How accurate is it to say the GDR collapsed primarily due to economic factors?? Flashcards
How accurate is it to say the GDR collapsed primarily due to economic factors??
How accurate is it to say the GDR collapsed primarily due to economic factors??
Line of argument/ judgement
Overall it was the effect of mass migration that led to the collapse of the GDR because it was an increasingly failing political and economical system that offered no chance of positive long term reform, despite Gorbachevs hopes. People in the east wanted to leave to enjoy the prosperity of the west, and the failure of the SED in comparison to the success of Kohl saw many thousands immigrate. Economic factors gave even more wait to the argument that the GDR was to collapse imminently
Economic factors
Facts- The GDR lacked funding despite being one the strongest of the communist economies in the East. They increasingly relied on loans from the west equalling 1.95million DM.
- They had a closed communist style economy that lacked incentive for competition or innovation, compared to the FRG who has transformed to a technology super power with companies like BMW and Siemens.
- The lack of prosperity in the East meant a lower quality of living, with the communist state providing low quality Trabant cars. Lack of efficient shown by eastern development of worlds biggest microchip which was of course useless.
It was this distinct difference in the living standard between the FRG and GDR as a result of the closed economy that prompted migration, leading to its collapse.
Migration from the GDR
MAIN REASON FOR THE COLLAPSE BECAUSE IT SHOWED A FAILING COUNTRY THAT WAS REFLECTING THE VIEWS OF OTHER FAILING COMMUNIST COUNTRIES LIKE HUNGARY AND POLAND
Facts-2nd may 1989 Hungarian government announced it would remove barbed wire from its borders, creating the brain drain of people from low prosperity to high prosperity. 500 refugees crossed Austrian border illegally.
-Under Krenz Schabowski introduced the travel permit which initiate mass migration across Berlin Wall (leading to its collapse too). 1st legal passage between GDR and FRG, recognition of how migration interconnected easy and west socially (and economically to a lesser extent) that led to its collapse
–1.2 million migrated before the 1987
-In november 1989, 130,000 migrated to the west from the east, with 2000 going each day
-Between 1st-3rd November, 10,000 people travelled to FRG via Czechoslovakia.
The illegal migration of other communist countries undermined the control that the GDR had over its people and encouraged more and more GDR people to migrate as Honecker issued no repercussions.
Failure of the SED
Whilst part of the SEDs failures were the poor economic state, they had further problems that sparked revolution.
their complacency prompted migration.
Facts-Honecker too concerned with sustaining the basic living standards that were too far behind that of the FRG. Incompetence led to mass protest in Liebzip in October 89 attracting 320,000 people opposing the political system. Honecker acted as though nothing was wrong on his return to office, leading to a subsequent bigger protest in Berlin attracting 750,000 people in November 89. krenz government strangled politics further by not allowing political parties to form or free elections.
-Honecker also allowed 14,000 people camped in the west German embassy in Prague to migrate too, prompting further migrations due to his unfairness
It is therefore no wonder why increasing numbers of people migrated from the GDR, and the SEDs complacency dictated this.
Success of Kohl
In combination to the failure of the SED, kohl looked an increasingly strong candidate to lead a unified germany in the future. He integrated east and west socially and politically before it had collapsed, given people even more reason to immigrate.
facts-10 point plan gave easterners 1:1 conversion rate to ease the transactions and intergration of economics between the east and west due to differing prosperity levels. Used CDU in east as unification propaganda, advertising the alliance for germany, people voting for CDU in east were voting for a unfied germany. This was important in the declining socio-political climate of the east which looked like it could be resolved if the GDR was to collapse, encouraging people to either migrate to the west of vote CDU and push for unification
Kohls charisma and international backing made him a strong candidate to lead a unified Germany and encouraged many dismayed GDR citizens to vote for the CDU after a length period of political repression
