Social change in the DDR Flashcards
What factors/events saw drastic changes to the social structure of East Germany in the period of 1963?
1)WW2 had an impact on the population structure, as many young men had been killed in fighting
2)a significant no of the pop, often skilled, geld to the West in the period before the building of the Berlin Wall
3)the nationalisation of both industry & land had an impact on the social composition of the new state
Who gained the most from the new political system / social change?
peasants, the working class and women
What did peasants gain from the DDR?
they gained land, but were forced to join a collective
better educational opportunities
What did the WC gain from the DDR?
more opportunities for higher education
loyal workers could be rewarded with promotion or given opportunity to manage factories
What did women gain from the DDR?
many became doctors
women had better maternity care, creches etc to allow women to work
What social changes were there in the DDR?
(headers)
Education & Youth
Mass Organisations
Women/workers/peasants
Religion & the churches
Standard of living (housing, consumer goods)
What did mass organisations allow?
allowed the regime to control every aspect of people’s lives + ensure that the views of the party dominated virtually every waking moment
What are examples of mass organisations in the DDR?
-The Free German Trade Union League
-Democratic Women’s League of Germany
-League of Culture
-The Society for Sports and Technology
-The German-Soviet Friendship Society
What was the Free German Trade Union League (FDGB) ?
virtually every adult member was a male
it organised workers’ holidays, but also looked after their interests
although it was run by the state, it was controlled by the party
What was the Democratic Women’s League?
the mass organisation for women
What was the League of Culture?
looked after a wide range of cultural pursuits
many intellectuals support this since they saw it as a way to establish an anti-fascist state
What was the Society for Sports and Technology?
provided sporting opportunities, also used as preparation for military service
What was the German-Soviet friendship society?
aimed to improve relations with Russia & reinforced the idea that it was the Soviets who had liberated Germany from fascism
Why was the existing school system abolished?
because it upheld old bourgeois views + was replaced by a system that would build up a new socialist society
What were the aims of the new education system in the DDR?
all children would be given the same opportunities
an emphasis on technical skills
the development of close links with factories or sport
the provision of practical work experience
What was introduced in 1946?
(education)
‘The Law for the Democratisation of German Schools’ introduced in 1946
What did ‘The Law for the Democratisation of German Schools’ provide for?
the abolition of private & religious schools
the expansion of pre-schools
a centralised curriculum
the introduction of new textbooks
What was one of the most significant changes to education?
the introduction of ‘polytechnic education’
When was polytechnic education introduced?
after 1956
What were the features of polytechnic education?
the establishment of polytechnic upper schools from the ages 6-16, with opportunity of two further years’ of schooling
a curriculum that had an emphasis on science & technology, but also ideological indoctrination
compulsory practical work experience one day per week
sport + parliamentary training to raise fitness levels
the encouragement of adult education for those who had left school without qualifications
What were the positive impacts of changes to education?
(policies transformed East Germany)
Scholarships available for disadvantaged and university opened up to all. EG: 1946-1949 the number of students attending university went from 19% to 36%.
More opportunities for young generation who were willing to make political compromises + children from WC backgrounds
the standards in mathematics + science did eventually rise
What were the negative impacts of changes to education?
(policies didn’t transform East Germany)
A school could though block the advancement of those they considered less committed to the political system
the professional & aristocratic classes were often discriminated against, but did force them to conform
Other than education, how else were the youth controlled?
through youth organisations
What youth organisations were there?
The Free German Youth Organisation (FDI)
The Ernst Thälmann Young Pioneers
The Ernst Thälmann Pioneers
Jungendweihe
Who was the Free German Youth Organisation for?
(age group)
14-25 year olds
Who was the Ernst Thälmann Young Pioneers for?
(age group)
6-10 years
Who was the Ernst Thälmann Pioneers for?
(age group)
10-14 years
What was the Jungendweihe ?
Youth Dedication Service
It was imposed on the young in 1954
involved a commitment to Marxist views
How many members did the FDJ have by 1950?
3 million members by 1950
Why were youth organisations not a total success?
not all were won over to the state views
What were the negative impacts of youth organisations?
(policies not transforming East Germany)
not all supported the state views and some attracted to Western culture. (rock n roll eg: Cult of Elvis Presley). Alternative youth culture shows lack of impact of GDR policies on youth
The State could block the advancement of those they considered less committed to the political system. Professional and aristocratic classes often discriminated against
What statistics show that East German society was still deeply religious at the end of the war?
there were some 15 million Protestants and 1 million Catholics
What was the SED’s aim in terms of religion + churches?
they wanted religion to wither away
Why did the Eastern zone initially appear to exempt the Church from the radical changes to society that were brought in?
church land was not taken + churches were left to run their own internal affairs
When was the Law for the Democratisation of German Schools introduced?
in 1946
What did the Law for the Democratisation of German Schools do?
removed religious instruction from the curriculum
What did the SED begin in the early 1950s?
a campaign against the members of Protestant Church youth groups
made it increasingly difficult for its members to remain at school, take their higher qualifications + go on to uni
What was the most notable attack?
(on religion)
in 1954, the imposition of the Youth Dedication Service
the Church condemned such a service as it involved a commitment to the atheist state + was seen as incompatible with confirmation and the commitment to God
Why did young people face a dilemma?
(religion)
refusing to join resulted in discrimination at school & prevented post-compulsory education and a professional career
What did the church initially do? (reaction to those who joined the Youth Dedication Service)
threatened those who joined the service with eternal damnation,
but by the end of the 1950s, they had been forced to give away + accept that the dedication did not contradict Christian teachings
As the period progressed, and following Stasi infiltration, what was the Church forced into?
a working agreement with the state
How did the policies that impacted religion, transform East Germany?
After 1946 religious education removed from the curriculum with the ‘Law for the Democratisation of German Schools’.
1952-53 state campaign against Junge Gemeinde, the Protestant youth group
Church increasingly forced into a working agreement with the state
How did the policies that impacted religious, NOT transform East Germany?
Initially the Church avoided the changes brought in by the SED eg: Church land not seized, ministers no de-Nazified or removed from office and churches ran their own internal affairs.
How did the GDR’s social policies towards women, transform East Germany?
Encouraged women to enter education. EG: 1953 to 1961 the number of women in education increased from 31% to 36%. - Many became doctors
More support with provision of maternity care, creches etc to allow women to work part-time. (more freedom compared to Nazi period)
Democratic Women’s League of Germany formed – mass organisation for women.
How many women entered education in 1953?
31%
How many women entered education in 1961?
36%
How did GDR’s social policies towards women NOT transform East Germany?
Life for women didn’t improve in every respect eg: due to labour shortages women were forced to take unskilled, low paid jobs – there were still gender divisions.
1947 – pensions for widows were removed.
Inequalities still remained.
How did GDR’s social polices towards peasants transform East Germany?
Gained land
Farmers given access to better machinery to work the farms
More educational opportunities available
How did GDR’s social policies towards peasants NOT transform East Germany?
forced to join a collective – under state control. By 1962 85% of farms had been collectivised though many resisted and left for the West
How did the GDR’s policies towards the workers NOT transform East Germany?
Many moved to the West
Rationing didn’t end until 1958
the system was unable to enforce total conformity
Early plans saw little emphasis on consumer goods so living standards improved only slowly
How did the GDR’s polices towards the workers transform East Germany?
moved towards being a classless society
Industrial expansion gave greater work opportunities – more jobs available
Promotion available for workers loyal to the party – opportunity to manage factories & production
