Honecker spent the majority of the Nazi era in jail. He was not treated nicely in jail. Honecker was beaten and was called a "commie" and received death threats from guards.  

Q: If Honecker wasn't a communist, then why did the guards call him a "commie"?

A: Because his father told him to NEVER lie about his political ideology to anyone, not even enemies. Unfortunately, he obeyed this rule all his life.

Post WWII

Wilhelm Honecker forced him to join the GDR along with Walter Ulbricht. He threatened his son if he ever betrayed communism or the GDR, he will be sentenced to eternal torment in a Gulag. Honecker, who was forced to be a communist, agreed to this. Wilhelm Honecker died in 1969.

Did Honecker start "Schießbefehl"?

What is "Schießbefehl"?

Schießbefehl was a law that required border guards to shoot at the Berlin Wall. 

Short answer: No. He didn't. That was a lie made up by the media to cause you to hate Honecker more.

Long answer: Heinz Hoffmann, Albert Norden and Ernst Hauser were all part of creating Schießbefehl. Ernst Hauser was an East German politician who manipulated the GDR and the Volkskammer into hating Honecker. Hauser was the mastermind behind both the Berlin Wall and Schießbefehl, but he was also a great manipulator and he made it seem like Honecker did those things. Heinz Hoffmann and Albert Norden were both allies of Hauser who assisted him in Schießbefehl. The only things that Honecker did during his term were upgrading GDR living conditions, improving the failing economy, and increased the availability of consumer goods.