The former Nazi Germany was divided into several. Austria left the empire. Alsace and Lorraine returned to French rule. Czechoslovakia got back the Sudetenland. Statehood was restored in Luxembourg.
Part of the territory of Poland, annexed by the Germans in 1939, returned to its composition. The eastern part of Prussia was divided between the USSR and Poland.
The rest of Germany was divided by the Allies into four zones of occupation, which were controlled by Soviet, British, American and military authorities. The countries that took part in the occupation of German lands agreed to pursue a coordinated policy, the main principles of which were the denazification and demilitarization of the former German Empire.
Education Germany
A few years later, in 1949, on the territory of the American, British and French zones of occupation, the FRG was proclaimed - the Federal Republic of Germany, which became Bonn. Western politicians thus planned to create in this part of Germany a state built on a capitalist model, which could become a springboard for a possible war with the communist regime.
The Americans did a lot for the new bourgeois German state. Thanks to this support, Germany quickly began to turn into an economically developed power. In the 1950s, there was even talk of the "German economic miracle."
The country needed cheap labor, the main source of which was Turkey.
How did the German Democratic Republic come into being?
The response to the creation of the FRG was the proclamation of the constitution of another German republic - the GDR. This happened in October 1949, five months after the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany. In this way, the Soviet state decided to resist the aggressive intentions of the former allies and create in Western Europe a kind of bulwark of socialism.
The constitution of the German Democratic Republic proclaimed democratic freedoms to its citizens. This document also consolidated the leading role of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. For a long time, the Soviet Union provided political and economic assistance to the government of the GDR.
However, in terms of industrial growth rates, the GDR, which embarked on the socialist path of development, lagged significantly behind its western neighbor. But that didn't stop East Germany become a developed industrial country, where agriculture also developed intensively. After a series of turbulent democratic transformations in the GDR, the unity of the German nation was restored; on October 3, 1990, the FRG and the GDR became a single state.
Story
Prerequisites for creation
World-historic victory anti-Hitler coalition, the main force of which was the Soviet Union, over German fascism in the 2nd World War of 1939-45 created the prerequisites for the democratization of the social and political life of Germany. These prerequisites were fully implemented on the territory of the future GDR. However, one very important mistake was made here, which would later become one of the reasons for the disappearance of the GDR -. Under the leadership of the SED, the working class, in alliance with other sections of the working people, with the full support and assistance of the Soviet military administration, which consistently carried out the decisions of the Potsdam Conference, carried out profound revolutionary transformations, rooted out fascism and militarism, and established an anti-fascist-democratic order.
War criminals and active Nazis were removed from their posts and brought to justice. The National Socialist Party and its organizations were disbanded (whereas in the FRG most of the high-ranking Nazis retained their posts). About 9.3 thousand industrial enterprises that belonged to monopolies, Nazis and war criminals was confiscated and transferred to the ownership of the people. Almost all railway transport was nationalized, people's banks were created instead of capitalist ones, as well as state and cooperative institutions. The people's sector emerged in the economy. In agriculture, an agrarian reform was carried out, which eliminated the landowner-Junker landownership. Local self-government bodies confiscated 13.7 thousand farms with a total area of 3.3 million hectares, transferring 2.2 million hectares to landless and land-poor peasants. On the rest of the confiscated lands, people's estates were created.
Creation of the GDR
Ruling circles Western powers, together with the West German big bourgeoisie, which was supported by the right-wing leaders of the Social Democracy, in violation of the decisions of the Potsdam Conference, set a course for the revival of German militarism. The German monopolies and the Western occupation authorities stepped up their offensive against the democratic forces in the direction of a complete split of the country. Its completion was the formation in September 1949 of a separate West German state - the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). On October 7, 1949, the working people of eastern Germany proclaimed the German Democratic Republic. The German People's Council (established in March 1948 by the German People's Congress) was transformed into a provisional People's Chamber; it put into effect the constitution of the GDR, the draft of which was discussed and approved by the people in 1948-49. On October 11, 1949, the provisional parliament elected a sincere communist, one of the founders, as president of the GDR. On October 12, the Provisional Government of the GDR headed by O. Grotewohl was formed. The creation of the GDR was important historical event in the life of the German people, a turning point in the history of Germany. The formation of the GDR was a natural result of the anti-fascist-democratic revolution, the response of the progressive forces of the German people to the split of Germany by the Western powers, and the West German reaction. The GDR was the legitimate heir to the best historical traditions of the German people, the embodiment of the freedom-loving and socialist ideals of its best sons.
Residential complex (Berlin)
The Soviet government transferred to the GDR the control functions that belonged to the Soviet military administration. In 1949, they recognized the GDR, establishing diplomatic relations with it; Yugoslavia established diplomatic relations with the GDR in 1957, and Cuba in 1963.
Socialist transformations
The formation of the GDR was a decisive milestone in the process of the peaceful and gradual development of the anti-fascist-democratic revolution into a socialist one.
With the emergence of the GDR, along with the strengthening of the anti-fascist-democratic order, the process of creating the foundations of socialism began in it. Under the leadership of the SED, the working class, in alliance with the peasantry and other sections of the working people, carried out the transition from the anti-fascist-democratic state power to the worker-peasant power as a form of proletarian dictatorship, the 2nd conference of the SED (July 1952) proclaimed building the foundations of socialism the main task of the GDR. In building a new society, the GDR relied on the experience and comprehensive assistance of the USSR.
Metallurgical plant "Ost"
The GDR had to overcome difficulties associated primarily with the split of the country. The ruling circles of the FRG exercised the strongest political and economic pressure on the GDR, conducted subversive activities against it and organized numerous provocations. Also, the development of the country was hindered by a dangerous internal enemy - many former Social Democrats who ended up in the party as a result of the unification of the SPD and the KPD wanted only one thing - the speedy restoration of bourgeois orders in the country. It was they who played a decisive role in the destruction of the GDR.
Measures were taken to improve the work of state bodies and to involve the broad masses of workers in government. In September 1960, the State Council was created from the deputies of the People's Chamber, representatives of the SED, democratic parties and mass organizations, whose chairman was Walter Ulbricht (at that time the first secretary of the SED Central Committee).
In an effort to ensure their state interests, as well as the security of other socialist countries and to stop the subversive activities carried out from West Berlin, the GDR, with the agreement and approval of the states Warsaw Pact, carried out in August 1961 the necessary measures to strengthen security and control on the border with West Berlin. This had a beneficial effect on the entire further development of the GDR.
Infantry of the National People's Army
In conditions of immediate danger to the GDR created by the remilitarization of the FRG, the working people of the GDR resolutely came out in favor of taking measures to defend the socialist gains. For this purpose, it was formed in 1956.
The 7th Congress of the SED, held in April 1967, determined the further tasks of the country in creating a developed socialist society. On April 6, 1968, a new, socialist one was adopted by a popular referendum. Main goals perspective plan have been met and partially exceeded.
With the establishment of workers' and peasants' power and the building of a socialist society, a socialist nation develops in the GDR. In 1969, the GDR celebrated its 20th anniversary. For 20 years, the volume of industrial production in the GDR has grown 5 times, the national income - more than 4 times.
The SED and the government of the GDR made great efforts for the all-round strengthening of the world socialist community. The GDR has repeatedly taken the initiative in developing ties between the socialist countries, in improving the forms and methods of political, economic and military cooperation among the socialist states, and in strengthening the coordination of their actions in the international arena.
Unification with Germany
By 1990, the situation in the GDR had become critical. The policy of perestroika carried out in was a blow to all countries of the socialist camp. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl demanded Gorbachev's assistance in the unification of Germany. Gorbachev agreed. "Assistance in unification" consisted in the fact that he ceased to provide the GDR with all support - economic and political. The Democratic Republic found itself alone, in the ring of enemies, and without allies. Here the Social Democrats did their job, waiting in the wings for forty years. They, taking advantage of their high position, launched a powerful propaganda, convincing the population of the need for "unification". By "unification" they understood the entry of the GDR into the FRG. The government of West Germany, relying on the Eastern Social Democrats, demanded "unification". It indicated that without the help of the allies, the GDR would not last long. A difficult choice arose - either to maintain independence and worker-peasant power, but doom their citizens to starvation, or to lose independence and give all of East Germany into the hands of the bourgeoisie, but save the country from famine, which would come, because most countries imposed trade sanctions against GDR. it was a pity to lose the first workers' state in Germany, but he could not doom his citizens to starvation, and at 00:00 CET on October 3, 1990, the GDR became part of the FRG.
The forced unification of the two Germanys had sad consequences for the people. Many social programs carried out in Germany were curtailed. Most of the East German enterprises were closed or privatized, the workers were on the street. The army of the GDR was disbanded, the soldiers were sent to serve in, and the officers were fired, and they were deprived of military and civilian pensions. The fate of Erich himself is sad - the German government, having abandoned its promises, issued an arrest warrant. He had to flee to Moscow, where he became a "personal guest" of President M. S. Gorbachev. However, after some time, Gorbachev demanded that they leave the country within three days. He took refuge in the Chilean embassy in Moscow. July 30, 1992 was expelled from Russia to Germany. The prosecution against him was dropped due to his poor health. He emigrated to Chile, where he died of cancer in the city of Santiago de Chile on May 29, 1994.
Political system
Shipyard in Rostock
1948-1968
The GDR was, according to the constitution of 1949, a bourgeois-democratic state that carried out socialist transformations. People's democracy was the form of government. The German Democratic Republic had a bicameral parliament. The lower house - the People's Chamber - was elected by universal direct secret suffrage, the upper house - the House of Lands - was formed through the Landtags. The head of state is the President. The executive body is the government, consisting of the prime minister and ministers appointed by the largest faction of the People's Chamber.
The territory of the German Democratic Republic was divided into lands, lands into districts, districts into communities. The legislative bodies of the lands were the Landtags, the executive bodies were the Zemstvo governments (Landesregierung), consisting of prime ministers and ministers.
1968-1990
According to the constitution of 1968 (as amended in 1974), the GDR was a socialist republic. All political power in the GDR was carried out by the working people. The highest body of state power is the People's Chamber, which, according to the constitution, included 500 deputies elected by the population for 4 years on the basis of free, universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot. All political parties and major public organizations GDR. The competence of the People's Chamber was to determine, through decisions and laws, the development goals of the GDR, the rules for cooperation between citizens, associations and state bodies, as well as their tasks in the implementation of plans community development. The People's Chamber had the exclusive right to adopt the constitution and laws; she elected the chairman and members of the State Council, the chairman and members of the government (Council of Ministers), the chairman of the National Defense Council, members of the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General. In the period between sessions of the People's Chamber, the tasks arising from laws and decisions were carried out by the State Council (composed of the chairman, his deputies, members and secretary), which was responsible for its activities to the People's Chamber. The State Council considered draft laws submitted to the People's Chamber, adopted decrees subject to approval by the People's Chamber, resolved issues of defense and security, and supervised the legality of the activities of the highest judicial bodies; has the right to amnesty and pardon, etc. The Chairman of the State Council represented the GDR in international relations and ratified state treaties, appointed and recalled representatives of the GDR in other states, etc. Members of the State Council, assuming office, took an oath before the People's Chamber, the text of which was established by the constitution. The right to vote was granted to all citizens over the age of 18.
The highest executive body of state power - the government (Council of Ministers), was elected by the People's Chamber for a period of 4 years, consisting of the chairman and members of the government. The Council of Ministers formed the Presidium from among its members.
Local government bodies in districts, districts, cities and communities are people's representatives elected by citizens who enjoy the right to vote. Each popular representation formed its own executive bodies - councils and commissions.
The judicial system of the GDR included the Supreme Court, district, district and public courts (courts elected on a production or territorial basis in the form of conflict or arbitration commissions). All judges, people's assessors and members of public courts were elected by popular representatives or directly by the population. Supervision over the observance of socialist legality was carried out by the prosecutor's office, headed by Attorney General GDR.
Economy
Neubrandenburg. House of Culture and Education
The GDR found itself cut off from the historically established bases for the supply of raw materials. The main deposits of coal, iron ore, and many non-ferrous metals were located in West Germany (in 1936, the territory now occupied by the FRG accounted for 98% of all-German coal mining and 93% of ferrous metallurgy). Major disproportions arose in the national economy of the GDR. Despite the difficulties, as a result of the labor activity of the working class, the 2-year plan for the restoration and development of the national economy for 1949-50 was completed ahead of schedule. The GDR surpassed the level of industrial development of the corresponding territories of pre-war Germany. The yield of the main agricultural crops reached the pre-war level. Further development of the economy took place on the basis of long-term plans. As a result of the 1st Five-Year Plan (1951-55), industrial production doubled the level of 1936; metallurgy and heavy engineering were created, and the extraction of brown coal and the production of chemical products expanded significantly.
Of great importance in the successes of the GDR was the support rendered to it by the USSR and other socialist countries. The Soviet Union significantly eased the financial and economic obligations of the GDR related to the consequences of World War II. In May 1950, the Soviet government halved the reparation payments of the GDR, and from 1954 it completely stopped collecting them. returned the GDR enterprises located on its territory free of charge, previously transferred to it as reparations, reduced the amount of expenses associated with the temporary stay of Soviet troops in the GDR to an amount not exceeding 5% of income state budget GDR (later the USSR completely abandoned these funds).
At the turn of 1955-56, a new stage began in the history of the GDR. During the implementation of the First Five-Year Plan, important foundations for socialism were laid. The question "who wins?" was decided in favor of the socialist forces, headed by the recognized leader of society - the working class.
Optical-mechanical enterprise "Carl Zeiss"
In March 1956, the 3rd Conference of the SED approved the 2nd Five-Year Plan for the Development of the National Economy (1956-60), the main task of which was the struggle for scientific and technological progress. The conference called for the extension of socialist production relations to all branches of the national economy. The conference established that socialist transformations could be carried out peacefully, through state participation in private capitalist enterprises and the creation of artisans' production cooperatives. The most important link was the socialist transformation Agriculture.
By the end of the 1950s, the socio-economic structure of the country had changed radically. The socialist sector has become decisive in industry, transport, and trade. Agricultural co-operation was successful. In the GDR, exploitation was put an end to, unemployment was completely eliminated. The moral and political unity of the people under the leadership of the working class has been strengthened. The activities of the National Front of Democratic Germany, which rallied under the leadership of the SED all progressive parties and mass organizations on the platform of peace, democratic reforms, and the construction of socialism, were of significant importance.
Thanks to the rapid growth of the national economy, the material well-being of the working people increased, and the network of hospitals, outpatient clinics, rest homes, and children's institutions expanded. A new, socialist culture was successfully developing; it was formed and strengthened in the process of overcoming the ideological layers of the past and the reactionary ideology spread by the West German imperialists.
The 6th Congress of the SED (January 1963) adopted the Program of the SED - a program for the full-scale construction of socialism. The congress outlined promising program development of the national economy through 1970, which provided for the solution of important scientific, technical, economic and social problems. Since 1963, began to take root new system planning and leadership national economy, which provides for further improvement of management and planning methods, the widespread use of the principles of material interest, the improvement of the structure of production, the combination of the principle of unity of command with the participation of labor collectives in the management of enterprises. Socialist emulation and the movement of innovators reached a large scale, making it possible to achieve a high level of labor productivity in all sectors of the economy.
Administrative-territorial division
The territory of the GDR corresponded to the current six federal states of Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin (East Berlin), Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia). In 1952, the country was officially divided into 14 districts with centers in the cities of the same name (since 1961, 15 districts):
Leipzig. Alter Markt square
- Galle County
- Gera County
- District of Dresden
- Suhl district
- District Karl-Marx-Stadt
- District of Cottbus
- District of Leipzig
- District of Magdeburg
- District of Neubrandenburg
- District of Potsdam
- Rostock County
- District of Frankfurt an der Oder
- District of Schwerin
- District of Erfurt
- In 1961, East Berlin became an independent district.
Nature
The territory of the GDR is located in the central part of Central Europe in the temperate zone. In the North, the country is washed by the Baltic Sea with alternating low and steep shores. The sea forms several bays (the Mecklenburg bay, branching into the Lübeck and Wismar bays; Greifswalder Bodden) and shallow lagoons, connected to the sea by narrow straits. The GDR owns a number of islands; the largest: Ryugen, Usedom ( West Side) and Pöl.
Relief
A large, northern part of the country's territory is occupied by the Central European Plain (altitude up to 150-200 m) with a predominance of accumulative glacial and water-glacial landforms, as well as the valleys separating them. The width of the plain is about 300 km in the east and about 200 km in the west. The northeastern part of the plain is an undulating lowland with moraine hills; to the south, the plain of the Mecklenburg Lake District (part of the Baltic ridge) extends with ridges of terminal moraines (the northern ridge, up to 179 m high). To the south (to the area located south of Berlin) stretches a strip of sandy (outland) low-lying plains with wide swampy ancient hollows, through which meltwater from Pleistocene glaciers and rivers flowed into the Elbe valley. The southern margin of the Central European Plain is the southern ridge of moraines - a strip of gently undulating Fleming and Lausitskaya uplands (up to 201 meters high), composed of sand and eroded moraine material, covered by loess. The southern regions of the country are occupied by medium-altitude mountains, strongly dissected by rivers: in the West - the eastern part of the Harz mountains, in the South-West - the Thuringian Forest, in the South - the northern slopes of the Ore Mountains with the highest peak in the GDR Fichtelberg (1213 m).
Geological structure and minerals
The southern part of the territory of the GDR belongs to the epi-Hercynian platform, in the formation of the folded basement of which structures of the Paleozoic and Precambrian age participate. In the northern part of the territory, the age of the folded basement has not been established, since it is submerged to a considerable depth (more than 5 km in places); According to seismic prospecting and drilling data (Rügen Island), the basement of the north of the country belongs to the Precambrian East European Platform and is probably heavily altered by Paleozoic folding. The cover of the Mesozoic and Neogene platform in the north is composed of gently dipping layers of sedimentary rocks, of which the surface mainly exposes marine and continental deposits of the Neogene (sands and clays), as well as glacial and hydroglacial deposits of the Anthropogen. Near the coast of the Baltic Sea, Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks come to the surface in places. Salt tectonics is widely developed throughout the lowlands. In the southern region of the country, folded Paleozoic structures that underwent prolonged denudation, as a result of activation in the Cenozoic, were transformed into blocky and horst uplifts (the Lausitz massif, the Ore Mountains, the Thuringian Forest, Harz, etc.) and extensive depressions (the Thuringian basin, etc.). The massifs are composed of ancient crystalline sedimentary, metamorphic and intrusive rocks, the depressions are filled with clays, sandstones and limestones.
Large deposits of brown coal, potash salts and cuprous shale, gas and oil are associated with the platform cover, and various deposits of ore minerals (lead-zinc, iron, and uranium ores) are associated with the folded basement of the Hercynian zone (in the south of the GDR).
Climate
The climate is temperate, maritime in the North and North-West, in other regions it is transitional from maritime to continental. The average January temperatures in the North are from -0.1 ° C to 0.6 ° C, in the East to -1.5 ° C, in the southern mountainous regions -4, -5 ° C; July in coastal areas 16-17 °C, in the middle part of the country from 17.5 °C to 18.5 °C, in the mountains 15-16 °C. The annual amount of precipitation in the North is 525-650 mm, in the East and in the middle part 480-610 mm, in the mountains 900-1100 mm (in the Garzado ridge zone 1500 mm). Most of the precipitation falls in the form of rain. Snowfalls are annual, but stable snow cover is short-lived (up to 30 days on the plains, sometimes more than 100 days in the mountains).
Inland waters
Most of the territory of the GDR belongs to the river basin. Elbe; an insignificant territory in the East - to the basin of the river. Oder, in the North - directly to the Baltic Sea basin, in the West - to the river basin. Weser, in the South-West - to the river basin. Main (tributary of the Rhine). The largest tributaries of the Elbe are the Havel with the Spree, the Saale with the Weisse-Elster and Unstrut, Schwarze-Elster, Mulde. Rivers are predominantly rain fed; the maximum flow of water - in the spring, during snowmelt, sometimes also in the summer, after heavy rains. On some rivers, there is a short freeze-up in winter (the Oder freezes on average for a month, the Elbe - for 10 days). In the South, the rivers mostly flow in medium-altitude mountains and are characterized by mixed snow and rain feeding; a significant number of reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations have been built here. Many rivers are connected by canals. There are many swamps and lakes in the Mecklenburg Lake District and south of Berlin. The largest lakes: Müritz, Schweriner See, Plauer See, Kummerower See. Resources inland waters are used for water supply, in power engineering, transport.
Soils
Podzolic soils are widespread, especially characteristic of the northern (soddy pale podzolic soils) and central (sandy and sandy loamy soddy podzolic soils) regions. Podzolic soils are also found in mountainous areas with high rainfall. Brown and gray forest soils (about 1/4 of the country's area) form large massifs on mantle loams and boulder clays of the Mecklenburg Lake District, as well as in the South-West. Stony humus-carbonate soils are represented on the carbonate rocks of Thuringia, and rendzins are found on limestones. On loesses and loess-like loams of the eastern and northern foothills of the Harz (Magdeburg Birde) and the plains of the Türpigen basin, the most developed fertile soils GDR - chernozems (sometimes leached and podzolized or in combination with brown and silty soils). In poorly drained depressions of ancient glacial plains, as well as in the upper belt of mountains, there are marsh and peat-bog soils, which are intensively drained. In the mountains - predominantly forest mountain brown soils.
Vegetation
In the Holocene, the territory of the GDR was a continuous forest cover. Due to the constant expansion of agricultural land, the forest area has decreased to 27.3%. Forests predominate, mostly heavily cultivated and planted. Large tracts of pine forests are located in the north. Broad-leaved and pine forests have been preserved on the outwash plains in the vicinity of Berlin. In the mountains - beech and spruce forests with an admixture of fir, hornbeam, maple. The Mecklenburg Lake District is characterized by small but numerous tracts of beech and oak-beech forests with an admixture of birch, pine on sandy soils and alder in the floodplains. In other areas, forests are interspersed between fields and orchards. In the North, as well as on the Fleming Uplands, there are moorlands, junipers and grassy moors. On ancient glacial plains, in places of low surface runoff, there are partially forested swamps and wetlands.
Animal world
The fauna is represented mainly by forest species (deer, roe deer, wild boar, etc.). There are small mammals (hare, field mice, hamsters, wild rabbits, which are partially destroyed as agricultural pests). Beavers, pine martens, and wild cats have survived in the Elbe Valley. Of the birds, sparrows, starlings, woodpeckers, thrushes, cuckoos, finches, swallows, orioles, owls, magpies, harriers, as well as partridges, pheasants are characteristic. The number of partridges and pheasants is increasing due to conservation measures. Bustard, eagle owl, stone eagle, heron, crane and stork are preserved mainly in nature reserves. Of the marsh birds, there are woodcocks, lapwings, snipe, white storks. There are crucian carp, carp, tench, perch, bream, pike, eel, trout in the reservoirs.
reserves
17% of the area of the GDR was declared protected areas. Most of them were located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, in the Northern Ridge and the middle mountains. In 1971, there were 651 nature reserves (the largest - Müritz, about 6.3 thousand hectares - a nesting place for the common crane). There were over 400 places for recreation.
natural areas
- The Central European Plain with a hilly relief and wide valleys, a large number of lakes, a dense network of rivers, a predominance of pine, beech and mixed forests, podzolic, brown and gray forest soils;
- Plains of the Thuringian Basin in the southwest of the GDR with a relatively dry climate, broad-leaved and pine forests, humus-calcareous and silty soils on a loess substrate;
- Medium-altitude mountains in the south of the country with alternating horst uplifts and intramountain depressions, humid and cool mountain climate, long-term snow cover, spruce and beech forests on mountain brown and podzolic soils.
Population
The national composition of the GDR was homogeneous: Germans made up over 99% of the population. The only national minority is the Slavic-speaking Lusatians, or Sorbs (about 100 thousand people), who lived in the east of the country in the districts of Cottbus and Dresden. The majority of believers (about 86%) belonged to Protestants (Lutherans), the rest were predominantly Catholics. The official calendar is the Gregorian.
Political organizations
Political parties
- The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) was formed in April 1946 as a result of the unification of the Communist Party of Germany and the Social Democratic Party of Germany on the basis of Marxism-Leninism.
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany (HDSG) (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands);
- Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD) (Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands);
- National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) (National-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands);
- Democratic Peasant Party of Germany (DKPG) (Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands).
Trade unions and other public organizations
- National Front of Democratic Germany (NFDG) (Nationale Front des demokratischen Deutschland). Developed in 1949-50 from the movement of the German People's Congress. It united all political parties and mass public organizations of the GDR.
- Association of Free German Trade Unions (OSNP);
- Union of Free German Youth; ,
Berlin, the capital of Germany, arose in the first half of the 13th century. Since 1486, the city has been the capital of Brandenburg (then Prussia), since 1871 - Germany. From May 1943 to May 1945, Berlin was subjected to one of the most devastating bombings in world history. At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War(1941-1945) in Europe Soviet troops May 2, 1945 completely captured the city. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the territory of Berlin was divided into zones of occupation: the eastern one - the USSR and the three western ones - the USA, Great Britain and France. On June 24, 1948, Soviet troops began blockade of West Berlin.
In 1948, the Western powers authorized the heads of state governments in their zones of occupation to convene a parliamentary council to draw up a constitution and prepare for the creation of a West German state. Its first meeting was held in Bonn on 1 September 1948. The constitution was adopted by the council on 8 May 1949, and on 23 May the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was proclaimed. In response, in the eastern part controlled by the USSR, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was proclaimed on October 7, 1949 and Berlin was declared its capital.
East Berlin covered an area of 403 square kilometers and was the largest city in East Germany in terms of population.
West Berlin covered an area of 480 square kilometers.
At first, the border between the western and eastern parts of Berlin was open. The dividing line, 44.8 kilometers long (the total length of the border between West Berlin and the GDR was 164 kilometers), ran straight through the streets and houses, the Spree River, and canals. Officially, there were 81 street checkpoints, 13 crossings in the subway and on the city railway.
In 1957, the West German government led by Konrad Adenauer enacted the Hallstein Doctrine, which provided for the automatic severance of diplomatic relations with any country that recognized the GDR.
In November 1958, the head of the Soviet government, Nikita Khrushchev, accused the Western powers of violating the Potsdam Accords of 1945 and announced the abolition of the international status of Berlin by the Soviet Union. The Soviet government proposed turning West Berlin into a "demilitarized free city" and demanded that the United States, Great Britain and France negotiate on this subject within six months ("Khrushchev's Ultimatum"). The Western powers rejected the ultimatum.
In August 1960, the government of the GDR put into effect restrictions on visits by citizens of the FRG to East Berlin. In response, West Germany abandoned the trade agreement between both parts of the country, which the GDR regarded as an "economic war".
After lengthy and difficult negotiations, the agreement was put into effect on January 1, 1961.
The situation worsened in the summer of 1961. The economic policy of the GDR, aimed at "catching up and overtaking the FRG", and a corresponding increase production standards, economic difficulties, forced collectivization of 1957-1960, more high level wages in West Berlin encouraged thousands of citizens of the GDR to leave for the West.
In 1949-1961, almost 2.7 million people left the GDR and East Berlin. Almost half of the refugee flow consisted of young people under the age of 25. Every day, about half a million people crossed the borders of the Berlin sectors in both directions, who could compare living conditions here and there. In 1960 alone, about 200,000 people moved to the West.
At the meeting general secretaries On August 5, 1961, the GDR received the necessary consent of the Eastern European countries, and on August 7, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED - East German Communist Party), it was decided to close the border of the GDR with West Berlin and the FRG. On August 12, a corresponding resolution was adopted by the Council of Ministers of the GDR.
In the early morning of August 13, 1961, temporary barriers were erected on the border with West Berlin, and a cobblestone pavement was dug up on the streets connecting East Berlin with West Berlin. The forces of the people's and transport police units, as well as combat workers' teams, interrupted transport connection at the boundaries between sectors. Under the strict guard of the GDR border guards, East Berlin builders set about replacing the barbed wire border fences with concrete slabs and hollow bricks. The complex of border fortifications also included residential buildings on Bernauer Strasse, where the sidewalks now belong to the West Berlin district of Wedding (Wedding), and the houses on the south side of the street - to the East Berlin district of Mitte. Then the government of the GDR ordered the doors of the houses and the windows of the lower floors to be walled up - residents could only get into their apartments through the entrance from the courtyard, which belonged to East Berlin. A wave of forced eviction of people from apartments began not only on Bernauer Strasse, but also in other border zones.
From 1961 to 1989, on many stretches of the border, the Berlin Wall was rebuilt several times. At first it was built of stone, and then was replaced by reinforced concrete. In 1975, the last reconstruction of the wall began. The wall was built from 45,000 concrete blocks measuring 3.6 by 1.5 meters, which were rounded at the top to make it difficult to escape. Outside the city, this front barrier also included metal bars.
By 1989 the total length Berlin Wall was 155 kilometers, the intracity border between East and West Berlin - 43 kilometers, the border between West Berlin and the GDR (outer ring) - 112 kilometers. Closest to West Berlin, the front concrete barrier wall reached a height of 3.6 meters. It encircled the entire western sector of Berlin.
The concrete fence stretched for 106 kilometers, the metal one for 66.5 kilometers, the earthen ditches had a length of 105.5 kilometers, and 127.5 kilometers were under tension. Near the wall, as on the border, a control and trail strip was made.
Despite tough measures against "illegal border crossing" attempts, people continued to escape "over the wall" using sewer pipes, technical means constructing digs. During the years of the wall's existence, about 100 people died trying to overcome it.
The democratic changes that began in the late 1980s in the life of the GDR and other countries of the socialist community sealed the fate of the wall. On November 9, 1989, the new government of the GDR announced an unhindered transition from East to West Berlin and a free return back. About 2 million inhabitants of the GDR visited West Berlin during November 10-12. Immediately began the spontaneous dismantling of the wall. The official dismantling was carried out in January 1990, part of the wall was left as a historical monument.
On October 3, 1990, after the accession of the GDR to the FRG, the status federal capital in united Germany he moved from Bonn to Berlin. In 2000, the government moved from Bonn to Berlin.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
In 1949, four years after the end of the Second World War, two German states were formed: in the east the German Democratic Republic, GDR, and the FRG, the Federal Republic of Germany in the west. Although each had its own government, they were not completely independent. In the GDR, policy was dictated by the Soviet Union, while the FRG was influenced by Great Britain, France, and the United States.
In March 1952, the USSR proposed to the United States, Great Britain and France to peacefully resolve the German issue: the GDR and the FRG should again be united into one independent state and make it politically neutral. But the members of the Western Union were against such a plan. They wanted the FRG to belong to the West. They believed that a neutral Germany would come under the influence Soviet Union. The then liberal-conservative government was also strongly in favor of an alliance with the West.
After 1952, the differences between the two Germanys intensified. In 1956, countries acquired their own armies. The GDR became a member of the Warsaw Union, and the FRG joined NATO.
While economic problems in the GDR grew like a snowball, business in the FRG developed and prospered. The standard of living in the two countries differed strikingly. This was the first reason why thousands of East Germans fled to West Germany. In the end, the GDR closed its borders and introduced armed control over them. In 1961, the last stone was laid on the wall that divided the two Germanys.
In the years cold war, from 1952 to 1969, the two German states were in contact only through trade. In June 1953, East Berlin and other cities in East Germany rioted against the communist dictatorship and economy, but Soviet tanks calmed the popular unrest. In Germany, the majority of citizens were satisfied with the government's policy. However, here too, in the 1960s, a wave of protests and student demonstrations against capitalism and too close ties with the United States swept through.
The first political negotiations between the two countries began in 1969. This was the so-called "Ostpolitik" of the then Chancellor Willy Brandt and his government of Social Democrats and Liberals. In 1972, the GDR and the FRG signed an agreement on the foundations of relations. The agreement improved political and economic contacts between the two countries. More and more West Germans were able to visit their relatives in the GDR, but few East Germans were allowed to travel west.
In the autumn of 1989, Hungary opened its Austrian borders, thus giving the citizens of the GDR the opportunity to flee to western Germany. Many have left their country this way. Others fled to the German embassy in Warsaw and Prague and remained there until they received permission to enter the Western Republic.
Soon mass demonstrations broke out in Leipzig, Dresden and other eastern cities. At first, it was only about free travel to the countries of the West and especially West Germany, free elections and a free economy. But soon calls for the unification of the two Germanys sounded louder and louder. Opposition factions sprang up, and a few weeks later the SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany) resigned.
The process of unification of Germany, which lasts in 1989-90 in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, is called by the Germans die Wende (Wende). It includes four main periods:
- Peaceful Revolution, a time of mass protests and demonstrations (on Mondays) against the political system of the GDR and for human rights. This period lasted throughout the fall of 1989.
- The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 and the press conference of the Politburo, where Günter Schabowski announced the opening of checkpoints (border crossings)
- The transition of the GDR to democracy, which in March 1990 led to the first and only democratic elections to the People's Chamber.
- The process of German reunification with the signing of the Unification Treaty in August 1990, the Treaty of the Final Settlement with regard to Germany in September and finally the annexation of five German states to the FRG.
The years 1945-1948 became a thorough preparation, which led to the split of Germany and the appearance on the map of Europe of two countries formed instead of it - the FRG and the GDR. The decoding of the names of states is interesting in itself and serves as a good illustration of their different social vector.
Postwar Germany
After the end of World War II, Germany was divided between two occupation camps. The eastern part of this country was occupied by the troops of the Soviet Army, the western part was occupied by the Allies. The western sector was gradually consolidated, the territories were divided into historical lands, which were managed by local self-government bodies. In December 1946, a decision was made to unite the British and American occupation zones - the so-called. bison. It became possible to create a single body of land management. This is how the Economic Council was created - a selective body authorized to make economic and financial decisions.
Background of the split
First of all, these decisions concerned the implementation of the "Marshall Plan" - a large-scale American financial project aimed at restoring the economies of European countries destroyed during the war. The "Marshall Plan" contributed to the separation of the eastern zone of occupation, since the government of the USSR did not accept the proposed assistance. Subsequently, the different visions of the future of Germany by the allies and the USSR led to a split in the country and predetermined the formation of the FRG and the GDR.
Education Germany
Western zones needed full unification and official state status. In 1948, consultations were held between the Western Allied countries. The meeting resulted in the idea of creating a West German state. In the same year, the French occupation zone joined Bizonia - thus the so-called Trizonia was formed. In the western lands, a monetary reform was carried out with the introduction of their own monetary unit into circulation. The military governors of the united lands proclaimed the principles and conditions for the creation of a new state, with particular emphasis on its federalism. In May 1949, the preparation and discussion of its Constitution ended. The state was named Germany. The decoding of the name sounds like Germany. Thus, the proposals of the land self-government bodies were taken into account, and the republican principles of governing the country were outlined.
Territorially new country was located on 3/4 of the land occupied by former Germany. Germany had its capital - the city of Bonn. The governments of the anti-Hitler coalition, through their governors, exercised control over the observance of the rights and norms of the constitutional system, controlled it foreign policy, had the right to interfere in all spheres of economic and scientific activity states. Over time, the status of the lands was revised in favor of greater independence of the lands of Germany.
Formation of the GDR
The process of creating a state also went on in the eastern German lands occupied by the troops of the Soviet Union. The controlling body in the east was SVAG - the Soviet military administration. Under the control of the SVAG, bodies were created local government- lantdagi. Marshal Zhukov was appointed commander-in-chief of the SVAG, and in fact - the owner of East Germany. Elections to the new authorities were held according to the laws of the USSR, that is, on a class basis. By a special order of February 25, 1947, the Prussian state was liquidated. Its territory was divided among the new lands. Part of the territory went to the newly formed Kaliningrad region, all settlements former Prussia were Russified and renamed, and the territory was settled by Russian settlers.
Officially, the SVAG maintained military control over the territory of East Germany. Administrative control was carried out by the central committee of the SED, which was completely controlled by the military administration. The first step was the nationalization of enterprises and lands, the confiscation of property and its distribution on a socialist basis. In the process of redistribution, an administrative apparatus was formed, which assumed the functions of state control. In December 1947, the German People's Congress began to function. In theory, the Congress was supposed to unite the interests of West and East Germans, but in fact its influence on the western lands was negligible. After the isolation of the western lands, the NOC began to perform the functions of parliament exclusively on eastern territories. The Second National Congress, formed in March 1948, carried out the main activities related to the upcoming Constitution of the nascent country. By special order, the issue of the German mark was carried out - thus, five German lands located in the zone of Soviet occupation switched to a single monetary unit. In May 1949, the Socialist Constitution was adopted and the Inter-Party Socio-Political National Front was formed. The preparation of the eastern lands for the formation of a new state was completed. On October 7, 1949, at a meeting of the German Supreme Council, it was announced the creation of a new body of supreme state power, which was called the Provisional People's Chamber. In fact, this day can be considered the date of birth of a new state created in opposition to the FRG. Deciphering the name of the new state in East Germany - the German Democratic Republic, East Berlin became the capital of the GDR. The status was negotiated separately. On long years the ancient one was divided into two parts by the Berlin Wall.
Development of Germany
The development of such countries as the FRG and the GDR was carried out according to different economic systems. The "Marshall Plan" and the effective economic policy of Ludwig Erhrad made it possible to quickly raise the economy in West Germany. Big GDP growth was announced Guest workers coming from the Middle East provided an influx of cheap work force. In the 1950s, the ruling CDU party adopted a number of important laws. Among them - a ban on the activities of the Communist Party, the elimination of all the consequences of Nazi activities, a ban on certain professions. In 1955, the Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO.
Development of the GDR
The self-government bodies of the GDR, which were in charge of the administration of the German lands, ceased to exist in 1956, when a decision was made to liquidate local self-government bodies. The lands began to be called districts, and the district councils began to represent the executive branch. At the same time, the personality cult of advanced communist ideologists began to be implanted. The policy of sovietization and nationalization led to the fact that the process of restoring the post-war country was greatly delayed, especially against the backdrop of the economic successes of the FRG.
Settlement of relations between the GDR and the FRG
Deciphering the contradictions between the two fragments of one state gradually normalized relations between countries. In 1973, the Treaty entered into force. He regulated relations between the FRG and the GDR. In November of the same year, the FRG recognized the GDR as an independent state, and the countries established diplomatic relations. The idea of creating a single German nation was introduced into the Constitution of the GDR.
End of the GDR
In 1989, a powerful political movement, the New Forum, emerged in the GDR, which provoked a series of indignations and demonstrations in all major cities East Germany. As a result of the resignation of the government, one of the activists of the "New Norum" G. Gizi became the chairman of the SED. The mass rally held on November 4, 1989 in Berlin, at which the demands for freedom of speech, assembly and expression of will were proclaimed, had already been agreed with the authorities. The answer was a law allowing citizens of the GDR to cross without good reason. This decision caused Germany to divide the capital for many years.
In 1990, the Christian Democratic Union came to power in the GDR, which immediately began to consult with the government of the FRG on the issue of uniting countries and creating a single state. On September 12, an agreement was signed in Moscow between representatives of the former allies of the anti-Hitler coalition on the final settlement of the German question.
The unification of the FRG and the GDR would have been impossible without the introduction of a single currency. an important step in this process was the recognition of the German mark of Germany as common currency throughout Germany. On August 23, 1990, the People's Chamber of the GDR decided to annex the eastern lands to the FRG. After that, a number of transformations were carried out that eliminated the socialist institutions of power and reorganized state bodies according to the West German model. On October 3, the army and navy of the GDR were abolished, and instead of them, the Bundesmarine and the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the FRG, were deployed in the eastern territories. The deciphering of the names is based on the word "bundes", which means "federal". The official recognition of the eastern lands as part of the FRG was secured by the adoption of new subjects of state law by the Constitutions.
