ABSTRACT
Before the new line on the nation could be introduced, one obstacle remained, namely Walter Ulbricht, who had publicly adhered to the unity of the German nation for over 20 years. The 14th plenum of the Central Committee in December 1970 was the first of four which dealt with the preparations for the Eighth Party Congress where the official line on the nation was unambiguously altered. The most significant aspect of the 14th plenum was the reaction of the rest of the politburo to Ulbricht’s closing remarks. Suddenly it was not only Ulbricht’s long-held convictions that were being overturned - he was now also fighting for his political life. Throughout May and June, a commission was working on Honecker’s report for the forthcoming Party Congress. Politburo member Hermann Axen, a firm believer in a class-based definition of the nation, was responsible for the section on the national question, according to his personal adviser, Manfred Uschner.
