Order of Karl Marx

The Order of Karl Marx (Karl-Marx-Orden) was the most important order in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Award of the order also included a prize of 20,000 East German marks.

The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of Karl Marx's 135th birthday and on the recommendation of the GDR Council of Ministers. It was granted to individuals, enterprises, organizations, and military groups for exceptional merit in relation to ideology, culture, economy, and other designations. Additionally, citizens of other countries could also be awarded the order.

Recipients of the Order

 * 1953: Otto Grotewohl, Luise Kähler, 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: John Heartfield, 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, Josip Broz Tito
 * 1975: Horst Sindermann, Paul Wandel, Aleksandr Vasilevsky
 * 1976: Luise Ermisch, Wolfgang Junker, Günter Mittag, Werner Walde, Ernst Scholz, Paul Verner
 * 1977: Hilde Benjamin, Klaus Gysi, Kurt Hager, Erich Honecker, Margot Honecker, Erich Mielke, Josip Broz Tito
 * 1978: Werner Felfe, Hans Modrow, Joachim Herrmann, Elli Schmidt, Werner Krolikowski, Konrad Naumann
 * 1979: Horst Dohlus, Johannes Chemnitzer, Gerhard Grüneberg, Heinz Keßler, Peter Edel, Klaus Fuchs
 * 1980: Heinz Hoffmann, Alfred Lemmnitz, Siegfried Lorenz
 * 1981: Erwin Geschonneck, Peter Florin, Albert Norden, 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, Wilhelm Ehm, Gustáv Husák
 * 1984: Alfred Neumann, Willi Stoph, 6th Flotilla of the East German 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