Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) was the governing party of East Germany (GDR) between 1946 and the elections in 1990. It was created from a Soviet-influenced merger between the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the GDR and the Communist Party of Germany.
An SED Membership Card
Before the elections in 1990, the old Social Democratic Party was re-established as a separate party while the rump SED was renamed to Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). In this form, the party survived the reunification and managed to get representatives elected to the Bundestag.
