Consolidating power Flashcards
1
Q
Why was Khrushchev’s influence in the GDR limited?
A
Ulbricht did not act on his ideas, only played lip service
2
Q
What policy showed Khrushchev’s willing to offer concessions over Berlin?
A
Peaceful co-existence
3
Q
What did Khrushchev’s 1958 Ultimatum suggest?
A
Establishing Berlin as a free city - rejected
4
Q
What would have the signing of the 1959 Peace Treaty by USSR and GDR resulted in?
A
Recognition of GDR as an independent nation, ending possibility of reunification
5
Q
What did the Renewed Ultimatum 1961 show?
A
Khrushchev’s approval of the wall, shows his say was necessary
6
Q
Why was Khrushchev seen as ambiguous on the matter of the Berlin Wall?
A
He believed in peaceful coexistence and improved relations but was desperate to prove Soviet strength and Communist Superiority
7
Q
How did Khrushchev supply hope for peaceful coexistence? (3)
A
- Secret Speech
- discussion with Western leaders
- told Tito of Yugoslavia that there were alternative paths to Communism
8
Q
How did Khrushchev end hope for peaceful coexistence?
A
- argued a lot, causing tension
- gave countries like Burma economic aid to support Russia
- violently suppressed uprisings e.g. Hungary
9
Q
What were the 3 main factors causing the Berlin Wall?
A
- Emigration
- International tension (Cold War)
- Leaders (Ulbricht, Kennedy, Khrushchev)
10
Q
Why was emigration a factor causing the Berlin Wall?
A
Border needed to be closed to maintain a reliable workforce - threatened a 10% reduction
11
Q
Why was the Cold War a factor causing the Berlin Wall?
A
Wall was needed to stabilise relations to prevent nuclear war
12
Q
Why was Ulbricht a factor causing the Berlin Wall?
A
Originated the idea and harassed Khrushchev into agreement
13
Q
Why was Kennedy a factor causing the Berlin Wall?
A
Didn’t allow Berlin to exist as a free city, inflammatory July speech
14
Q
What was Operation Vermin (1952)?
A
Closure of the inner German border, creating a 5km restricted zone
15
Q
Who were border crossers and how many lived in the GDR?
A
- people who lived in the GDR but worked in West Berlin
- 50,000
16
Q
How were border crossers considered?
A
As politically unreliable due to exposure to the West
17
Q
What did FRG refer to GDR emigrants as?
A
Refugees - to present the GDR as an oppressive Government
18
Q
What were the push factors of the GDR? (3)
A
- unrealistic working hours
- high quotas
- unstable food supplies and consumer goods
19
Q
What were the pull factors of the FRG? (3)
A
- emigrants were entitled to citizenship and assistance
- material advantages
- economic miracle presented a shortage of labour
20
Q
What did Khrushchev demand in November 1958?
A
Withdrawal of Western troops from Berlin - refused
21
Q
What was Operation Rose and when did it occur?
A
- East German troops construct a barbed wire border and cut telephone communications
- 13th August 1961
22
Q
What were the economic difficulties in the GDR?
A
- Lack of essential natural resources
- USSR reparations
- Scorched earth policy
- Economic input from allies
23
Q
Why did the West recover quickly post WW2? (3)
A
- Truman Doctrine
- New currency
- No reparations
24
Q
How can a successful socialist economy be measured?
A
- Booming industry
- Equality of wealth
- Availability of consumer goods
- No private ownership
- Modernising economy
- Overtake the FRG
- Public satisfaction
25
What did the 1949 Constitution provide?
Articles 6 and 8 - illusion of liberty
26
Article 6
'incitement to boycott democratic institutions... are felonious crimes'
27
Article 8 (SA may R or R these F O on the B of L A to all C)
'State authority may restrict or revoke these freedoms only on the basis of law applicable to all citizens'
28
What was the KVP, how many members did they have and what did they become part of in 1955?
- People's Police
- 50,000
- National People's Army for the GDR
29
When was the Stasi established?
1950
30
What were the 3 roles of the Stasi?
1. Detecting all internal opposition
2. Conducting espionage abroad
3. Providing security for political institutions
31
How much did the Stasi grow between 1950-2?
1,100 - 8,800
32
What allowed the Stasi to arrest political opponents?
They were officially outside the constitution, taking instructions from Moscow
33
How did elections work in the GDR?
All candidates vetted by the SED and voting was compulsory, otherwise imprisoned
34
What happened if the voter did not approved the vetted candidate?
They had to vote in a separate booth without any secrecy, could result in surveillance and job loss
35
What are 3 facts about Walter Ulbricht?
- member of the Old Communist Party before WW2
- became chairman of the Politburo
- slavish Stalinist
36
What was the Volkskammer?
Puppet body representing the people, passed legislation already approved by the Politburo for the appearance of democracy
37
What was the Landerkammer?
Upper houses of parliament, representing the 5 states, could veto laws but only ever approved them
38
Why were the 5 German States divided into 14 within the Landerskammer?
To make it easier to prevent rebellion
39
What was the Politburo in the GDR?
15-25 senior party officials who passed down legislation to regional levels
40
Who was the only head of state of the GDR and what did he do?
- Wilhelm Reich
- played a major role in the formation of the SED
41
What was the role of the Party Congress?
Electing members to the Central Committee
42
How many Party Congress meetings were called between 1950-63?
4
43
How many members were in the Central Committee and what was their role?
- 80-130
- meant to make decisions but instead delegated to the Politburo
44
What was the purpose and an example of party organisations?
- extended party influence to the population
- FDJ
45
What percentage of young people joined the FDJ?
75%
46
How many states were in the Eastern Zone?
5
47
What was the population change in the Eastern Zone between 1939-47?
17-19 million with 4 million refugees
48
What was the female to male ratio in the Eastern Zone?
135:100
49
What does SMAD stand for?
Soviet Military Administration
50
From when did the SMAD govern and what was their initial purpose?
- June 1945
- to ensure Communists held key positions of power, the result of vague orders
51
What did SED stand for?
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
52
How was the SED formed?
Merger of KPD and SPD
53
What were 3 signs of early tensions in Germany?
1. Extreme food shortages and economic hardship
2. Segregation and mistreatment of German people
3. Soviet soldiers raped 2 million women
54
What was the Policy of Trummerfrauen?
Conscription of women conscripted to clear up rubble across Germany
55
When was the Yalta conference, who was involved and what did it decide?
- February 1945
- Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt
- Invited USSR to join UN and agreed Eastern Europe should have free elections
56
When was the Potsdam conference?
July 1945
57
What did the Potsdam conference decide?
- Denazification
- Demilitarisation
- Deindustrialisation
- Democratisation
58
What was Denazification?
Former Nazi leaders would be brought to justice in trials like Nuremburg
59
What did the Western Allies create in Bizonia and why did it anger Stalin?
- Created a separate currency - Deutsche Mark
- Saw it as an attempt to disrupt economic unity
60
How much in reparations was promised to the USSR?
$20 billion
61
What percentage of reparations would the USSR take from the West in exchange for food?
10%
62
How many industrial plants were taken from Germany to the USSR?
1,500
63
What fraction of railways were taken from Germany to the USSR?
1/4
64
What did reparations emphasise about unification?
That it was temporary - Stalin just wanted to exploit East Germany while he could
65
When did reparations end?
1954
66
What was the 1946 Iron Curtain speech?
Churchill warned of an Iron Curtain of Communism descending West
67
When was Bizonia created?
January 1947
68
What was the Truman Doctrine and when was it decreed?
- USA would provide aid to any nation threated by Communism
- March 1947
69
How much did the Marshall Plan allocate to Eastern European countries?
$13 million
70
How many Germans were killed and taken prisoner in WW2?
3 million (of both)
71
What was the purpose of Scorched Earth Policy?
Destroy Germany's remaining infrastructure before Allied invasion
72
Who did Hitler select as his successor and with what orders?
- Admiral Karl Ranitz
- to continue fighting
73
What was the purpose of the Centralised Planned Economy?
Ensure the economy produced the full range of products - inflexible
74
Who were Junkers?
Wealthy landowners who funded the rise of the Nazi party
75
What was the policy of Collectivisation in the GDR?
Junkers with more than 100 hectares forfeited their land to peasants, farmers and refugees
76
Why did Collectivisation fail?
Lack of machinery, livestock and knowledge of beneficiaries
77
Who benefitted from Collectivisation?
Small farms who could keep their own land with less competition
78
How many farmers emigrated due to Collectivisation?
15,000
79
By how much did crop yields fall between 1960-1?
30%
80
Why did the 1953 June Uprising fail? (3)
1. No coordinated leadership with disunited protestors
2. USSR responded swiftly and ended protests
3. The West did not act beyond inciting the rebellion
81
What and when was the Warsaw Pact?
- a military alliance of USSR and Eastern Communist States
- 1955
82
What was the cause of the 1953 June Uprising?
Ulbricht announces the need for industrial productivity to increase by 10% with no change to wages
83
How many builders went on strike on the 17th of June 1953 and where?
- 300
- Stalinallee
84
How was news of the June 1953 Uprising spread across the GDR?
Via West Berlin radio stations
85
What did the 1953 protests begin to demand?
Democratisation, anti-Soviet
86
Why did Ulbricht appeal to the USSR for support in the 1953 Uprising?
He did not trust his police force
87
What did the USSR send to aid suppression of the 1953 Uprising?
20,000 soldiers and 600 tanks
88
What was the Berlin Blockade?
USSR cut off trains and links to West Berlin, isolating it amongst Eastern territory
89
When did the Berlin Airlift begin?
June 1948
90
How many tonnes of resources per day and how many flights were made during the Berlin Airlift?
- 5,000
- 277,000
91
When did the Berlin blockade end?
1949
92
What were 3 points of the New Course?
- Discontinue collectivisation
- Produce more consumer goods
- Release 4,000 political prisoners
93
When was the Second 5 Year Plan?
1956-9
94
What was the focus of the Second 5YP?
- consumer goods
- nuclear energy
- living standards
- nationalisation
95
How did the Second 5YP succeed?
Reduced private industry to 9% of production by 1960
96
Why was the Second 5YP abandoned?
Ulbricht wanted to compete with the FRG
97
When was the 7YP introduced and what was its focus?
- 1959
- Integration of USSR and GDR
98
Why did the 7YP fail?
Undermined living standards with over-optimistic productivity goals
99
When was the First 5YP?
1951-5
100
What did the First 5YP create?
People's Enterprise
101
What was the People's Enterprise?
Nationalised industrial centre run by the government ensuring targets were met
102
What were the key focuses of the First 5YP? (3)
- nationalisation of industry
- heavy industry
- reduction of private sector
103
What increased in the First 5YP?
Electricity and iron production
104
How did the First 5YP fail? (4)
- coal and steel production fell short
- long working hours
- dissatisfaction
- quantity over quality
105
What were the impacts of the Berlin Wall on the West? (3)
1. Contacts cut
2. Military forces strengthened - 40,000 US soldiers sent
3. West Berliners trapped in Eastern territory
106
What were the impacts of the Berlin Wall on the East?
1. Acceptance encouraged East Germans to work harder for the Socialist state
2. Economy stabilised
3. Wall generally celebrated and seen as protective
107
How many escaped between 1961-89 and how many were imprisoned?
5,000 (both)
108
Goals of SED - Ackerman
'a peaceful path towards socialism in Germany'
109
Democratic Centralism - Ulbricht
'It's got to look democratic, but we must have everything in our control'
110
June 1953 - Politburo Statement
'a fascist provocation... Germany's road to unity and peace destroyed'
111
Wall - Kennedy
'a wall is a hell of a lot better than war'
112
Wall - Fritz
'no more doctors heading off to the West and leaving their patients behind'
113
Informing - Zichen
'people informed for personal gains, out of loyalty to the East German regime, or simply because they wanted to feel like they had some power'
114
Who attended the Potsdam conference?
Truman, Attlee, Stalin
115
When was the SED created?
April 1946
116
When was the FRG created?
May 1949
117
When was NATO founded?
April 1949
118
When was the GDR founded?
October 1949
119
Why were USSR reparations a problem for the Western allies?
Economic suffering in German could cause a quicker turn to Communism
120
What 3 crucial events occurred in 1949?
- China turns to Communism
- USSR gains the atomic bomb through spying on the USA
- NATO formed
121
What is NATO?
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
122
What is a Bezirke?
One of the 14 districts
123
When was the Landerkammer abolished and what was it replaced with?
- 1958
- smaller districts allowing more central control
124
Why did the Soviets take 10% of reparations from the West?
In exchange for sending food provisions to the West German states
125
Why were there industrial difficulties in the GDR?
- reparations
- Western states contained industrial provisions e.g. coal fields
126
What were the main 3 principles of the 2nd 5YP?
Modernisation
Mechanisation
Automation
127
Communism - Funder
'the twentieth century's experiment on humans'
128
The FDJ - Funder
'the Communist successor to the Hitler Youth'
129
Berlin Blockade - Funder
'The West Berliners were to be starved out in the dark'
130
What were the social impacts of the June 1953 uprising? (3)
1. Mass arrests and executions
2. Highlighted extent of dissatisfaction
3. Work pressures reduced minorly
131
What were the political impacts of the June 1953 uprising? (3)
1. More hard-line policies
2. Purges of the SED justified
3. No concessions made to any political demands
132
What did the June 1953 uprising highlight on the larger political scale?
The unlikelihood of reunification
133
What was the June 1953 uprising shortly followed by?
GDR joining the Warsaw Pact
134
What were the economic impacts of the June 1953 uprising? (3)
1. Greater priority given to consumer goods
2. Food rationing ended in 1954
3. Reduction in prices of basic items
135
How many protestors from the June 1953 uprising were (a) executed and (b) imprisoned?
a. 20
b. 500
136
Roughly how many SED members were replaced following June 1953?
20,000
137
Was there much change in the government of the SED following the June 1953 uprising? (Opinion)
There was very little reform, any changes made made the party more hard-line and retributive. There were small economic concessions made but nothing long term or of any central significance
