Deutsche Bauernpartei (DBD - German Farmers Party)
The party was founded on 17/6/1948. However from 1953, the founding date was no longer celebrated as an anniversary. The founding of the DBD was an attempt of the SED to weaken the influence of the CDU and LDPD in the farming community by establishing a party which was loyal to the SED. The leadership cadre came mainly from the ranks of the SED. After an independent policy of the DBD was halted by the cadre policy controlled by the SED and the SMAD, the conformation with the SED was more or less finalised by the end of 1952. Consequently, the DBD took over the party policies of the SED in 1963.
In 1951 the party had more than 80,000 members, in 1988 it was around 122,000. Only in the autumn of 1989, did the DBD distance itself from the SED and between November 1989 and March 1990, they held the position of President of the People's Chamber in form of their chairman Günter Maleuda. On 25/6/1990 the board of the party recommended to the members of the DBD to join the CDU which resulted in around 20,000 members changing to the CDU. The formal unification with the CDU then followed on 15/9/1990.
