Nazi Germany - The Divided Germany - Federal Republic and DDR 1949-1963 Flashcards
What year was Adenauer appointed Chancellor?
August 1949
What was Basic Law?
Freedom of expression
Representative Democracy
Split into Bundestag and Bundesrat
Was to be in place until Germany was united
What was Representative Democracy?
votes every couple of years - kept power in hands of elite
Removes chance of dictatorship
What was the Federal State?
Individual states kept much power over regional issues
Bundesrat?
Upper Chamber - Federal State
Bundestag?
Lower Chamber - more complex, needed 5% of vote to be represented
Pros of having Basic Law?
No extremist parties
Parliament chosen by representative convention - powers of president limited
chancellor appointed by president but needed parliamentary approval
Why did the Number of parties decrease overtime in West Germany?
- constitution banned far-right and far-left parties
- From 1953 - parties needed 5% of vote
- Many small parties joined CDU
CDU?
- Christian Democrats
- Supported Capitalism, wanted to protect vulnerable
- Supported Welfare State
- Ahlen Programme - Christian traditions
SPD?
- Traditionalist Socialist Party
- Appealed to Workers
- formed by Working Class
- Wanted social justice
Why was there a economical miracle in the West?
- 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
Evidence for economic miracle?
All Industry goods
1951 - 109.6%
1959 - 179.8%
What was the Marshall Aid?
- 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
How did the Korean War boost economy in Germany?
- 1950-1953
- Goods from Ruhr
- Other nations could not get materials so boosted Germany
What happened in October 1949 to help Economic Integration?
-West Germany joint OEEC and received Marshall Aid
What happened in April 1951 to help Economic Integration?
- West Germany joined ECSC (Coal and Steel)
- Franco-German under common authority
- Removed foreign control over West Germany
- Helped Reconciliation with France
What happened in 1957 to help Economic Integration?
-West Germany signed Treaty of Rome
-(Established european economic community)
Also Joined
-EURATOM which increased trust and success of Adenauer policies
What was the Council of Europe?
- Established in 1948
- Adenauer joined and stated that they ‘were not part of Soviet Russia’
- reassured France
Adenauer and military integration?
- NATO established 1949
- Asked West Germany to contribute forces to Korean War
Successes of Adenauer’s foreign policies?
+ W.Germany achieved rapprochement(relation) with France
+ Germany’s reputation rebuilt
+ POW(Prisoners of War) returned from Russia 1955
+ Joined OEEC, ECSC, EEC, NATO
Failures of Adenauer’s foreign policies?
- Never able to reconcile the USSR to German Rearmament
- The rebuilding of German Society, Economy and Army created fear
What was the Impact of WW2 on West Germany?
- Cities were damaged
- 25% of population was Fatherless
- Women forced to work cheap labour
- 12-13million refugees from the east
What was the 1952 Equalisation of Burden Act?
- Introduced Tax on Property
- Funds redistributed to people who need it the most
How did Adenauer try to build a ‘Affluent Society’
- 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
Reintegration of Former Nazis?
- Helped aid post War
- De-nazification meaningless
- Nazi’s regained jobs through law 131
- Nazi pensions still be claimed
Decline of Adenauer?
- Removed himself from running for president in 1959
- Older race still were elites
- Increase in Right wing parties
- Der Spiegel affair
What was the Der Spiegel Affair?
1962
- Criticised German Defence
- Government tried to silence media by raiding offices and arresting journalists
- Provoked outcry and reminiscent of dictatorship
When was the DDR formed?
1949
Parliament role in DDR
- Volkskammer
- represent people
- Not democratically elected
- Seats allocated before election
Upper House in DDR
- Landerkammer
- Represented 5 regions
President role in DDR
-Wilhelm Pieck
Prime Minister role in DDR
-Otto Grotewohl
The 1953 Rising Events
- 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
The 1953 Rising Causes
- tightening of borders
- enforced collectivism of agriculture
- Gov. demands for increase productivity
The 1953 Rising Consequences
- Increase in working hours ended
- More consumer good produced
- SED became more worried about potential unrest
- Ulbricht’s powers strengthened
