GDR STUDY GUIDE WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTION
Yalta - ANSWER -divide Germany into 4 zones
-Poland given land to compensate for the USSR keeping land from Poland in
1939
Postsdam - ANSWER -denazification
-demilitarisation
-deindustrialisation= help pay reparations
-democratisation
Soviet Zone popuation - ANSWER -19 million 1947
-women to men 1.35:1
-for every 100 working people 58 who were not
-lot of young and elderly people; high dependency ratio
Stalin's view fro Germany - ANSWER -no desire to become a communist
republic
-wanted to reunite Germany
-'anti-facist democracy' = hoping to deploy German communist under Soviet
administration
Soviet Military Administration - ANSWER -created June 1945
,-50,000 Soviet and German members
-responsible for 4 areas : military affairs, economy, civil administration and
political question
Merger of KPD and SPD - ANSWER -created SED
-bigger party to win elections
-by 1948 summer 0.2 million members
-couldn't win elections in 1946 SED won less than 20% of the popular vote
Eradication of Nazism - ANSWER -former party members sent to
concentration camps ; 43,000 died in camps from 1945-49
-September 1945 Land reforms; 33% of useful agriculture land was taken, 2
million heaters was redistributed
-October 1945 Confiscation of property
-Education was opened up to the working class; in 1945 working class 3% of
university vs 58% in 1950
Reparations payments - ANSWER -54 billion Ostmarks
-dismantelling industrial plants, actual money payments
-reparations to keep Germany weak
-suffered 29% loss in wartime capacity
Western zones co-operation - ANSWER -Bizonia in 1946
-Trizonia 1949
-two distinct Germany's
,-March 1948 Russian representatives left ACC over plans of new currency
-FRG in May 1949
Berlin Blockade - ANSWER -2,325,808 tons flown into Berlin
-blockade failed and showed how the West could not abandon Berlin
System of government - ANSWER -Volkskammer, parliment, represented by
proportional representation
-Landkammer represented the 5 states of the GDR and determined policy at
Land level
Political control - ANSWER Article 6 and 8 gave authorities full power
-Supreme Court 1949 given authority to implement article 6
-Central commission for State control set up to investigate those felt to pose
any threat to the regime
-Ministry of state security 1950 = all powerful
Purges in 1950's - ANSWER -stasi grew 8x 1950-52
-began arresting potential opponents; anti-semetic policy
-no show trials too close to west
-trials were in secret led to arrest and exile
SED domination - ANSWER -council of ministers (Volskammer) had to
comply with SED decisions
-SED dominated public sector jobs 49% by 1950 had working class
backgrounds
, -emphasis on ideological purity as much as administrative efficency
SED's governance - ANSWER -SED was governed by Politburo; emphasis on
central control
-in July 1952 Lander dissolved to be replaced by 15 regional organisations;
growing centralisation in guise of greater democracy
-constitution of rights was an illusion, true power resided with the SED
Socialist economic planning - ANSWER -1950 state planning
-drew u 5 yr plans
-government could harness economy for its perceived needs
-social rather than personal needs
-economic rules of supply and demand not considered
Aim of First 5 Year Plan - ANSWER -develop heavy industry
-increase living standards
-overtake FRG living standards
-projected 60% increase in national income
Success of the First 5 Year Plan - ANSWER -iron rose by 40x
-steel expanded over 2.5x
at the expense of living standards
-problem of over emphasis on heavy industry exacerbated by membership of
COMECON
Problems with early centeral planning - ANSWER -state deficit 700 million
COMPLETE SOLUTION
Yalta - ANSWER -divide Germany into 4 zones
-Poland given land to compensate for the USSR keeping land from Poland in
1939
Postsdam - ANSWER -denazification
-demilitarisation
-deindustrialisation= help pay reparations
-democratisation
Soviet Zone popuation - ANSWER -19 million 1947
-women to men 1.35:1
-for every 100 working people 58 who were not
-lot of young and elderly people; high dependency ratio
Stalin's view fro Germany - ANSWER -no desire to become a communist
republic
-wanted to reunite Germany
-'anti-facist democracy' = hoping to deploy German communist under Soviet
administration
Soviet Military Administration - ANSWER -created June 1945
,-50,000 Soviet and German members
-responsible for 4 areas : military affairs, economy, civil administration and
political question
Merger of KPD and SPD - ANSWER -created SED
-bigger party to win elections
-by 1948 summer 0.2 million members
-couldn't win elections in 1946 SED won less than 20% of the popular vote
Eradication of Nazism - ANSWER -former party members sent to
concentration camps ; 43,000 died in camps from 1945-49
-September 1945 Land reforms; 33% of useful agriculture land was taken, 2
million heaters was redistributed
-October 1945 Confiscation of property
-Education was opened up to the working class; in 1945 working class 3% of
university vs 58% in 1950
Reparations payments - ANSWER -54 billion Ostmarks
-dismantelling industrial plants, actual money payments
-reparations to keep Germany weak
-suffered 29% loss in wartime capacity
Western zones co-operation - ANSWER -Bizonia in 1946
-Trizonia 1949
-two distinct Germany's
,-March 1948 Russian representatives left ACC over plans of new currency
-FRG in May 1949
Berlin Blockade - ANSWER -2,325,808 tons flown into Berlin
-blockade failed and showed how the West could not abandon Berlin
System of government - ANSWER -Volkskammer, parliment, represented by
proportional representation
-Landkammer represented the 5 states of the GDR and determined policy at
Land level
Political control - ANSWER Article 6 and 8 gave authorities full power
-Supreme Court 1949 given authority to implement article 6
-Central commission for State control set up to investigate those felt to pose
any threat to the regime
-Ministry of state security 1950 = all powerful
Purges in 1950's - ANSWER -stasi grew 8x 1950-52
-began arresting potential opponents; anti-semetic policy
-no show trials too close to west
-trials were in secret led to arrest and exile
SED domination - ANSWER -council of ministers (Volskammer) had to
comply with SED decisions
-SED dominated public sector jobs 49% by 1950 had working class
backgrounds
, -emphasis on ideological purity as much as administrative efficency
SED's governance - ANSWER -SED was governed by Politburo; emphasis on
central control
-in July 1952 Lander dissolved to be replaced by 15 regional organisations;
growing centralisation in guise of greater democracy
-constitution of rights was an illusion, true power resided with the SED
Socialist economic planning - ANSWER -1950 state planning
-drew u 5 yr plans
-government could harness economy for its perceived needs
-social rather than personal needs
-economic rules of supply and demand not considered
Aim of First 5 Year Plan - ANSWER -develop heavy industry
-increase living standards
-overtake FRG living standards
-projected 60% increase in national income
Success of the First 5 Year Plan - ANSWER -iron rose by 40x
-steel expanded over 2.5x
at the expense of living standards
-problem of over emphasis on heavy industry exacerbated by membership of
COMECON
Problems with early centeral planning - ANSWER -state deficit 700 million
