Nazi Germany - The Divided Germany - Federal Republic and DDR 1949-1963

Question 1

What year was Adenauer appointed Chancellor?

Answer 1

August 1949

Question 2

What was Basic Law?

Answer 2

Freedom of expression
Representative Democracy
Split into Bundestag and Bundesrat
Was to be in place until Germany was united

Question 3

What was Representative Democracy?

Answer 3

votes every couple of years - kept power in hands of elite

Removes chance of dictatorship

Question 4

What was the Federal State?

Answer 4

Individual states kept much power over regional issues

Question 5

Bundesrat?

Answer 5

Upper Chamber - Federal State

Question 6

Bundestag?

Answer 6

Lower Chamber - more complex, needed 5% of vote to be represented

Question 7

Pros of having Basic Law?

Answer 7

No extremist parties
Parliament chosen by representative convention - powers of president limited
chancellor appointed by president but needed parliamentary approval

Question 8

Why did the Number of parties decrease overtime in West Germany?

Answer 8

• constitution banned far-right and far-left parties
• From 1953 - parties needed 5% of vote
• Many small parties joined CDU

Question 9

CDU?

Answer 9

• Christian Democrats
• Supported Capitalism, wanted to protect vulnerable
• Supported Welfare State
• Ahlen Programme - Christian traditions

Question 10

SPD?

Answer 10

• Traditionalist Socialist Party
• Appealed to Workers
• formed by Working Class
• Wanted social justice

Question 11

Why was there a economical miracle in the West?

Answer 11

• Removing price controls - free competition between enterprises
• Removing control over wages and production (fewer strikes)
• Reducing tax rates
• West responsible for having lots of raw materials

Question 12

Evidence for economic miracle?

Answer 12

All Industry goods
1951 - 109.6%
1959 - 179.8%

Question 13

What was the Marshall Aid?

Answer 13

• Gave West Germany 2 billion in Aid - 1954
• By 1959 wasn’t enough of 5% of German national income
• Also Germany still needed to pay reparations

Question 14

How did the Korean War boost economy in Germany?

Answer 14

• 1950-1953
• Goods from Ruhr
• Other nations could not get materials so boosted Germany

Question 15

What happened in October 1949 to help Economic Integration?

Answer 15

-West Germany joint OEEC and received Marshall Aid

Question 16

What happened in April 1951 to help Economic Integration?

Answer 16

• West Germany joined ECSC (Coal and Steel)
• Franco-German under common authority
• Removed foreign control over West Germany
• Helped Reconciliation with France

Question 17

What happened in 1957 to help Economic Integration?

Answer 17

-West Germany signed Treaty of Rome
-(Established european economic community)
Also Joined
-EURATOM which increased trust and success of Adenauer policies

Question 18

What was the Council of Europe?

Answer 18

• Established in 1948
• Adenauer joined and stated that they ‘were not part of Soviet Russia’
• reassured France

Question 19

Adenauer and military integration?

Answer 19

• NATO established 1949

- Asked West Germany to contribute forces to Korean War

Question 20

Successes of Adenauer’s foreign policies?

Answer 20

+ W.Germany achieved rapprochement(relation) with France
+ Germany’s reputation rebuilt
+ POW(Prisoners of War) returned from Russia 1955
+ Joined OEEC, ECSC, EEC, NATO

Question 21

Failures of Adenauer’s foreign policies?

Answer 21

• Never able to reconcile the USSR to German Rearmament

- The rebuilding of German Society, Economy and Army created fear

Question 22

What was the Impact of WW2 on West Germany?

Answer 22

• Cities were damaged
• 25% of population was Fatherless
• Women forced to work cheap labour
• 12-13million refugees from the east

Question 23

What was the 1952 Equalisation of Burden Act?

Answer 23

• Introduced Tax on Property

- Funds redistributed to people who need it the most

Question 24

How did Adenauer try to build a ‘Affluent Society’

Answer 24

• 430,000 houses built by 1952, 4million by 1957
• Wages had risen 400% between 1949 and 1963
• Social Welfare Available
• Spiessburger - all action to oppose communism

Question 25

Reintegration of Former Nazis?

Answer 25

• Helped aid post War
• De-nazification meaningless
• Nazi’s regained jobs through law 131
• Nazi pensions still be claimed

Question 26

Decline of Adenauer?

Answer 26

• Removed himself from running for president in 1959
• Older race still were elites
• Increase in Right wing parties
• Der Spiegel affair

Question 27

What was the Der Spiegel Affair?

Answer 27

1962

• Criticised German Defence
• Government tried to silence media by raiding offices and arresting journalists
• Provoked outcry and reminiscent of dictatorship

Question 28

When was the DDR formed?

Answer 28

1949

Question 29

Parliament role in DDR

Answer 29

• Volkskammer
• represent people
• Not democratically elected
• Seats allocated before election

Question 30

Upper House in DDR

Answer 30

• Landerkammer

- Represented 5 regions

Question 31

President role in DDR

Answer 31

-Wilhelm Pieck

Question 32

Prime Minister role in DDR

Answer 32

-Otto Grotewohl

Question 33

The 1953 Rising Events

Answer 33

• Workers on building project demanded end to increased working hours for no more pay
• Called a strike - wanted removal of Ulbricht(Secretary)
• Ulbricht called in troops so they dispersed
• Unrest Continued

Question 34

The 1953 Rising Causes

Answer 34

• tightening of borders
• enforced collectivism of agriculture
• Gov. demands for increase productivity

Question 35

The 1953 Rising Consequences

Answer 35

• Increase in working hours ended
• More consumer good produced
• SED became more worried about potential unrest
• Ulbricht’s powers strengthened