Timeline: events in East Germany 1945-1991 Flashcards
Founding of the Free German Youth
March 1946
Amalgamation of the KPD and SPD=SED in Soviet occupied zone/East Berlin
April 1946
Elections to state parliaments in the Soviet zone
October 1946
Elections to the Third German People’s Congress in the Soviet Zone
May 1949
Establishment of the German Democratic Republic (GDR)
October 1949
Ministry of State Security established in the GDR
Febuary 1950
GDR joins the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON)
September 1950
Decision for the Second Party Congress of the SED concerning the planned building of Socialism in the GDR
July 1952
Division of the Lander in the GDR into 14 districts and 217 countries
July 1952
Uprising in East Berlin and East Germany
June 1953
Declaration by USSR recognising sovreignty of GDR
March 1954
Founding of the Warsaw pact, including GDR
May 1955
Decision by the People’s chamber to set up a ‘National People’s Army’
January 1956
Following death of Wilhelm Peck, Council of the State of the GDR is established under chairmanship of Walter Ulbricht
September 1960
Building of Berlin wall
August 1961
Economic conference of the SED and Council of Ministers concerning the ‘New Economic System of Planning and Guidance’
June 1963
Willi Stoph becomes chairman of the GDR Council of Ministers following the death of Otto Grotewohl
September 1964
Erich Honecker replaces Walter Ulbrich as Secretary General of the SED central committee
May 1971
Establishment of diplomatic relations between the GDR and America
September 1974
Wolf Biermann deprived of East German citizenship
November 1976
Erich Honecker, Chairman of the Council of State of the GDR, visits the FRG
September 1987
40th anniversary of the founding of the GDR
October 1989
Mass demonstrations in Lepzig for reform and democracy
October 1989 (same day as 40th anniversary celebrations)
Erich Honecker is replaced as the General Secretary of the SED
October 1989
Berlin wall is opened, GDR citizens may now travel freely
November 1989
First democratic elections of the People’s Chamber of the GDR
March 1990