Lothar de Maizière facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lothar de Maizière
de Maizière after the 1990 East German general election
Minister for Special Affairs
In office 3 October 1990 – 17 December 1990 Serving with Rudolf Seiters, Hans Klein, Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, Günther Krause, Rainer Ortleb, Hansjoachim Walther
Chancellor	Helmut Kohl
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister-President of East Germany
In office 12 April 1990 – 2 October 1990
Head of state	Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (interim)
Deputy	Peter-Michael Diestel
Preceded by	Hans Modrow (as Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
Succeeded by	Helmut Kohl (as Chancellor of Germany)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
In office 20 August 1990 – 2 October 1990
Minister-President	himself
Preceded by	Markus Meckel
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Modrow Government Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers In office 18 November 1989 – 12 April 1990 Serving with Christa Luft, Peter Moreth Chairman Hans Modrow Preceded by Günther Kleiber Alfred Neumann Succeeded by Peter-Michael Diestel (Deputy Minister-President) Minister for Church Affairs In office 18 November 1989 – 12 April 1990 Chairman of the Council of Ministers Hans Modrow Preceded by Kurt Löffler (as State Secretary) Succeeded by Position abolished
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Bundestag for Brandenburg (Volkskammer; 1990) In office 3 October 1990 – 15 October 1991 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Else Ackermann Member of the Volkskammer for Berlin In office 5 April 1990 – 2 October 1990 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	(1940-03-02) 2 March 1940 (age 85) Nordhausen, Province of Saxony, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany (now Thuringia, Germany)
Political party	Christian Democratic Union (1990–present)
Other political affiliations	Christian Democratic Union (East Germany) (1956–1990)
Children	3
Residence	Berlin
Alma mater	Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin Humboldt University of Berlin
Occupation	Politician Lawyer Musician
Signature
Other offices held 1990–1991: Deputy Chairman, Christian Democratic Union 1990–1991: Chairman, Christian Democratic Union of Brandenburg 1989–1990: Chairman, Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)
Leader of East Germany ← Modrow None (last holder)

Lothar de Maizière (born 2 March 1940) is a German former politician. In 1990, he led the first and only government in East Germany that was chosen by the people in a free election. He held this important job during the last few months before East and West Germany became one country again. After Germany was reunified, he served briefly as a minister in the new German government.

Who is Lothar de Maizière?

Lothar de Maizière was a key figure in the peaceful process of German reunification in 1990. He was a member of the Christian Democratic Union party, which is a political group that believes in Christian values and a free market economy. His work helped bring an end to the division of Germany that had lasted for over 40 years.

His Family and Early Life

Lothar de Maizière comes from a Huguenot family. Huguenots were French Protestants who had to leave France in the late 1600s to find safety in Prussia (part of modern-day Germany). His family kept their French traditions for many years. His father, Clement de Maizière, was a lawyer.

Lothar de Maizière was born in Nordhausen, Thuringia. He went to a very old school in Berlin called the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster. After school, he studied to play the viola at the Hanns Eisler College of Music in East Berlin from 1959 to 1965. He even played in the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Later, he studied law by taking classes from a distance through the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Becoming a Politician

Lothar de Maizière was a long-time member of the East German Christian Democratic Union party. This party was different from the main Communist party that ruled East Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, he helped remove the party's old leaders who had supported the Communist government. He became the chairman of his party in November 1989.

In 1990, East Germany held its first and only free election. Lothar de Maizière's party and its allies won this election, and he was chosen to be a member of the Volkskammer (East Germany's parliament).

Leading East Germany to Unity

One month after the election, on 12 April 1990, Lothar de Maizière became the Minister-President (like a prime minister) of East Germany. He led the government until 2 October 1990. His main goal was to quickly reunite East and West Germany.

He signed the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany. This treaty was a very important agreement that ended the special rights and duties that the World War II Allies (like the USA, UK, France, and Soviet Union) had in Berlin and Germany. This treaty paved the way for Germany to become one country again. On 3 October 1990, East Germany officially joined the Federal Republic of Germany.

After Reunification

After Germany was reunified, Lothar de Maizière was appointed as a Minister for Special Affairs in the government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl. However, he resigned from this position on 17 December 1990. This happened after questions arose about some of his past activities.

See also

In Spanish: Lothar de Maizière para niños