Rainer Eppelmann
Rainer Eppelmann | |
|---|---|
 Eppelmann in 2008 | |
| Minister for Disarmament and Defence of East Germany | |
| In office 12 April 1990 – 2 October 1990 | |
| Minister-President | Lothar de Maizière |
| Preceded by | Theodor Hoffmann(asMinisters of Defence) |
| Succeeded by | Gerhard Stoltenberg(asMinisters of Defence) |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 5 February 1990 – 12 April 1990 Serving withTatjana Böhm,Sebastian Pflugbeil, Gerd Poppe,Walter Romberg,Klaus Schlüter,Wolfgang Ullmann,Matthias Platzeck | |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers | Hans Modrow |
| Preceded by | Position abolished |
| Succeeded by | Position established |
| Memberof theBundestag forBrandenburg (Fürstenwalde – Strausberg – Seelow; 1990–1994) | |
| In office 10 November 1994–18 October 2005 | |
| Preceded by | multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | multi-member district |
| In office 20 December 1990–10 November 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Mathias Schubert |
| Member of theVolkskammer forBerlin | |
| In office 5 April 1990– 2 October 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 February 1943 Berlin,Nazi Germany(nowGermany) |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union(1990–) |
| Other political affiliations | Christian Democratic Union (East)(1990) Democratic Beginning(1989–1990) |
| Spouse |
Eva-Maria Strauth
(m.1969;div.1988) |
| Children | 5 |
| Residence | Berlin |
| Alma mater | Paulinum |
| Signature |  |
Rainer Eppelmann() (born 12 February 1943 inBerlin), is a German politician. Known for his opposition in theGerman Democratic Republic,he became Minister for Disarmament and Defense in thelast cabinet.He is now a member of theCDU.
Early life and education
[edit]The erection of theBerlin Wallforced him to drop out of the school he had attended inWest Berlinin 1961 and he was forbidden from taking his Abitur exams in the East for refusing to join theFree German Youthmovement.
He then worked as an assistant to a roofer before doing a job training for bricklayer. He is a pacifist.[1]In 1966, for refusing both regular service andBausoldat(construction soldier in theNational People's Army), he was brutally beaten and arrested by theStasi,and put into prison for eight months where he was starved, tortured, abused and interrogated.
Later, he studiedTheologyat the theological school inBerlin,an education he completed in 1974 with two exams. He then worked as aLutheranpastor in at Samariterkirche inBerlin-Friedrichshainand took part in the opposition,[2]such as being the editor ofsamizdat publicationswithThomas Welz.It has been claimed that during this period Eppelmann had contact with theCIA.[3][4]
Political career
[edit]In 1990, Eppelmann was one of the founding fathers of theDemocratic Awakening,becoming its president. Thus, he took an active part in the round table of 1990, preparing theGerman reunification.From 18 March 1990 to 2 October 1990 (when it ceased to exist) he was a member of theVolkskammer.He wasMinister for Disarmament and Defence of East Germanyin the cabinet ofHans Modrowand later in the one ofLothar de Maizière.When theDemocratic Awakeningjoined theChristian Democratic Unionin August 1990, Eppelmann became a member and, later, the assisting chairman of the worker's division of the CDU, the CDA.
He was a member of theBundestagfrom1990to2005for theChristian Democratic Union.Then, he was chairman of thecommissionthat coped with the history of theGerman Democratic Republic.
Eppelmann's trademark is his "Berliner Schnauze", anidiomthat is supposed to bring him close to the people ofBerlin.
Personal life
[edit]Eppelmann is married and has five children. In April 2023, he was one of the 22 guests at the ceremony in which formerChancellorAngela Merkelwas decorated with theGrand Cross of the Order of Meritfor special achievement byPresidentFrank-Walter SteinmeieratSchloss Bellevuein Berlin.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Rainer Eppelmann".Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved9 August2015.
- ^Samariterkirche: Mourning and Protest in the Samariterkirche.In:Sites of Unity(Haus der Geschichte), 2022.
- ^Paragraph 6 of "DDR-Opposition bis 1989"
- ^Middle of "Ein Blick zurück"Archived2006-12-06 at theWayback Machine
- ^Kati Degenhardt (17 April 2023),Merkels emotionaler Dank: "Er hatte Vieles auszuhalten"T-Online.
Both retrieved January 2, 2007
External links
[edit]- http:// dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/EppelmannRainer/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070702070013/http:// bundestag.de/mdb/mdb15/bio/E/eppelra0.html
- 1943 births
- Living people
- People from East Berlin
- East German dissidents
- Lutheran pacifists
- Members of the Bundestag for Brandenburg
- Members of the Bundestag 2002–2005
- Members of the Bundestag 1998–2002
- Members of the Bundestag 1994–1998
- Members of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany
- Ministers of National Defence (East Germany)
- Members of the 10th Volkskammer
- German reunification
- Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Prisoners and detainees of East Germany