Oskar Fischer (politician)

Oskar Fischer (19 March 1923 – 2 April 2020) was a German politician of the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED) who served as minister of foreign affairs of the German Democratic Republic from 1975 to 1990. He previously worked in the secretariat of the central committee of the communist party, and became a member of the SED central committee in 1971.

For people with the same name, see Oskar Fischer (disambiguation).

Oskar Fischer
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the German Democratic Republic
In office
3 March 1975 – 12 April 1990
Prime Minister
Preceded byOtto Winzer
Succeeded byMarkus Meckel
Personal details
Born(1923-03-19)19 March 1923
Aš, Czechoslovak Republic
Died2 April 2020(2020-04-02) (aged 97)
Berlin, Germany
NationalityGerman
Political partySocialist Unity Party of Germany

Early life

Fischer was born in 1923.[1] He joined the German army and fought in World War II as a soldier.[1] He was arrested and detained by the Soviets for two years in 1944.[1]

Career

Following his release Fischer joined the communist youth organization Free German Youth in East Germany and studied social sciences in Moscow.[2][3] He served as East Germany's ambassador to Bulgaria for four years between 1955 and 1959.[2][4] He was deputy minister of foreign affairs from 1965 to 1975.[4][5] He was named as a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party in 1971.[4][6] He was appointed as minister of foreign affairs on 3 March 1975.[7] Fischer replaced Otto Winzer in the post, who had been removed from office due to ill health.[6]

Fischer was the first member of the East German cabinet to visit Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1978.[8] In September 1980 he signed a treaty of cooperation with the Palestine Liberation Organization in East Berlin.[9] Fischer also officially visited a number of European states, including Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands.[10] Fischer's tenure lasted until 12 April 1990,[11] and he was succeeded by Markus Meckel in the post.[3]

Later years and death

Following the fall of communism, Fischer led a private life from 1990 and declined all interview requests. In 2000, Fischer briefly served as one of several informal advisors to Gabi Zimmer.[12] He published a book about the East German foreign policy in 2007.[13]

He died in Berlin on 2 April 2020, aged 97.[13][14]

References
  1. Wolfgang Hübner (3 April 2020). "Ein stiller Diplomat". nd-aktuell (in German). Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  2. "Langjähriger DDR-Aussenminister Oskar Fischer gestorben". SWI (in German). 3 April 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  3. "Ehemaliger Aussenminister Oskar Fischer stirbt mit 97". SRF (in German). 3 April 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  4. "Oskar Fischer". Der Spiegel. 27 January 1975. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  5. "Treaty between the Polish People's Republic and the German Democratic Republic concerning the delimitation of the continental shelf in the Baltic Sea" (PDF). UN. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  6. "E. German Post Goes to Fischer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Berlin. NYT. 21 January 1975. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  7. "Die Tätigkeit der "Gruppe Ulbricht" in Berlin von April bis Juni 1945" German Federal Archives. Retrieved 4 September 2012 (in German)
  8. "Pope meets East German, Names Aide". The Milwaukee Journal. The Vatican City. 29 January 1979. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  9. Friedo Sachser (1982). "German Democratic Republic". American Jewish Year Book. 82: 227. JSTOR 23604095.
  10. Christa Lang-Pfaff (1998). "The changing political language of Germany". In Ofer Feldman; Christ'l De Landtsheer (eds.). Politically Speaking: A Worldwide Examination of Language Used in the Public Sphere. Westport, CT; London: Praeger. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-275-96122-0.
  11. Monika Zimmermann, ed. (1994). "Was macht eigentlich. Oscar Fischer". Was macht eigentlich ...? (in German). Berlin: Ch. Links Verlag. p. 65. ISBN 978-3-86153-064-0.
  12. "Zimmers Altkader". Der Spiegel. 2 July 2001. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  13. "Langjähriger DDR-Außenminister Fischer ist tot". T-Online (in German). 3 April 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  14. Langjähriger DDR-Außenminister Oskar Fischer gestorbenArchived 3 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine(in German)
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