The System of Government

Question 1

Council of Ministers and Volkskammer

Answer 1

Council of Ministers - head = Minister-President, ministers elected to supposedly represent all parties
Volkskammer - aka the People’s Chamber / Parliament, elected by secret ballot and proportional representation

Question 2

Landerkammer

Answer 2

Could veto legislation but volkskammer could override this

Question 3

Political control

Answer 3

Police state from inception - Ministry of State Security / Stasi est. 1950, duties deliberately vague. Reported only to Politburo of SED. Roles: detect opposition, provide state security, espionage abroad
Soviet Control Commission answers to Minister-President
1949 Constitution - gave equal rights and personal liberty, but Articles 6 and 8 allowed state to restrict this - Supreme Court given power to interpret Articles 6 and 8 how they chose.
1968 Constitution - emphasised role of SED in socialism
1974 Constitution - emphasised ties with USSR

Question 4

Elections in the GDR

Answer 4

1st elections = 1950, 99.7% approval rate. Single list of candidates to reject or approve.
National Front for a Democratic Germany (est 1950) controlled elections - most non-SED members rejected.
Climate of fear due to purges - Hist Grieder: link between support for state and welfare provision shows electoral bribery

Question 5

Dominance of SED - purges

Answer 5

Stasi grew eightfold 1950-52, arrested potential opponents - people who had visited W (contamination w/ capitalist attitudes), people who supported Zionism (copying USSR anti-semitic policies - few Jews = easy targets, often associated w/ capitalism)
Arrests often arbitrary - included accusations of association w/ Noel Field (Sov spy working for US State Department in 1930s, suspected of being a double agent)
No show trials - were happening in other Comm countries but GDR too close to W- journalists could infiltrate and cover trials

Question 6

Dominance of SED - governance structure

Answer 6

Ulbricht - Secretary General. Hard-working and observant, known as the father of the GDR
Emphasis on central government - SED governed by Central Committee / Politburo
Party believed socialism was inevitable

Question 7

Dominance of SED over the state

Answer 7

Council of Ministers had to comply with SED, Vokskammer rubber-stamping SED proposals 
SED dominated public sector - increased employment of working class to 49% in 1940s - used higher education and binded officials to communist system

Question 8

The construction of Socialism

Answer 8

Attempts to make united DE under socialism failed- Stalin accepts GDR’s progression to Communism. Gave permission 1950.
3rd SED Party Congress 1950 - Ulbricht: task of the state is destroying resistance of capitalists and landowners- construct socialism
1952 - five Lander dissolved- fifteen Bezirke- guise of democracy at all levels and increasing control of SED and centralism
SED effectively in control, Ulbricht as Secretary-General of SED and Deputy Minister-President