Table of Contents
What were the main reasons for the failure of the GDR?
The GDR was experiencing an overwhelming financial crisis. Moreover, the refusal to pursue perestroika and glasnost was not well-received by the people. In early 1989, these socio-economic factors caused the people of East Germany to flee to the West, a movement that the East German regime was powerless to prevent.
How many political parties were there in the GDR?
Four of the deputy chairmen of the Council of State represented the other four political parties, as did four of its seventeen members.
What was the brain drain that occurred in the GDR?
The brain drain: throughout the 1950s thousands of East Germans had fled to the West through Berlin, leaving behind the harsh political climate and economic hardship of life under communism.
Did the GDR have elections?
General elections were held in East Germany on 15 October 1950. They were the first held since the founding of the country on 7 October 1949. There were 466 deputies in the Volkskammer, including 66 from East Berlin who were not directly elected.
What type of government did East Germany have during the Cold War?
East Germany had a command economy, in which virtually all decisions were made by the governing communist party, the Socialist Unity Party (SED). The system of planning was inflexible and eventually caused ruinous economic conditions.
Why did the East German government decide that the only answer was to build a wall?
The Eastern Bloc claimed that the Wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany.
How did communism start in East Germany?
It was created in 1946 through the Soviet-directed merger of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in the Soviet-controlled zone. However, the SED quickly transformed into a full-fledged Communist party as the more independent-minded Social Democrats were pushed out.
What type of government did East Germany have after ww2?
The German Democratic Republic, or GDR, also simply known as East Germany, was founded as a second German state on October 7, 1949 — four years after the end of World War II. The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), or more commonly known as West Germany, was founded just four months prior.
What was East Germany’s economy like?
The East German economy was dominated by consumer-goods manufacturers, and depended on raw materials and intermediate goods found exclusively in the West. East Germany had virtually no hard coal deposits, and only half of the fuel demand could be met domestically.
Who controlled the GDR?
The Soviets
The Soviets responded by forming the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to govern their occupation zone. The United States refused to recognize the GDR until 1974. The GDR was absorbed by the FRG in 1990 when Germany reunified.
How did East Germany became communist?
1949 establishment The ruling communist party, known as the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), formed in April 1946 from the merger between the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Why did communism fail as an economic and political system in East Germany?
First, domestic problems inherent in the ineffectual East German social, economic and political systems contributed to the communists’ fall from power. Second, the successful West German penetration into East Germany gave the East Germans aspirations towards another political, social and economical model.
How did communism fall in East Germany?
It was on 9 November 1989, five days after half a million people gathered in East Berlin in a mass protest, that the Berlin Wall dividing communist East Germany from West Germany crumbled. East German leaders had tried to calm mounting protests by loosening the borders, making travel easier for East Germans.
Was East Germany communist or democratic?
East Germany’s political and economic system reflected its status as a part of the Eastern Bloc of Soviet-allied Communist countries, with the nation ruled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and operating with a command economy for 41 years until 3 October 1990 when East and West Germany were unified with …
What happened to the opposition in the GDR?
The year 1976 turned out to be a crucial one for the opposition in the GDR. A dramatic incident awoke a new wave of resistance. In protest against the atheist education of the country’s youth and their oppression by the SED, a priest took to drastic measures. He set himself on fire and later died of his injuries.
What is political repression in sociology?
Political repression is the act of a state entity controlling a citizenry by force for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing the citizenry’s ability to take part in the political life of a society, thereby reducing their standing among their fellow citizens.
What did the GDR do to the SED?
The Government of the GDR even took refuge to the Soviet Headquarters. Then, the Soviet Representatives had enough and sent in the military. The troops quickly suppressed the uprising by brutal force and restored the SED Order.
What happened in the GDR during WW2?
In the larger cities, such as Dresden, Leipzig, and East-Berlin, large strikes took place and workers assembled for protest marches. The Government of the GDR even took refuge to the Soviet Headquarters. Then, the Soviet Representatives had enough and sent in the military.