There are many studies about Konrad Adenauer, the founding father of the Federal Republic, as well as a famous two-volume biography. But until now there has been nothing comparable on Adenauer’s counterpart in East Germany. Walter Ulbricht is just as influential a figure, however, when it comes to the history of Germany in the 20th century. Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk describes the rise of this tailor’s son, born in Leipzig at the turn of the century, to become the leader of the German Communist Party, the founder of the GDR and, in 1961, the man behind the building of the Berlin Wall. Kowalczuk not only reveals new aspects of Ulbricht in his official role, but also paints a novel portrait of Ulbricht the man. He explains Ulbricht in the context of his time, rather than writing about him in hindsight. The first volume looks at the period leading up to 1945, when the ‘Ulbricht Group’ was sent to Berlin, and includes Ulbricht’s rise through the ranks of the labour movement, the struggle of the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) within and against the Weimar Republic, and Ulbricht’s resistance to Nazism and exile in Prague, Paris and Moscow. Understanding this background makes it far easier to understand what motivated Ulbricht after 1945, and how the GDR became what it was.

• ‘Walter Ulbricht was one of the most important German politicians of the 20th century.’ - Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk

• The 50th anniversary of Ulbricht’s death fell on 1 August 2023

• The first comprehensive academic biography of Walter Ulbricht • The 20th century from the perspective of a communist

• Based on extensive archival research

• Many sources analysed for the first time

• Written in a very accessible style

• By one of the leading scholars of the history of German communism and the GDR