Divided Germany

Question 1

What was in the Basic Law of the FRG?

Answer 1

• Human and civil rights were “inalienable” so could not be suspended or abolished
• The federal president was mainly representative, only served 5 years in office, was only electable for one further term and was selected by the members of the Bundestag and Lander parliaments
• Two-tiered parliamentary structure where the chancellor had a clear line of authority and could only be brought down by a “constructive vote of no confidence” with a stable majority for an alternative government
• Political parties couldn’t be abolished
• Referendums and plebiscites on laws and other important issues weren’t allowed
• Mixed member PR replaced PR and if a party won less than 5% of the national vote it was barred from parliament
• The constitution court was set up to review judicial cases and decide whether they were unconstitutional to prevent anti-democratic activities

Question 2

What problems did the FGR face in 1949?

Answer 2

• Unemployment was at 13%
• Prices continued to rise
• here was a shortage of housing to make up for bombing and accommodate refugees and expellees
• The FRG did not have sovereignty so only the Allies could approve trade and internal security

Question 3

What were Adenauer’s aims?

Answer 3

• Western integration = gaining the trust of Western powers to revise the restrictions of the Occupation Statute and become a strong economic partner and ally
• The “German question” = wanted to reunify without making any concessions to communism
• Economic policy = create economic stability through Erhard’s policies and the Korean War
• Social aspects = overcome the hardships of the poor and refugees through new social legislation, industrial peace and growth in living standards

Question 4

Did Adenauer achieve political stability 1949-1961?

Answer 4

• Gained a majority of 50.2% of the votes
• Voter turnout rose from 78.5% to 87.8%
• Extremist splinter parties disappeared because of the 5% hurdle and the inclusiveness of the large parties

Question 5

What were the key causes of the economic miracle?

Answer 5

• West Germany had access to natural resources from the Ruhr eg. coal and iron
• Population was well educated
• Marshall Plan helped to get the economy going
• Korean War boosted world trade in the 1950s
• Exports boosted by the creation of the ECSC in 1951
• Refugees from the East supplied a qualified and disciplined workforce in the long term who would work for moderate wages
• Co-determination Law 1951 secured industrial peace

Question 6

What was the “social market economy”?

Answer 6

• A “third way” between unrestrained capitalism and an over-regulated socialist economy
• Combine political and economic freedom with social justice and security

Question 7

In what ways was there an economic miracle 1951-1965?

Answer 7

• Growth rate was 12% in 1955, average was 8%
• GNP doubled 1950-1955
• More coal being mined by the 1950s in West Germany than in 1936 in the whole of Germany
• Growth of motorisation
• Balance of trade was positive from 1952, by 1952 the FRG had become the 3rd biggest trading power
• Unemployment fell to 4.2% by 1955 and then full employment until the 1970s despite the influx of 3 million people from the GDR before 1961
• Nearly 25% increase in agricultural production from more mechanisation

Question 8

How did world trade cause the economic miracle?

Answer 8

• Tariffs were reduced globally
• Marshall Plan was replaced by the OEEC, sped up the reintegration of German trade into the world market and opened up the European markets
• Korean War led to growth in world trade
• The creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 boosted German exports to western Europe
• The European Economic Community was founded in 1957 and helped German exports

Question 9

How did refugees cause the economic miracle?

Answer 9

• Turned from problem to advantage as industry grew
• Provided a continuous supply of qualified, disciplined and motivated employees to the labour market who were satisfied with moderate incomes

Question 10

How did industrial peace cause the economic miracle?

Answer 10

• Co-determination Law of 1951 and Works’ Constitution Law of 1952 ensured that employees had a role in the management of a company (co-determination)
• Number of strikes fell dramatically and there was industrial peace for 20 years

Question 11

How did consumption demand cause the economic miracle?

Answer 11

• Special subsidised savings programmes to buy property pushed up demand for housing
• Demand for consumer goods eg. cars, televisions, fridges and vacuum cleaners were proof of increasing prosperity

Question 12

How did financial stability cause the economic miracle?

Answer 12

• Bank Deutsche Lander created in 1948 by Western powers to establish the Deutsche Mark, became the Bundesbank in 1957
• Bundesbank was the central bank but independent from government, ensured stability of currency by controlling money circulation and interests

Question 13

How did government expenditure cause the economic miracle?

Answer 13

FRG did not have to pay reparations or defence costs until 1955 when it joined NATO so more money could go towards social spending and stabilise the democracy

Question 14

Education and opportunities in the FRG?

Answer 14

• Schulchaos
• Lack of school buildings
• Shortage of teaching materials and qualified new teachers after the Nazis
• Teaching authorities had to resort to the curriculum and teaching methods of the Weimar years
• Anti-communist suspicions of West Germans meant they didn’t want to mimic the reforms of the GDR
• The Dusseldorf Agreement in 1955 covered general holidays examination standards etc and Lander abolished fees in 1958 but couldn’t agree on a common educational policy
• Primary, grammar and vocational schools were retained
• German universities were reserved for the intellectual elite

Question 15

Education and opportunities in the GDR?

Answer 15

• 80% of teachers were dismissed and emergency teacher-training classes were organised, Nazi textbooks were thrown away and replaced with Weimar ones to rid them from racism and militarism
• Theory and practice were closely linked to the requirements of modern industry, many schools were twinned with factories to provide training and help with production and one day of practical work from the age of 14 was made compulsory
• Law for the Democratisation of German Schools offered the expansion of Kindergarten, abolition of private and religious schools, a centralised curriculum and the abolition of selective schools
• Polytechnic Upper Schools for 6-16-year-olds were created
• Curriculum focused on sciences and technological skills, moral and ideological indoctrination and Russian as a foreign language
• Sports and paramilitary training improved fitness and prepare for military service
• Adult education was encouraged
• Children had to conform to the state’s ideology, entry to higher education depended on commitment to the political system
• 7% of the GNP was spent on education
• Educational standards were raised
• University students from working class backgrounds rose from 19% in 1946 to 36% in 1949, number of students doubled, number of universities rose from 21 to 46
• Pupils who attended school for more than 8 years rose from 16% in 1951 to 85% in 1970

Question 16

Youth in the FRG?

Answer 16

• Youth became disillusioned with CDU due to conservatism and complacency and loss of social conscience due to prosperity
• Protests increased esp. after Spiegel

Question 17

Youth in the GDR?

Answer 17

• The FDJ (Free German Youth), Young Pioneers and Thalmann Pioneers aimed to indoctrinate the youth with a socialist education, fight against capitalist Western influences, give military training, organise activities, support community projects and train the youth for future leadership positions in the GDR
• FDJ wasn’t compulsory but had 3 million members by 1950 because people feared discimination over jobs and university places
• By the 1960s many young East Germans tried to copy the Western lifestyle and found the FDJ repressive, so a radio station playing pop music was set up and guitar playing competitions were run by the FDJ until 1965
• Jugendweihe introduced in 1955 with an atheist initiation ceremony and pledge to the GDR which every 14-year-old was expected to make

Question 18

Role of women in the FRG?

Answer 18

• Article 3 of the Basic Law gave women equal rights
• Law of Equality of the Sexes 1957 gave wives the right to take up work without their husbands’ permission and keep control of their property after marriage
• Growth in new household gadgets made chores at home more manageable so women could combine work and family
• Conservatism and patriarchy remained and was promoted by the Catholic Church
• Average woman’s wage was about 40% less than the average man’s
• Proportion of female students in higher education only rose from 19% in 1950 to 30% in 1968
• Social welfare focused on preserving the family

Question 19

Role of women in the GDR?

Answer 19

• Constitution said men and women are “equal before the law” as it was an essential feature of socialist ideology
• The state offered financial support for working mothers, childcare and improved healthcare, additional rations for pregnant women and child benefit payments
• Abortion was strictly limited until 1972
• Many mothers were working in unskilled, low-paid jobs and still looking after children and the household
• 1966 Family Law offered more state help and protection for families and stressed the equality of men and women
• Nearly 50% of students in higher education were women by 1980
• Women had fewer chances for career advancement and lower salaries in all fields as equality within the genders was not enforced by special supportive measures within the job market
• Many women joined the workforce out of economic necessity
• Support for equality wasn’t given by the SED at first and major advances in laws regarding women’s rights weren’t introduced until the 60s

Question 20

Treatment of workers in the FRG?

Answer 20

• One workers’ union per industry was created and placed under the German Federation of Trade Unions so union activities were coordinated in the individual companies to work together rather than in conflict with each other and make them stronger in their negotiations with the government
• Co-determination Law 1951 gave workers their own representatives on managerial boards in the coal, iron and steel industries
• Works’ constitution Law 1952 created a works council for all employees of companies with more than 500 workers
• Unemployment benefit, accident insurance, sickness insurance, pensions, public assistance and family welfare was kept from the Weimar and expanded
• 6 million new houses were built 1949-1961

Question 21

Treatment of workers in the GDR?

Answer 21

Not great - worker’s uprising on 17 June 1953

Question 22

Standard of living in the FRG?

Answer 22

Up to 1955
- 20% of households still lived on the basic subsistence level
- Over 50% of the population lived in a one bedroom flat
- 11% of households owned a fridge
- Average weekly working hours were 49 and over 1/3 of the population had never been on a holiday
After 1955
- Working week was reduced to 40 hours in 1965 and a 5 day working week was introduced
- 63% of households owned a fridge, 42% owned a TV, 38% owned a car, 36% owned a washing machine
- Number of privately owned houses increased
- US culture spread esp. to young people
- “Without me” mentality where people focused on work, home and family instead of international and military issues
- Population grew from 47.5 million in 1951 to 58.6 million in 1965
- More people moved from countryside to cities for jobs in electronics and service instead of agrarian industries
- Disparity in wealth remained
- Influence of Junkers and Ruhr barons declined

Question 23

Standard of living in the GDR?

Answer 23

• Healthcare was free for all from state hospitals and medical centres
• Pensions were available to all men aged 65 and women aged 60
• Accident insurance was free for all
• Unemployment benefit was not provided as some kind of work was found for all citizens
• Emphasis was on heavy industry not housing until the late 1950s then 100,000 homes were built per year

Question 24

Treatment of the Church in the GDR?

Answer 24

• All citizens were granted religious freedom, over 80% were Protestants and 10% Catholics
• There was a governmental Department for Ecclesiastical Affairs
• Religion was abolished in all schools and replaced with Marxist-Leninist ideology
• Religious matters were ignored by the media
• No financial support was given to Churches from the state so it was difficult to maintain religious buildings in the GDR and some were blown up
• Stasi spied on congregations
• Number of Church members decreased to about 50% of the population by the 1970s

Question 25

Why did the uprising on 17 June 1953 take place?

Answer 25

• Government proposed a 10% rise in productivity and working hour norms to meet planned economic targets and match the industrial development in the FRG
• There were strikes in big cities
• Ulbricht and Grotewohl failed to defuse the crisis and continued with proposed rise in norms
• 16 June building workers in East Berlin assembled for a peaceful protest march and were joined by workers from all over East Berlin
• March turned into a general protest against the government and the party
• Protesters demanded democracy, reunification and the resignation of Ulbricht
• One worker made a demand for a general strike the following day which was reported by a West Berlin radio station and broadcast across the GDR

Question 26

What happened during the uprising of 17 June 1953?

Answer 26

• 100,000 protesters were on the streets of East Berlin by noon, mainly industrial workers
• The protest spread to over 500 cities/towns/communities with a further 200,000-300,000 protesters (5-7% of the workforce)

Question 27

Why did the 17 June uprising fail?

Answer 27

• Ulbricht appealed for help from the Soviets, martial law was declared and tanks and troops crushed the uprising throughout the country with little resistance
• The uprising was spontaneous and poorly organised, some had demands but no weapons or arrangements were made to seize power strategically
• The West didn’t want to risk direct military involvement and Adenauer did nothing

Question 28

What was the impact of the uprising of 17 June 1953?

Answer 28

• 1300 people were put on trial with most receiving prison sentences and 2 death penalties
• The GDR’s claim to be a democratic workers’ state was proven false
• Propaganda described it as a “fascist putsch” instigated by Western powers
• 20,000 leading SED officials were removed and replaced from the party in the months after the uprising
• Security forces were reformed and strengthened, the Stasi was given the authority to suppress any opposition and the number of agents increased
• The SED withdrew work norms, lowered prices of basic foods, introduced more consumer goods and reduced taxes and administrative constraints of farmers and private businessmen
• Ulbricht consolidated his position as leader despite embarrassment
• GDR was politically recognised by the USSR and joined the Warsaw Pact
• Slight improvement in living standards and the number of refugees declined

Question 29

Why was the Berlin Wall built?

Answer 29

“Brain drain” of young skilled workers pursuing a better life leaving East Berlin, up to 1000 refugees left each day and amounted to 2.6 million by 1961

Question 30

What were the consequences of the Berlin Wall?

Answer 30

• Free access to the West ended and families were divided
• Exodus of workers was prevented and those caught attempting to escape were shot
• The workforce in the East was stabilised and economic progress improved
• The East introduced limited liberalisation and decentralisation to win the support of the population
• The Four Power Agreement on Berlin was ended
• Khrushchev failed to remove the West from Berlin and appeared weak
• Tensions between the East and West increased and encouraged the development of nuclear weapons
• The Wall was a propaganda victory for the West