Germany - 7.2. Divided Germany: DDR Flashcards
What is democratic centralism?
A principle of Communist party organisation where members take part in policy discussions and elections at all levels, but must follow decisions made at higher levels (SED).
What was the Politburo?
The highest executive body of a Communist Party. They were in charge of all the decision making.
Who was the first General Secretary?
Walter Ulbricht, SED party leader from 1946-71
What was the reality of ‘party pluralism’?
Gave the image of democratic system, but reality was the spread and implementation of SED ideology
Denazification was used to centralise the political system. What % of judges by 1950 were members of the SED?
50%
How did this affect the judiciary system?
Judges were largely untrained, controlled by SED institutions.
What was the purpose of criminal law?
To suppress all opposition
What was the name given to the secret police that removed opposition?
Stasi
Who was the Stasi Minister?
Erich Mielke
What were Informal Members (IMs)?
Citizens who spied and denounced traitors or opposition of the SED
Who were the IMs under direct control by?
Politburo
The People’s Police (VP) had a traditional policing role, but also had what?
Paramilitary rapid response units
What does the NVA stand for?
The National People’s Army - traditional army used to control the population.
The SMAD consisted of soviet troops stationed in barracks across the GDR. What were they ready to defend against?
Possible NATO attacks.
What problems did the DDR economy face?
There was a shortage of raw materials usually supplied by West Germany
Provinces and vital coal supplies were lost to Poland
Limitations of industrial development – experts had been taken to USSR
What does ‘state capitalism’ mean?
A political system in which the state has control of production and the use of capital.
How did comecon (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) impact foreign trade?
+ Foreign trade trebled between 1950-1955.
- Most of the trade was geared to the demands of the USSR. Machinery was exchanged for raw materials but market prices were never paid for these goods so it wasn’t profitable.
What was collectivisation?
Working together on farms and sharing machinery. Agricultural production cooperatives (LPGs) were formed.
What industry did the Five Year (51-55) Plan focus on?
Heavy industry eg. steel and coal. Too much emphasis on what the USSR needed, not the consumer goods the GDR needed.
How were workers affected by economic changes?
Increased pressure on workers to achieve productivity.
What was the brain drain and how did this effect the DDR economy?
Voting with their feet - young professionals leaving GDR
