Who was the leader of East Germany (GDR) from 1971 to 1989, known for an authoritarian regime, whose departure followed protests and loss of Soviet support?

• A. Willy Brandt
• B. Erich Mielke
• C. Erich Honecker
• D. Vladimir Putin

Answer: (C)

Erich Honecker led East Germany from 1971 to 1989, guiding a tightly controlled, one-party state that used the Stasi to suppress dissent and maintain the regime. His tenure ended as widespread protests swept the country and the Soviet Union, under Mikhail Gorbachev, withdrew its backing for hard-line controls. That combination—domestic unrest plus reduced Soviet support—forced Honecker to resign, signaling the collapse of the regime that had kept East Germany under strict authoritarian rule.

Willy Brandt was a West German leader, not of the GDR. Erich Mielke ran the Stasi—the security service—yet he did not serve as the head of state. Vladimir Putin is a later Russian leader and not connected to East Germany’s government in that period.