and the Ideology committee of the Politburo. In 1958 he became a member of the Public Chamber and 1967 was made chairman of the Public Education Committee. He was also between 1976-1989 a Member of the Council of State and between 1979-1989 a member of the National Defense Council. In the SED-Politbüro Hager was "Chefideologe" and ultimately responsible for culture. In speeches and writings Hager denied the existence of a single German cultural nation and a common German history. In 1987, in an interview with the German magazine Stern about the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union, Hager gave the answer: "Would you, if your neighbor repapers his apartment, feel like you should also repaper your apartment?". This rejection of the policy of glasnost and perestroika of the Soviet military power met an angry reception both in the party base, as well as in the population of the GDR. Wolf Biermann titled Hager - probably due to this occasion, in his song "The Ballad of the corrupt old men" scornfully as "Professor Tapeten-Kutte". In a spontaneous encounter with GDR-journalists - when they came into his residence, the "Wachobjekt Wandlitz", for the first time - Hager said he was placed there against his will at the climax of the Cold War. It had "bent the decisions of the party," said Hager in the presence of his wife. Wandlitz, which after 1989 became the epitome of the duplicity of DDR-Oberen made a name for himself had he described as its seventh internment camp, in which he had come. In November 1989 Hager was removed from his functions, and in 1990 expelled from the SED-PDS. Hager won numerous awards. He received 1956 Hans-Beimler-Medaille, 1962 Banner of Labor, 1964 Vaterländischer Verdienstorden, 1969 entitled Hero of Labour, as well as 1972, 1977 and 1982 Order of Karl Marx. His daughter Nina Hager, joined somewhat in the footsteps of her father. She is vice chairman of the German Communist Party (DKP), a member of the National Executive and there are other positions. Hager died in Berlin in 1998. His grave is located on the Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde. References 1912 births 1998 deaths People from Bietigheim-Bissingen People from the Kingdom of Württemberg Communist Party of Germany politicians Members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany German Communist Party politicians Members of the State Council of East Germany Members of