Theme B

Question 1

What and when was the NES?

Answer 1

New Economic System
1963-68
Bit of marketisation- improving efficiency by reducing central planning, increasing initiative and technology
Supported by Ulbricht

Question 2

What were V VBs?

Answer 2

Associations of National Enterprises
Were responsible for a particular industry
Emphasised science and tech

Question 3

Why, what, and when was the ESS?

Answer 3

SED Congress in August 1967 the NES was basically renamed the Economic System of Socialism
Khrushchev’s successors didn’t like the NES
Conflict between central planners and actual production continued

Question 4

By how much did private consumption rise 1965-70?

Answer 4

By 24%- a success for the ESS

Question 5

When did GDR join COMECON? What did this mean?

Answer 5

1950
Dominated by USSR
Sofia principle- all countries had to share their tech
GDR became dependent on USSR’s supply of raw materials
GDR was responsible for production of heavy plant machinery and motor vehicles, skewing consumer/heavy goods balance

Question 6

How much of the USSR’s machinery imports were provided by the GDR?

Answer 6

1/4

Question 7

What was the effect of the Oil Crisis?

Answer 7

1973
USSR had to devote more of its oil resources internally
Less oil went to GDR
GDR had to rely on ‘brown coal’, much worse for the environment

Question 8

What were Kombinate?

How many were there, with how many employees by 1958?

Answer 8

Tried to expand enterprises into larger units

132 with up to 25,000 employees each by 1958

Question 9

By 1975, what % 25-30yos were classed as skilled workers?

What proportion of these were in a job unsuitable for their skills?

Answer 9

80%

20% (of that 80%)

Question 10

In the 1989s, by how much did the price of GDR imports and exports rise?

Answer 10

Imports- 34%

Exports- 17%

Question 11

What was Honecker’s Main Task?

Answer 11

Unity of Social and Economic Policy

Focus on increasing quality of life, unifying communism with consumerism!

Question 12

When was possession of Western currency decriminalised?

Answer 12

1974

Question 13

Which older Prussian heroes were revived in the 1980s?

Answer 13

Frederick the Great, Luther, Bismarck

Question 14

When did Willy Brandt become FRG Chancellor?

When did he become the first FRG leader to visit the GDR?

Answer 14

1969

1970- he visited Erfurt

Question 15

When did Adenauer start the Hallstein Doctrine?

Answer 15

1955

Question 16

What and when was the Four-Power Treaty?

Answer 16

1971
Signed by Br, Fr, USA, USSR
Formalised status of Berlin

Question 17

When and what was the Basic Treaty?

Answer 17

1972
GDR and FRG officially recognised each other’s existence
Allowed travel FRG->GDR but not the other way

Question 18

How many West Germans could visit East Germany by 1973?

Answer 18

Over 2 million

Question 19

What was the Geneva Summit?

Answer 19

‘Superficial’ ease of relations?

Question 20

When did Honecker launch his No Taboos policy? When did this end?

Answer 20

December 1971

Ended in 1976 with the exile of Wolf Biermann

Question 21

When was the Bitterfeld Conference?

Answer 21

April 1959

Encouraged merging of artists and workers

Question 22

What happened at the 11th Plenum?

Answer 22

1965
Attacks on writers and artists
Ended 1963-65 period of cultural liberalisation

Question 23

What happened with the demarcation policy?

Answer 23

1973- tried to dissuade WGs from visiting GDR
Doubled amount of currency WGs had to exchange for OM when visiting
1974- no. of visiting WBerliners fell by 1/3