History Lecture Notes Flashcards
What was the GDR’s public transcript?
GDR is a workers state, built by workers for workers.
Anti-fascist state that has transcended capitalism by creating an equal, just society which is superior in material and cultural terms to the West.
It was the means through which the state legitimised its authority.
Why was there dissatisfaction with the SED in the 1950s-70s?
Which 2 key events occurred during this period?
Why did it stabilise in the 1970s?
Increasing dissatisfaction with its claims to represent materially and politically the “better Germany”.
Clash between ideology (the public transcript) and social reality:
— 1953 Berlin Workers’ Uprising
> spontaneous uprising with mass arrests and executions of protestors
> violent suppression ended public opposition for some time
— 1961 Construction of Berlin Wall
> international crisis with US, USSR
> domestic crisis; ongoing dissatisfaction with supply/quality of GDR goods
> exodus of population continued, esp. young, educated, qualified workers
In the 1970s, there seemed to be a period of relative stability under Erich Honecker:
— @ SED party conference, the unity of economic and social policy was announced > ambition to raise living standards, increase wages and pensions > intensify housing construction > mass initiatives: voluntary work to beautify towns/parks etc as an exercise of citizenship
What was “die sanfte Revolution” in the 1980s?
In the 1980s, the GDR’s public transcript unravels. There’s a clash between the public transcript and the reality of lived experience.
— 1980s Stasi surveys of popular mood revealed widespread criticism of poor quality and supply of goods, travel restrictions, unwillingness of leadership to reform
An important reason for the implosion of the GDR is Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms in the Soviet Union:
— Glasnot = openness and transparency
— Perestroika = restructuring (political and economic reform)
SED’s showed resistance to these reforms because they realised they can’t counter political reforms and that the reforms represent an existential threat to the state. It was also a dangerous position for the SED leadership - they were out of touch with the popular mood.
What caused the Monday Demonstrations? And what were the demonstrations?
Long term frustration in the GDR > political protests in 1989 against the GDR government, in Leipzig
> demanding reforms (at this point, not unification), democratic elections, more freedom/rights > protests grew in scale and size, spreading to other cities > 1000+ people took part > “Wir sind das Volk” - an attempt to turn the GDR’s public transcript against its own leadership - a workers state should be listening to its workers - slogan stressed that the protestors are the people the government should be listening to - applying slogan to the public transcript helped legitimate their demands for democratic reform
What were the 3 main internal stages of GDR implosion?
- Rise of opposition groups
- gradually gained support of wider population
- Development of new regime policies/tactics to respond to these groups
- initially a violent response with protests broken up by police
- but this is unsustainable, so they move to a policy of ‘reform from above’ (Honecker replaced by Krenz)
- but this is too little, too late - it will not save the GDR
- Changes in leadership
- series of developments that lead to the opening of the Berlin Wall on the 9th November
These stages led to a situation where unification became a realistic possibility.
“Wir sind das Volk” (demand for reform) > “Wir sind ein Volk” (demand for unification)
Talk about the reasons/slogans behind mass exodus from the GDR
“Wir wollen raus!”
These people decided with their feet to leave the GDR; a mass exodus happened.
This shows the lack of legitimacy of the GDR at this point. Interaction between domestic and international factors caused mass exodus, as shown below.
Exodus intensified towards the end of 1989:
> mass flight from the GDR had been impossible since 1961
> political reforms in the Soviet Union opened up escape routes through relaxation of border controls between Hungary and Austria > FRG embassies in Budapest, Warsaw, Prague flooded with GDR citizens, putting pressure on West Germany
Talk about the people who remained in the GDR and what they wanted
“Wir bleiben hier!”
These are people who didn’t want to leave but instead wanted a reform — “Reform statt Massenflucht”
New organisations began to emerge, but generally, these groups didn’t reflect the wider population mood for unification:
- Neues Forum
What was the Neues Forum?
Created in response to the mass exodus — open, uncensored public dialogue about the need to reform the GDR
Communication between state and society had broken down.
Mass exodus was happening unnecessarily
— other refugee movements were caused by poverty/hunger/violence - none of that existed in the GDR
Demands were quite contradictory — need to have democratic dialogue on the responsibilities of the state, economy and culture
This political platform helps resolve the problems in the GDR.
What was the Central Roundtable?
Forum where gov delegates came together with reps from popular citizens’ movements to discuss reforms in the GDR.
Concerned about the country’s long-term development — wanted communication and transparency between state + society:
> demanded disclosure of economic and financial situation of country
wanted to be informed of and included in important legal, economic and financial policy decisions by the gov
Acknowledged their lack of executive and legislative power but wished to turn to the public with proposals
What 2 dimensions were at play in the process of unification?
Domestic Factors
— Kohl’s 10 point plan
— Volkskammer elections
— Decision made - Article 23 and Staatsvertrag
International Factors
— 4VP
— US, USSR concerns
— Camp David
— Two-Plus-Four negotiations
Talk about Kohl’s 10 Point Plan and Volkskammer Elections in the process of unification
Kohl’s 10 Point Plan (2 weeks after fall of Berlin Wall)
— GDR and FRG needed to cooperate together with a view toward eventual reunification, but this would be a long-term, incremental process
— view was to stabilise situation, then move towards a confederate state before a full reunification within the next 10 years
— WG aid contingent on GDR reform and democratisation
Volkskammer Elections (18th March 1990)
— victory for Alliance, 48% of vote
— over 50% of EG workers voted for Alliance
— CDU part of Alliance, led by Kohl - symbol of WG prosperity, promise of unificatio
— campaign slogans: “für soziale Marktwirtschaft” / “für die deutsche Einheit”
Talk about the decision of reunification, including Article 23 and Staatsvertrag
Article 23
— old EG Länder reconstitute themselves and accede to WG
— accelerates process
Staatsvertag
— established monetary, economic and social union between 2 states
Monetary — D-Mark would be sole currency; exchange rate 1:1 for wages/salaries/benefits/pensions
Economic — GDR move to social market economy
Social — Federal German order transferred to GDR
What was the role of international politics in the process of reunification?
4VP - USA, USSR, France, Britain had veto over decisions concerning Germany and they feared German independence.
Key players = US, USSR
US, George Bush gave early support to Kohl but wanted Germany to continue to be NATO member; did not want neutrality
USSR, Gorbachev concerned over speed of process; wanted Germany to be neutral
Camp David Summit = breakthrough moment
Two-Plus-Four Negotiations
— sealed foreign policy aspects of reunification
— 4VP waived their rights over Germany, gave country full sovereignty
— allowed NATO membership
— all Soviet troops would withdraw from EG
— Bundeswehr reduced to 370,000 soldiers
Financing Unification
1990-2018 est costs = €2 trillion
Building the East; infrastructure projects:
— railway lines
— road and motorway networks
— telephone lines
Per capita, GDP of East grew from 35% in 1991 to 62% of western level in 2001
Is Germany Unified: What was socio-economic unity?
GDR went from planned > social market economy
Mass privatisation of Volkseigene Betriebe
— led to mass unemployment
— EG dissatisfied bc in the Volkskammer elections they were promised prosperity, flourishing landscapes, overnight transformations etc but that was not the immediate experience
— unemployment still higher in East today
Restructuring of eastern economy
— downsizing to smaller companies with fewer employees
— withdrawal from collective bargaining
Enduring differences still today
— income
— values of goods/share of export trade (higher in West)
— unemployment
— Hartz-IV recipients
Is Germany Unified: Unemployment
Unemployment is generally higher in the East
but in the 2019 unemployment statistics
— Western city of Gelsenkirchen was at no.1
2021
East = 7.9% (in Saxony/Brandenburg it was 6.6%)
West = 6% (in Bremen it was 17.4%)
Is Germany Unified: Political-Cultural
Support for all parties across Germany but there are parties that perform disproportionally well in the East and West
— “western” parties = Greens, FDP
— “eastern” parties = Die Linke, AfD
2021 Election - how did East and West vote?
— Greens do better in the West; CDU has slightly more votes in West
— SPD similar votes in both parts
— Die Linke better in the East, AfD significantly more votes in East
AfD has clear stronghold in former East
— highest vote share for the anti-immigration AfD is in eastern regions and the lowest proportion of immigrant
communities in also in the eastern regions
— they’ve reclaimed GDR slogans like “Wir sind das Volk”
Party membership follows a nationwide pattern
— membership for all parties (except Die Linke) is much higher in West
Is Germany Unified: Demographic
1990-2018
— population in eastern states ⬇ by 11.7%
— in western states it ⬆ by 6.5%
— young, qualified citizens moved to the West
—predominantly older, male, less educated population in East
Since 2012/13 — population drain has slowed down
Is Germany Unified: Poverty
Hartz-IV 2018
— 10.6% East but in Thuringia 7.4%
— 8.2% West but in Bremen 17.4%
Generally, there are higher proportions of long-term unemployed in eastern Germany
but there are western regions affected by de-industrialisation
Weak economic areas in the West include Bremen, Gelsenkirchen and Duisburg.
What 3 reasons are there for the convergence and differences between the East and West after reunification; specifically looking at EG attitudes?
1. Legacy of the Social Achievements of the GDR
— das Recht auf Arbeit
— 90% of population were gainfully employed
— healthcare/schooling was provided by the state
— formal honouring of labour and working class
2. The Shock of Unification
— transition from planned to social market economy
— the mass unemployment and income inequalities
— depopulation of the East
— attitude of westerners to incoming East Germans
3. Generational Differences
— unification generation who have only known life in a united, capitalist West Germany
— those who were born and raised in a divided Germany, living in the socialist GDR
What did Martin Sabrow say?
there are 3 memory paradigms:
- GDR as a dictatorship - “official memory”
- GDR as everyday life - “popular memories”
- GDR as progressive state - “idealist memories”
What did the following people say:
1. Mary Fulbrook
2. Klaus Schroeder
3. Hubertus Knabe
Fulbrook — “participatory dictatorship”
Schroeder — Alltag has “no place in the memory landscape”
Knabe — focus on Alltag is the “state promotion of Ostalgie”
When did the Berlin Wall go up, fall and official date of reunification?
13 August 1961
9 November 1989
3 October 1990
