Socialist Unity Party of Germany

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, or SED) was the governing party of East Germany from its formation in 1949 until the elections of 1990. The SED was created in 1946 from a Soviet-influenced merger between the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) members and the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) members who lived in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany and the Soviet-occupied sector of Berlin. After 1990, the party reformed itself as the Party of Democratic Socialism, and continues to be a notable force in German government on the state and local levels in former East German territory.

The Final Days

Before the elections in 1990, the old Social Democratic Party was re-established as a separate party while the rump of the SED that remained after a massive plunge in membership was renamed to Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). In this form, the party survived the reunification and eventually started growing again, managing to get representatives elected to the Bundestag. As of 2003, the PDS remains influential in Eastern areas of Germany, especially at local levels. In 2005, the PDS was renamed to "Die Linkspartei" (the left party) and subsequently reached more than 8% in the Bundestag elections.

Related Topics:
1990 - Party of Democratic Socialism - Bundestag - 2003 - 2005

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