EAST GERMANY: The Last Cold Warrior

As East and West have moved toward détente, the symbols of the cold war have gradually disappeared. So have the cold warriors. The last of them was Walter Ulbricht, who died last week of heart failure at age 80 near East Berlin, from where he had ruled East Germany for a quarter-century. So ruthless was he in keeping the 17 million East Germans firmly in the Soviet camp that he was probably the most hated Communist Party leader in the world.

From April 30, 1945, when he returned to Germany from the Soviet Union...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!