GDR Flashcards
1
Q
When was the GDR formed?
A
October 1949
2
Q
What was the composition of the GDR?
A
The Volkskammer
- Highest institution
- Free and secret general elections
- Proportional representation
- Purpose = to represent the people
The Landskammer
- Represents the interest of the 5 Lander
A multi party system with 2 chambers
3
Q
Who was Walter Ulbricht?
A
The Secretary of the SED and politburo
4
Q
What was the politburo?
A
The mouthpiece of the communist party - all power lies with Ulbricht
5
Q
What were the ‘ceremonial roles’ and who had them?
A
Prime Minister: Otto Grotewohl
President: Wilhelm Pieck
6
Q
The GDR claimed to be democratic but what was the reality?
A
- Soviet control led to the creation of a totalitarian state
- Politics, society and the economy were modelled on the USSR
- Lacked public support so turned to terror tactics to maintain control
7
Q
What did Democratic centralism consist of?
A
- Rule of Politburo
- Loyalty to USSR
- Party Control Commission
- Party Pluralism
- Judiciary
- Stasi
- Military powers
8
Q
What did the rule of the Politburo allow?
A
Complete control of the SED
9
Q
What was the demand of loyalty to the USSR?
A
- Guideline for all SED members which cleansed the party of unreliable elements
- All parties had to accept the SED’s monopoly of power
- Removed 150,000 party members in first 2 years of GDR
- Pressure to be loyal fixed results so SED won majority
- Power retained by top ranking officials
10
Q
What was party pluralism?
A
- Allowed more than one political party
- Brought into place to give image of democracy
11
Q
What was the role of the judiciary?
A
- 3 elements: People’s Judges, Supreme Court and Civil, Labour and Family Law
- Majority of judges were replaced by SED members who lacked legal qualifications
- Judges claimed to be ‘independent’ - controlled by Supreme Court and SED
- Criminal law used to suppress opposition - persecution was designed to intimidate and criminalise opposition to Communism
- Everything controlled by GDR created climate of fear
12
Q
Who were the Stasi? What did they do?
A
- Formed in 1950 - ‘Sword and Shield of SED’
- Aims to fight against capitalist agents who wanted to undermine the state
- Structured like army
- 13,000 members by 1955
- Informal members were general spies - 175,000
- Invaded personal rights and used torture - omnipresent created fear
13
Q
What were the 3 military powers and their impacts?
A
- The People’s Police (1949) - traditional policing roles and law enforcement , ineffective due to 1953 uprising
- SMAD (1949) - soviet troops stationed in barracks throughout GDR, ultimate power as could overrule other military powers - last line to crush internal disturbance
- The National People’s Army (1956) - decreed without public debate, not traditional army, controlled population
14
Q
What were the impacts of WW2 and the Division of Germany on the GDR economy?
A
- Joined Comecon in 1950 - integration into Eastern Bloc
- GDR didn’t have technology to compete with Western markets
- Foreign trade trebled by 1950-55 but geared to demands of USSR
- Berlin Treaty signed in 1951 to allow bartering between 2 Germany’s - able to pay in goods rather than currency
15
Q
What were the impacts of agriculture on the GDR economy?
A
- Owners of estates over 100 hectares were dispossessed without compensation which was distributed amongst refugees (4 million)
- 1949- sense that the people had control over agriculture but strains due to limited machinery and fertilisers etc
- 1952- voluntary collectivisation to tackle food supply issues
16
Q
Impacts of collectivisation on the GDR economy?
A
- Agricultural production operatives introduced
- Attractive to small scale farmers but large scale refused
- By 1953, 13% of agricultural land wasn’t being farmed
- 1960- policy enforced to fully convert to a socialist economy and farmers persuaded to join by restricting machinery
- Farmer refugee numbers peaked in 1961
- Ideologically was a success and long term improvements made
- From 1963 there was increased investment in agriculture
17
Q
What was the First Five Year Plan? What did it do?
A
- 1951-55
- Focused on iron, steel, fuel, chemicals and building
- Objectives determined to be successful
- By 1955 many targets were over fulfilled and production doubled (iron, cement, sulphuric acid)
- Didn’t have public compliance as lack of focus on consumer goods
- Too much focus on USSR model - quantity over quality which didn’t support economic prosperity
18
Q
What was the impact of the GDR economy on workers?
A
- Productivity quotas of plans put pressure on workers
- Many left for West Germany
- Felt controlled by USSR
- Later economic plans (1958-59) focused on production of consumer goods - increased living standards
- Low prices of housing and basic goods in 1958 slowed migration
- 7 Year Plan led to unrealisitc productivity levels
- Between 1960-61: 1000 fled a day
19
Q
What was the role of Walter Ulbricht?
A
- Chief decision maker in East Germany
- Chairman of council from 1960 - supreme power
- Proved to be a shrewd intelligent politician
- Stabilised GDR to an extent - didn’t raise living standards
20
Q
What happened in the Berlin Uprising in 1953?
A
- Started with strike by East Berlin construction workers, turned widespread in 24 hours
- Against govt demands to increase productivity
- Nearly 1 million joined the protests and began rioting in cities and towns
- US gave aid to feed East Germans to prolong uprising and win Western support
- Force used to stop uprising - aid from Soviets - 20,000 soldiers and 8000 people’s police, 125 killed
21
Q
What was the education policy in the GDR?
A
- Used to instill communist ideology
- Technical and practical skills prioritised
- Law for the Democratisation of German Schools - set textbook curriculum
- Sport and parliamentary training important - raise fitness levels
- Adult education
- Free German Youth and Young Pioneers taught communist ideology
- Aimed to fight western capitalism, offer recreational activities and community projects, train future leaders of GDR and military training
22
Q
What was the lifestyle in the GDR like?
A
- Shortages in supermarkets
- Build on traditional German values of discipline, hard work, authority and efficiency
- Salaries in East average about 1200 marks - £140 a month
- People had children to get housing
- Welfare state - free healthcare for all, pensions, unemployment not an issue, new homes
23
Q
What was the position of trade unions in the GDR?
A
- Free German Trade Union League
- Important part of the worker’s life
- Social insurance program provides holiday centres and packaged holidays for workers
- Workers enterprises provided housing, libraries, discount shops, clubs and recreational activities
- Cooperated with schools
- Instill the appreciation of the social value of work
24
Q
What were the religious policies in the GDR?
A
- Religious instruction removed from schools - Laws for Democratisation of German School 1946
- Youth Dedication service - introduced in 1954 as an alternative to Protestant or Catholic Confirmation
25
What was the overall view of the economy in the GDR? (life in the GDR)
- Most affluent socialist country
- Highest GDP per capita and highest standard of living among soviet-style economies
- Economy flourished despite lack of resources/labour
- Small workforce - women encouraged to join
- Steady rate of economic growth
