[1] Balkow continued his education in East Germany where he graduated from Leipzig University receiving a degree in economics in 1949.
[1] He was part of the Anton Saefkow resistance group in Berlin during the Nazi rule and also, worked as an engineer in Siemens company.
[3] He joined the SED, founding and ruling party of East Germany, and served as its district secretary in Teltow between 1946 and 1947.
[5] Balkow was named as the deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers in charge of foreign trade in March 1965, succeeding Bruno Leuschner.
[5][6] He was invited to visit the Hanover Fair in Spring 1966, but the West German authorities did not grant him an entry visa due to the objections of the Federal Government.