GDR Stuff Flashcards
Which year did the GDR join the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon) and what was it?
1950 - It was an economic organization under the leadership of the Soviet Union.
Which years were collectivisation introduced and made compulsory, respectively?
1951 and 1960.
When was the Berlin Uprising?
16 June 1953.
What were some of the causes of the Berlin Uprising?
- Increased work quotas and no additional pay
- Labour reform
- Stalin’s death
- Want for free elections and other democratic desires
How did Ulbricht deal with the Berlin Uprising?
He sent in Soviet tanks.
Who took over as leader of the Communist Party after Stalin died?
Nikita Khrushchev.
What did the First Five Year Plan focus on, and which year was it introduced?
Heavy Industry - Introduced in 1951.
What did the Second Five Year Plan focus on, and which year was it introduced?
Consumer goods - Introduced in 1957.
What did the Seven Year Plan focus on, and which year was it introduced?
Achieving West Germany’s per capita production by the end of 1961 - introduced in 1959.
What were some of the positives of life in the GDR?
- Free healthcare
- Free eductaion
- More working women
- Collectivisation (was a positive for peasant farmers)
- Full employment
- Economy stabilised (eventually)
What were some of the negatives of life in the GDR?
- Forced collectivisation (not as good for wealthy farmers)
- Poor living conditions
- No political freedom
- Cultural restriction
- Stasi
- Scarcity of resources
- Church membership discouraged
- Law politicised
Which factors made people want to flee the GDR?
- Stasi
- Cultural and political freedom in the West
- Lower wages
- The GDR rejected the Marshall Plan, affecting the rate of economic recovery
- Magnet Theory
- FRG offered citizenship
In which ways did the GDR control life in the East?
- Restricted religion
- Stasi
- Collectivisation
- Military presence
- Democratic Centralisation
- Controlled education
- Berlin Wall
- Trade Unions
