DDR: POLITICAL Flashcards
Who was Walter Ulbricht?
What did he become in 1950?
German-Born, Russian-Trained communist.
Co-Founder of KPD.
1950: Became general secretary of the SED.
Who became president in 1949?
Who became prime minister?
President: Wilhelm Pieck
Prime Minister: Otto Grotewohl
What was the Volkskongress?
What was the Volksrat?
Volkskongress: peoples congress which elected a Volksrat.
Volksrat: Chairman.
What were the results of the 1946 election?
SED: 47%
LDPD: 21%
CDUD: 27%
Why was party pluralism introduced?
To give the impression of democracy.
When was the SED formed?
Which two parties merged? Why?
22nd April 1946.
KPD & SPD
Enforced decision by SMAD as KPD were not gaining enough support.
What were the four political parties at the beginning of the DDR?
KPD.
SPD.
LDPD.
CDUD.
What is SMAD?
Who was the general secretary?
Soviet Military Administration in Germany.
Walter Ulbricht.
When was the DDR founded?
October 1949.
What is the Soviet High Commission?
SMAD renamed in October 1949.
What is the people’s army?
Founded in 1956.
Traditional army with the means of controlling the population.
What is the people’s police?
Founded in 1949.
Traditional policing roles, but uninformed parliamentary rapid response units.
What is the judiciary?
Legal and judicial bodies that served as agents of the state.
What is the free German trade union federation?
Formed in 1945.
Created a single trade union for all workers.
What is the free German youth?
Youth groups to indoctrinate the youth with socialist ideologies.
