# Peter Florin

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East German politician and diplomat

Peter Florin Florin (left) and Kurt Waldheim, 1973 President of the United Nations General Assembly In office 1987–1988 Preceded by Humayun Rashid Choudhury Succeeded by Dante Caputo East German Ambassador to the United Nations In office 1973–1982 Preceded by Horst Grunert Succeeded by Harry Ott East German Ambassador to Czechoslovakia In office 1967–1969 Preceded by Heinz Willmann Succeeded by Herbert Krolikowski Head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee In office 1953–1966 Secretary Walter Ulbricht Hermann Axen Preceded by Grete Keilson Succeeded by Paul Markowski Volkskammer Member of the Volkskammer for Dresden-Süd, Dresden-West, Dresden-Mitte In office 19 November 1954 – 5 April 1990 Preceded by Multi-member district Succeeded by Constituency abolished Personal details Born (1921-10-02)2 October 1921 Cologne, Rhine Province, Free State of Prussia, Weimar Republic (now North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) Died 17 February 2014(2014-02-17) (aged 92) Berlin, Germany Party Socialist Unity Party (1946–1989) Other political affiliations Communist Party of Germany (1945–1946) Parent Wilhelm Florin (father) Alma mater D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology (Dipl.-Ing.) Occupation Diplomat Party Functionary Awards Order of the Red Star Patriotic Order of Merit, 1st class Medal for Fighters Against Fascism Banner of Labor Order of the Patriotic War Order of Karl Marx Star of People's Friendship Hero of Labour Order of Karl Marx Military Service Allegiance Soviet Union Branch Red Army Service years 1941–1944 Conflicts Second World War Central institution membership 1958–1989: Full member, Central Committee 1954–1958: Candidate member, Central Committee Other offices held 1973–1989: Deputy Minister, Ministry for Foreign Affairs 1969–1973: State Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs 1949–1950: Deputy Head, International Relations Department of the Central Committee

**Peter Florin** (2 October 1921 – 17 February 2014) was an [East German](/source/East_Germany) politician and diplomat.

## Early life

Florin was born in [Cologne](/source/Cologne) on 2 October 1921.[1]

His father, [Wilhelm Florin](/source/Wilhelm_Florin) (1894–1944), was a leading figure in the pre-war [Communist Party of Germany](/source/Communist_Party_of_Germany).[2] and, between 1924 and 1933, a member of the [Reichstag (national parliament)](/source/Reichstag_(Weimar_Republic)).[3]

Florin left Germany with his parents in 1933, when [Adolf Hitler](/source/Adolf_Hitler) came to power and began persecuting [Communists](/source/Communism),[2] moving first to [France](/source/France) and then to the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union), where he attended the [Karl Liebknecht School](/source/Karl_Liebknecht_School). There, he studied [chemistry](/source/Chemistry) at the [D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology](/source/D._Mendeleev_University_of_Chemical_Technology_of_Russia).[1]

During the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War), he fought with the [Soviet partisans](/source/Soviet_partisans) in [Belarus](/source/Belarus). In 1944, Florin became editor of *Freies Deutschland*, a weekly anti-Nazi newspaper.[1] At the end of the war, he returned to Germany as a member of the [Ackermann Group](/source/Ulbricht_Group#Regional_groups), one of the regional groups sent to lay the groundwork for the [Soviet Military Administration in Germany](/source/Soviet_Military_Administration_in_Germany).[4]

## Career

Florin's official [Volkskammer](/source/Volkskammer) portrait, 1954

Following the war, Florin entered politics in the [German Democratic Republic](/source/German_Democratic_Republic) and served as vice-president of the regional parliament of [Wittenberg](/source/Wittenberg), while working as chief editor of the daily newspaper *Freiheit*. Then, from 1949 to 1952, he was an advisor for the East German ministry of foreign affairs. In 1953, he was promoted to the head of the [Department for International Relations](/source/Departments_of_the_SED_Central_Committee#International_Relations) of the [Socialist Unity Party of Germany](/source/Socialist_Unity_Party_of_Germany)'s central committee. From 1954 to 1971, he was a member of the country's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, which he presided over for a time.[1]

From 1967 to 1969, Florin was East Germany's ambassador to [Czechoslovakia](/source/Czechoslovakia).[1] He supported the Soviet crushing of the [Prague Spring](/source/Prague_Spring) uprising in 1968.[2] In 1969, he was named secretary of state and first deputy foreign minister.[1]

From 1973 to 1982, Florin was the German Democratic Republic's permanent representative to the [United Nations](/source/United_Nations). In 1982, he became president of the national commission for [UNESCO](/source/UNESCO) in East Germany. In 1987 and 1988, he presided over the forty-second session of the [United Nations General Assembly](/source/United_Nations_General_Assembly).[1]

## Personal life

Peter Florin was married, and had three children.[1] His wife Edel was, in the late 1980s, a professor of [Russian literature](/source/Russian_literature) at [Humboldt University](/source/Humboldt_University) in [East Berlin](/source/East_Berlin).[2]

Florin spoke fluent [German](/source/German_language), [Russian](/source/Russian_language) and [English](/source/English_language), and good [French](/source/French_language). During his presidency of the United Nations General Assembly, he was, according to the *New York Times*, "nicknamed 'Comrade [Glasnost](/source/Glasnost)' by delegates, who s[aw] him as him a symbol of the modern Communist of the [Gorbachev](/source/Mikhail_Gorbachev) era."[2]

He died on 17 February 2014, aged 92.[5]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Biography_1-7) [Biography](https://www.un.org/french/ga/president/bios/bio42f.shtml) on the website of the United Nations

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-query.nytimes.com_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-query.nytimes.com_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-query.nytimes.com_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-query.nytimes.com_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-query.nytimes.com_2-4) ["MAN IN THE NEWS; A German In Charge: Peter Florin"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DE163FF931A1575AC0A961948260), *New York Times*, 22 September 1987

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BiographischeDatenbankenWF_3-0)** ["Florin, Wilhelm * 16.3.1894, † 5.7.1944"](http://www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de/wer-war-wer-in-der-ddr-%2363%3B-1424.html?ID=4292). Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur: Biographische Datenbanken. Retrieved 19 November 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-barch-list_4-0)** ["Namensliste der drei KPD-Einsatzgruppen vom 27. April 1945"](https://www.bundesarchiv.de/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/bilder_dokumente/00767/index-4.html.de) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141215110713/http://www.bundesarchiv.de/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/bilder_dokumente/00767/index-4.html.de) 2014-12-15 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) German Federal Archives. BArch NY 4036/517. Retrieved November 22, 2011 (in German)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-diewelt_5-0)** ["DDR-Diplomat Peter Florin gestorben (German)"](https://www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/regioline_nt/berlinbrandenburg_nt/article124946080/DDR-Diplomat-Peter-Florin-gestorben.html). *Die Welt*. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.

## External links

- Media related to [Peter Florin](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Peter_Florin) at Wikimedia Commons

- ["Forty-second General Assembly opens in hopeful atmosphere of increasing multilateral co-operation"](https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_/ai_6271989?tag=untagged), *UN Chronicle*, November 1987

Diplomatic posts Preceded by Humayun Rashid Choudhury President of the United Nations General Assembly 1987–1988 Succeeded by Dante Caputo

v t e Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly 1940s Spaak ( BEL) Aranha ( BRA) Arce ( ARG) Evatt ( AUS) Rómulo ( PHI) 1950s Entezam ( IRI) Nervo ( MEX) Pearson ( CAN) Pandit ( IND) Van Kleffens ( NED) Maza ( CHI) Ortega ( CHI) Wan ( THA) Munro ( NZL) C. Malik ( LIB) Belaúnde ( PER) 1960s Boland ( IRL) Slim ( TUN) Khan ( PAK) Rodriguez ( VEN) Quaison-Sackey ( GHA) Fanfani ( ITA) Pazhwak ( AFG) Mănescu ( ROM) Catalán ( GUA) Brooks ( LBR) 1970s Hambro ( NOR) A. Malik ( INA) Trepczyński ( POL) Benites ( ECU) Bouteflika ( ALG) Thorn ( LUX) Amerasinghe ( SRI) Mojsov ( YUG) Liévano ( COL) Salim ( TAN) 1980s Von Wechmar ( BRD) Kittani ( IRQ) Hollai ( HUN) Illueca ( PAN) Lusaka ( ZAM) Piniés ( ESP) Choudhury ( BAN) Florin ( DDR) Caputo ( ARG) Garba ( NGR) 1990s De Marco ( MLT) Shihabi ( KSA) Ganev ( BUL) Insanally ( GUY) Essy ( CIV) Freitas ( POR) Razali ( MAS) Udovenko ( UKR) Opertti ( URU) Gurirab ( NAM) 2000s Holkeri ( FIN) Han ( KOR) Kavan ( CZE) Hunte ( LCA) Ping ( GAB) Eliasson ( SWE) Al-Khalifa ( BAH) Kerim ( MKD) D'Escoto ( NIC) Treki ( LIB) 2010s Deiss ( SUI) Nasser ( QAT) Jeremić ( SRB) Ashe ( ANT) Kutesa ( UGA) Lykketoft ( DEN) Thomson ( FIJ) Lajčák ( SVK) Espinosa ( ECU) Muhammad-Bande ( NGA) 2020s Bozkir ( TUR) Shahid ( MDV) Kőrösi ( HUN) Francis ( TTO) Yang ( CMR) Baerbock ( DEU)

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