Order of Karl Marx

The Order of Karl Marx (German: Karl-Marx-Orden) was the most important order, even endowed with 20,000 marks, in the former East Germany.

The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of Karl Marx's 135th birthday and on the recommedation of the Minister Council. It was granted to individuals, enterprises, organizations, and armed force groups for "exceptional merit" in relation to ideology, culture, the economy, and other designations.

Additionally, individuals from other countries were capable of receiving the order.

Recipients of the Order

1953: Otto Grotewohl, Hermann Matern, Wilhelm Pieck, Wilhelm Zaisser
1961: Alfred Kurella
1962: Franz Dahlem, Herbert Warnke, Otto Winzer
1963: Willy Rumpf, Karl Maron
1965: Paul Fröhlich
1967: Karl Mewis, Wilhelm Kling
1968: Roman Chwalek, Kurt Seibt, Max Burghardt
1969: Lotte Ulbricht, Erich Honecker, Jürgen Kuczynski, Hermann Matern, Albert Norden, Willi Stoph, Paul Verner,
1970: Heinz Hoffmann, Erich Mückenberger, Erwin Kramer, Bruno Apitz, Harry Tisch, Otto Braun, Max Burghardt
1972: Klaus Gysi, Kurt Hager, Max Fechner, Erich Honecker, Max Spangenberg
1973: Ernst Albert Altenkirch, Friedrich Dickel, Ernst Goldenbaum, Erich Mielke, Fred Oelßner
1974: Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, Willi Stoph, Markus Wolf, Walter Arnold, Jurij Brězan, Fritz Cremer
1975: Horst Sindermann, Paul Wandel
1976: Luise Ermisch, Wolfgang Junker, Günter Mittag, Werner Walde, Ernst Scholz, Paul Verner
1977: Hilde Benjamin, Kurt Hager, Erich Honecker, Margot Honecker, Erich Mielke
1978: Werner Felfe, Hans Modrow, Joachim Herrmann, Elli Schmidt, Werner Krolikowski, Konrad Naumann
1979: Horst Dohlus, Johannes Chemnitzer, Gerhard Grüneberg, Heinz Keßler, Peter Edel
1980: Heinz Hoffmann, Alfred Lemmnitz, Siegfried Lorenz
1981: Erwin Geschonneck, Peter Florin, Albert Norden, Paul Gerhard Schürer
1982: Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, Kurt Hager, Erich Honecker, Erich Mielke, Paul Scholz
1983: Lotte Ulbricht, Gerhard Beil, Friedrich Dickel, Egon Krenz, Oskar Fischer, Theo Balden
1984: Alfred Neumann, Willi Stoph, Sixth Fleet of the People's Navy
1985: Horst Dohlus, Friedrich Dickel, Heinz Hoffmann, Erich Honecker, Bruno Lietz, Erich Mückenberger
1986: Heinrich Adameck, Günter Mittag, Gisela Glende
1987: Hilde Benjamin, Margot Honecker, Werner Jarowinsky, Erich Mielke, Markus Wolf
1988: Manfred Gerlach, Joachim Herrmann, Kurt Seibt, Nicolae Ceauşescu
1989: Günter Schabowski, Willi Stoph, Günther Wyschofsky, Herbert Weiz