What Happened In The East German Workers Uprising Of 1953 Flashcards
What were the causes of the Uprising?
East German people were fed up with the intimidation of the churches, state control of the media and education, suppression of the Stasi to the opposition of Communism, high taxation and food shortages.
What was the catalyst to the uprising?
Stalin’s death in 1953 meant many people were no longer in fear of the Russians.
How many workers protested throughout East Berlin?
300,000
What were the three ways in which the uprising failed?
Russian intervention, Lack of co-ordination, No Western Intervention
How did Russian Intervention lead to its failure?
Walter Ulbricht declared a state of emergency requesting Russian tanks to come and crush the uprising which they did.
How was a lack of co-ordination a reason for its failure?
As the uprising was spontaneous there was no clear plan and very few weapons
How was no western intervention a reason for its failure?
Demonstrators hoped that they would receive help from the West but they did not send any physical support just verbal
How did East Germany respond to the uprising?
They:
- Purged the Party
- The Stasi
- Concessions
How many people were purged from the ruling SED?
20,000 members
What changes were made to the stasi?
They were given increased power and increased agents to sniff out and crush any rebellion
How could Concessions be used as an argument to show how the uprising had some successes?
The government listened to some of the uprisings problems and slight lowering of taxes and increasing the number of consumer goods allowed in the country
