Walter Ulbricht

German communist politician. He played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later (spending the years of Nazi rule in exile in the Soviet Union) in the early development and establishment of East Germany (the German Democratic Republic). He was first secretary of the Socialist Unity Party, and as such the de facto leader of East Germany, from 1950 to 1971. From President Wilhelm Pieck's death in 1960 he was the East German head of state until his own death on 1 August 1973.

Ulbricht's difficult relationship with Leonid Brezhnev, combined with his unwillingness to seek a rapprochement with West Germany, proved to be his eventual undoing. On 3 May 1971 Ulbricht was forced to resign from virtually all of his public functions 'due to reasons of poor health' and was replaced – with the consent of the Soviets – by Erich Honecker. He was allowed to remain head of state as Chairman of the Council of State.

Ulbricht was probably the most hated figure of the East German communist goverment and responsible for the building of the Berlin Wall after 13 August 1961.