Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Goodwill) (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended				6 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Jun. 20, 2014 Acquisition Alstom [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Acquisition Cameron's Reciprocating Compression Div [Member]	Feb. 12, 2014 Acquisition API Healthcare [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Acquisition API Healthcare [Member]	Mar. 21, 2014 Acquisition ThermoFisher Scientific Inc [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Acquisition ThermoFisher Scientific Inc [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Power And Water [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Power And Water [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Oil And Gas [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Oil And Gas [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Energy Management [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Energy Management [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Aviation [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Aviation [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Healthcare [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Healthcare [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Transportation [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Transportation [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Appliances And Lighting [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Appliances And Lighting [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 GE Capital [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 GE Capital [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Corporate Items And Eliminations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Corporate Items And Eliminations [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Estimated Purchase Price to Aquire Business, Net of Cash Acquired				$ 13,500,000,000
Estimated Cash from Acquisition				3,400,000,000
Anticipated Third Party Investment In Joint Venture				3,500,000,000
Goodwill	79,017,000,000		77,648,000,000		230,000,000					8,847,000,000	8,822,000,000	10,845,000,000	10,516,000,000	4,792,000,000	4,748,000,000	9,195,000,000	9,103,000,000	17,656,000,000	16,643,000,000	991,000,000	1,012,000,000	607,000,000	606,000,000	26,047,000,000	26,195,000,000	37,000,000	3,000,000
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Net of Cash Acquired	2,066,000,000	(6,187,000,000)			550,000,000	340,000,000		1,065,000,000
Increase (Decrease) in Intangible Assets, Current	832,000,000				100,000,000		125,000,000		300,000,000
Intangible assets subject to amortization	14,663,000,000		14,150,000,000
Indefinite-lived intangible assets	135,000,000		160,000,000
Total	14,798,000,000		14,310,000,000
Acquisitions	1,301,000,000						275,000,000			0		251,000,000		0		0		1,016,000,000		1,000,000		0		0		33,000,000
Dispositions, currency exchange and other	68,000,000									25,000,000		78,000,000		44,000,000		92,000,000		(3,000,000)		(22,000,000)		1,000,000		(148,000,000)		1,000,000
Goodwill, period increase (decrease)	$ 1,369,000,000								$ 710,000,000