However, after the accession of both Germanys to the UN, everything changed dramatically, and de-Germanization began, which the Soviet government carried out very cruelly.
Here is what the false official story tells:
Germany in 1945-1949 - Wikipedia
Germany in 1945-1949 or the Occupation of Germany - (the unofficial name of this period - "zero years") was a territory in the center of Europe, divided into four zones of occupation, with a practically absent economy and a destroyed infrastructure that did not have a full-fledged own administration.
Zones of occupation in Germany.
From the very day the war ended, Germany was divided into two parts, controlled by two fundamentally different political and economic systems:
three western zones of occupation under the control of England, France and the United States of America;
Eastern zone of occupation under the control of the Soviet administration.
These were years not only of economic recovery, but also of rethinking the past and the formation of a new way of life.
The "zero years" ended with the formation of two German states - Germany (May 23, 1949) in the West and the GDR (October 7, 1949) in the East. The occupying troops liberated Germany and were stationed here with the official status of winners, but not liberators, which determined the nature of their relationship with the population. The orders issued by the command were aimed at isolating the troops in order to exclude mutual contacts in any form. However, the soldiers, despite repeated bans, found ways to get around them.
But what happened in reality, if you stop listening to Soviet propaganda, turn to both irrefutable facts and memories:
The USSR has never been a member of the United Nations. His membership in the League of Nations is a lie. (Wikipedia - USSR joined September 18, 1934; excluded December 14, 1939)
The USSR was formed in 1953 and from the very beginning was a bankrupt corporation, managed and financed from abroad.
Until 1953 there could be no USSR! Therefore, he could not automatically be a member of either the League of Nations or the UN.
The USSR was a member of the UN Security Council as the main defendant for the damage caused to the planet after its capture in about 1950. Now the legal successor of the USSR is Russia (RF)
The government of the USSR processed loans it received from foreign banks secured by territories, property, businesses, etc.
In case of non-payment of the debt, the territories left as collateral were seized and legally registered as members of the UN, automatically joining the mega-state that settled them.
Both Germany, the GDR and the FRG, were part of the USSR until 1973. That is, there were no separate Germanys. There was Germanorossia, or Russia was Germany.
I remember in the late 1960s and early 1970s, almost all children in the USSR had pen pals in Germany, they were called brief freund, but then suddenly this stopped abruptly.
I personally saw these letters from Germany, written in children's handwriting with an inclination to the left.
We are told that the de-Germanization of the USSR began after the 2nd World War:
Deportation and expulsion of Germans during and after the Second World War - the process of forced deportation of the German population of Eastern Europe to Germany and Austria, which took place in 1945-1950. after Germany's defeat in World War II. In total, about 12-14 million Germans were subjected to forced eviction.
But this is not true. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Germans and I were best friends, de-Germanization could only begin after both Germanys joined the UN in 1973, there must have been very good reasons for such tough propaganda.
Here is what one blogger writes:
"It is hard enough to believe today that literally in 20-30 post-war years the de-Germanization of the history of the twentieth century could have been carried out so effectively. (I judge by myself - the initial absorption of propaganda clichés took place in the seventies and I didn’t hear anything about the existence of IG Farben, but I thought of Weimar Germany as some kind of impoverished short-term formation like the Makhnovist republics). To make it easier to believe that propaganda is able to erase the memory of such important events so quickly and successfully, it is appropriate to draw a parallel with the traditional Soviet resentment - Western propaganda belittling the role of the USSR in World War II. 40% of young Americans believed that the USSR fought on the side of Germany - this figure was voiced in the 70s"
That is, the time 1965-75 is indicated, which coincides with the time when both Germanys joined the UN. And this means that the USSR lost these territories forever.
All dates must be shifted at least 20 years up the chronological scale:
In the so-called USSR until 1933 and later (according to official history, the USSR was formed in 1922, but this is not true) there were thousands of cities and towns with German names. The so-called USSR from 1919 to 1933 was officially Germany, or rather, was part of the Weimar Republic. It is difficult to say what percentage of the territory of the USSR and other modern states was part of the Weimar Republic, but as for the former USSR, you can find thousands of settlements with German names and estimate on the map:
Soldiers of the Franco-Prussian War. Part 5_1. German occupation of Russia 1853-1917 German names of Russian cities.
http://armycarus.do.am/publ/gosudarstvo/goroda_strany_armii/soldaty_franko_prusskoj_vojny_chast_5_1_nemeckaja_okkupacija_rossii_1853_1917_gg_nemeckie_nazvanija_rossijskikh_gorodov/27-1-0-45
Soldiers of the Franco-Prussian War. Part 5_2. German occupation of Russia 1853 - 1917 German names of Russian cities.
http://armycarus.do.am/publ/gosudarstvo/goroda_strany_armii/soldaty_franko_prusskoj_vojny_chast_5_2_nemeckaja_okkupacija_rossii_1853_1917_gg_nemeckie_nazvanija_rossijskikh_gorodov/27-1-0-47)
In 1973, both Germanys joined the United Nations:
Hoisting of two German flags outside the UN building in New York on September 18, 1973
1973 Flags of the GDR and the FRG at the UN.
Member states of the United Nations - Wikipedia
The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was admitted to the UN as an observer in 1955.
The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was admitted to the UN as an observer in 1972.
After the annexation of the GDR to the FRG on October 3, 1990, the territory of the GDR became part of the FRG, today known simply as Germany.
The FRG continues to be a member of the UN while the GDR ceased to exist.
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The question immediately arises: what about the 1st and 2nd World Wars, in which Russia (USSR) fought against Germany? Where are the tens of millions killed, where are the destroyed cities, factories, villages?
There were no these wars, about which the deceitful and vile Soviet intelligentsia told us in order to hide from the court of history and deceive the trophy population of the Soviet Union.
How could Germany fight against the USSR, when Germany was part of the USSR until 1973, just as 14 republics used to be part of the USSR before its collapse, this is all in our memory!
None of the former Soviet republics could arbitrarily join the UN, which meant that it broke away from the Soviet of Deputies and went over to the side of the sworn enemy "-America. Look at the English Wiki, almost all former Soviet republics joined the UN only after the collapse of the USSR:
And what happened instead of the 1st and 2nd World War? Why such destruction all over the country, buildings covered with silt and mud, roads, why was there a constant total deficit in all the post-war years?
But the intelligentsia did not tell us about this.
If today's GDR and FRG were part of the USSR, formed in 1953, until 1973, where did Nazi Germany disappear to?
And she didn't disappear.
The answer lies in the fact that the USSR was the same Nazi Germany from the moment of its formation.
Remember, the USSR had a powerful military industry to the detriment of civilian production, and therefore there was a constant shortage of consumer goods.
The USSR was building up its military power in order to take revenge for the defeat after the capture of the planet.
The government of the USSR took loans from foreign bankers, financed wars and revolutions around the world with these funds, helped "brotherly" countries, strive to make them allies. In the second half of the 1950s, all of Africa was on fire, then the revolution happened in Cuba, with the help of the USSR.
Then the production of mustard gas and phosgene began, with which all living things were poisoned.
For this, the megastate took away both Germany from the USSR.
In order to cover up the traces of the criminal past and in the eyes of posterity to look legitimate and peaceful, the government of the USSR treated peaceful Germans in the highest degree cruelly. We heard that Stalin deported the Germans, and with this deportation they covered the eviction of the Germans already in the 1970s, and not in the 1940s-50s.
I knew many Germans in former USSR when they began to leave for Germany in the late 1980s, it was a shock for everyone. No one knew that they were Germans, they did not stand out among the rest of the population, except for accuracy, conscientiousness, honesty and diligence, they had no crime.
The Soviet government hid the truth about their criminal activities. To whitewash himself and disown the past, it was necessary to find a scapegoat. They made a whole people - ordinary Soviet Germans, who did not deserve such a cruel expulsion from the USSR. For all crimes, the leadership and the middle composition must be held accountable - those who made decisions and carried them out.
We are friends in misfortune with ordinary Soviet Germans: we lived together in harmony in a country that we mistakenly considered a stronghold of peace throughout the world. But, as it turned out, a well-armed brutal bandit was hiding behind this mask of peacefulness.
Cold War in Germany. The American Occupation of 1945 actually happened in the 1960s and 70s
Who knows how peacefully the process of accession of both Germanys to the UN took place?
The Russian-language Wikipedia is very vague about the membership of both Germanys in the UN since 1973, it seems that there are links to resolutions, but they do not work.
Officially - German Democratic Republic German Democratic Republic (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik)
Officially - the Federal Republic of Germany (until 1990) the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland)
Security Council Resolution: S/RES/335 (1973) dated 06/22/1973
GA resolution: A/RES/3050 (XXVIII) of 18.09.1973
May 23, 1949 - The Federal Republic of Germany is founded in Trizonia, the three combined zones of occupation of Germany (USA, Great Britain and France).
October 23, 1955 - a referendum was held in Saar Saar (German: Saarland, protectorate of France), whose inhabitants voted for joining Germany
September 12, 1990 - the Treaty on the final settlement with respect to Germany was signed between the FRG and the GDR, as well as Great Britain, the USSR, the USA and France.
October 3, 1990 - German reunification takes place. The GDR ceased to exist and became part of the Federal Republic of Germany.
IG Farben - the main weapon of the twentieth century
Education of the GDR. After capitulation in World War II, Germany was divided into 4 occupation zones: Soviet, American, British and French. Berlin, the capital of Germany, was divided in the same way. In the three western zones and the American-British-French West Berlin (it is surrounded on all sides by the territory of the Soviet zone of occupation), life was gradually established on the basis of democratic principles. In the Soviet zone of occupation, including East Berlin, a course was immediately taken to form a totalitarian communist system of power.
The Cold War began between the former allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, and this most tragically affected the fate of Germany and its people.
Blockade of West Berlin. I.V. Stalin used the introduction of a single German mark in circulation in the three western zones (monetary reform on June 20, 1948) as a pretext for the Blockade of West Berlin in order to annex it to the Soviet zone of occupation. On the night of June 23-24, 1948, all land communications between the Western zones and West Berlin were blocked. The city's electricity supply was cut off and food products from the Soviet zone of occupation. August 3, 1948 I.V. Stalin directly demanded the inclusion of West Berlin in the Soviet zone, but was rebuffed by the former allies. The blockade lasted for almost a year, until May 12, 1949. However, blackmail did not achieve its goals. The supply of West Berlin was provided by an air bridge organized by the Western Allies. Moreover, the flight altitude of their aircraft was beyond the reach of Soviet air defense systems.
Creation of NATO and the split of Germany. In response to the open hostility of the Soviet leadership, the blockade of West Berlin, the communist coup in Czechoslovakia in February 1948 and the build-up of the Soviet military presence in Eastern Europe in April 1949, the Western countries created the NATO military-political bloc (“North Atlantic Treaty Organization” ). The creation of NATO influenced Soviet policy towards Germany. In the same year, it split into two states. The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was created on the territory of the American, British and French zones of occupation, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was created on the territory of the Soviet zone of occupation. At the same time, Berlin was also split into two parts. East Berlin became the capital of the GDR. West Berlin became a separate administrative unit, receiving its own self-government under the tutelage of the occupying powers.
Sovietization of the GDR and the growing crisis. In the early 1950s in the GDR, socialist transformations began, which exactly copied the Soviet experience. Nationalization of private property, industrialization and collectivization were carried out. All these transformations were accompanied by mass repressions, with the help of which the Socialist Unity Party of Germany strengthened its dominance in the country and society. A rigid totalitarian regime was established in the country, a command-administrative system for managing all spheres of public life. In 1953, the Sovietization policy of the GDR was still in full swing. However, at that time, economic chaos and a decline in production, a serious decline in the standard of living of the population, began to clearly manifest itself. All this caused a protest of the population, and serious dissatisfaction with the regime on the part of ordinary citizens was growing. The most serious form of protest was the exodus of the population of the GDR to the FRG. However, since the border between the GDR and the FRG was already closed, the only way left was to go to West Berlin (it was still possible) and from there to move to the FRG.
Forecasts of Western experts. From the spring of 1953, the socio-economic crisis began to develop into a political one. The Eastern Bureau of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, located in West Berlin, based on its observations, noted the wide scope of the population's dissatisfaction with the existing system, the growing readiness of East Germans to openly oppose the regime.
Unlike the German Social Democrats, the CIA, which monitored the situation in the GDR, made more cautious forecasts. They boiled down to the fact that the SED regime and the Soviet occupation authorities controlled the economic situation, and that the "will to resist" among the East German population was low. It is unlikely that “East Germans will be willing or able to make a revolution, even if called for it, unless such a call is accompanied by a declaration of war by the West or a firm promise of Western military assistance.”
The position of the Soviet leadership. The Soviet leadership also could not fail to see the aggravation of the socio-economic and political situation in the GDR, but they interpreted it in a very peculiar way. On May 9, 1953, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, an analytical report prepared by the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs (headed by L.P. Beria) on the flight of the population from the GDR was considered. It admitted that the hype raised on this issue "in the press of the Anglo-American bloc" had good reasons. However, the main reasons for this phenomenon in the certificate are reduced to the fact that “West German industrial concerns are actively working to lure engineering and technical workers”, and the leadership of the SED was too carried away by the tasks of “improving their material well-being”, without at the same time paying due attention to nutrition and uniforms for the people's police. The most important thing is “the Central Committee of the SED and responsible government bodies The GDR is not conducting a sufficiently active struggle against the demoralizing work carried out by the West German authorities. The conclusion was clear: to strengthen the punitive organs and the indoctrination of the population of the GDR - although both of them already exceeded all reasonable limits, just becoming one of the causes of mass discontent. That is, the document did not contain any condemnation domestic policy leadership of the GDR.
Molotov's note. The note, which was prepared by V.M. on May 8, had a different character. Molotov and sent it to G.M. Malenkov and N.S. Khrushchev. The document contained a sharp criticism of the thesis about the GDR as a state of the "dictatorship of the proletariat", which was made on May 5 by the first secretary of the SED Central Committee W. Ulbricht, it was emphasized that he did not coordinate this speech with the Soviet side and that it contradicts the recommendations given to him earlier. This note was considered at a meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU on May 14. The resolution condemned the statements of Walter Ulbricht and instructed the Soviet representatives in Berlin to talk with the leaders of the SED on the subject of stopping the campaign to create new agricultural cooperatives. If we compare the documents addressed to the Presidium of the Central Committee L.P. Beria and V.M. Molotov, one can, perhaps, come to the conclusion that the latter reacted to the situation in the GDR more quickly, sharply and meaningfully.
Order of the Council of Ministers. On June 2, 1953, Decree No. 7576 of the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On measures to improve the political situation in the GDR" was issued. It contained a condemnation of the course of the East German leadership towards "accelerated construction" or "forcing the construction" of socialism in East Germany. On the same day, a SED delegation headed by W. Ulbricht and O. Grotewohl arrived in Moscow. During the negotiations, the leaders of the GDR were told that the situation in their country was in a dangerous state, that they should immediately abandon the accelerated construction of socialism and pursue a more moderate policy. As an example of such a policy, the Soviet NEP, carried out in the 1920s, was cited. In response, W. Ulbricht tried to justify his activities. He stated that the fears of the "Soviet comrades" were exaggerated, but under their pressure he was forced to promise that the course of building socialism would become more moderate.
Actions of the leadership of the GDR. On June 9, 1953, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED adopted a decision on the "new course", which corresponded to the "recommendations" of the USSR Council of Ministers, and published it two days later. It cannot be said that the leaders of the GDR were particularly hasty, but they did not consider it necessary to explain to either the rank-and-file party members or the leaders of their organizations the essence of the new program. As a result, the entire party and state apparatus of the GDR was paralyzed.
During the talks in Moscow, the Soviet leaders pointed out to the leaders of East Germany that it was necessary to carefully investigate the reasons for the transfer of workers from the GDR to West Germany, not excluding workers from private enterprises. They proposed to take measures to improve the situation of workers, their living conditions, to combat unemployment, violations of labor protection and safety regulations, especially in overpopulated industrial areas and on the Baltic coast. All these instructions remained empty.
As early as May 28, 1953, by order of the GDR authorities, a general increase in production standards at industrial enterprises was announced. In fact, this meant a sharp decrease in real wages. Thus, it turned out that the workers of the GDR turned out to be the only category of the population that did not gain anything from the “new course”, but only felt the deterioration of living conditions.
Provocation. Some foreign and Russian historians believe that such a strange feature of the "new course" proves a deliberate sabotage by the leadership of the GDR of Soviet recommendations. The course towards the rejection of "barracks socialism" in the GDR, towards rapprochement with the FRG, towards compromise and German unity threatened W. Ulbricht and his entourage with the loss of power and withdrawal from political life. Therefore, they were apparently even ready to take the risk of far-reaching destabilization of the regime in order to compromise the New Deal and save their monopoly on power. The calculation was cynical and simple: to provoke mass discontent, unrest, then the Soviet troops would intervene, and certainly there would be no time for liberal experiments. In this sense, it can be said that the events of June 17, 1953 in the GDR were the result not only of the activities of “Western agents” (its role, of course, cannot be denied), but also of a deliberate provocation on the part of the then leadership of the GDR. As it turned out later, the range popular movement went far beyond the intended anti-liberal blackmail and frightened the provocateurs themselves quite a bit.
Creation of the German Democratic Republic
In the Soviet occupation zone, the creation of the German Democratic Republic was legitimized by the institutions of the People's Congresses. The 1st German People's Congress met in December 1947 and was attended by the SED, the LDPD, a number of public organizations and the KPD from the western zones (the CDU refused to take part in the congress). The delegates came from all over Germany, but 80% of them represented residents of the Soviet zone of occupation. The 2nd Congress was convened in March 1948 and was attended by delegates from East Germany only. It elected the German People's Council, whose task was to develop a constitution for a new democratic Germany. The council adopted a constitution in March 1949, and in May of the same year, elections were held for delegates to the 3rd German People's Congress, which were held according to the model that became the norm in the Soviet bloc: voters could only vote for a single list of candidates, the vast majority of which were members of the SED . The 2nd German People's Council was elected at the congress. Although the SED delegates did not form a majority on this council, the party secured its dominant position through party leadership of delegates from social organizations (youth movement, trade unions, women's organization, cultural league).
On October 7, 1949, the German People's Council proclaimed the creation German Democratic Republic. Wilhelm Pick became the first president of the GDR, and Otto Grotewohl became the head of the Provisional Government. Five months before the adoption of the constitution and the proclamation of the GDR, the Federal Republic of Germany was proclaimed in West Germany. Since the official creation of the GDR took place after the creation of the FRG, East German leaders had a reason to blame the West for the split of Germany.
Economic difficulties and discontent of workers in the GDR
Throughout its existence, the GDR experienced constant economic difficulties. Some of them were the result of the scarcity of natural resources and poor development of economic infrastructure, but most were the result of the policies pursued by the Soviet Union and the East German authorities. On the territory of the GDR there were no deposits of such important minerals as coal and iron ore. There was also a lack of managers and engineers high class who fled to the West.
In 1952, the SED proclaimed that socialism would be built in the GDR. Following the Stalinist model, the leaders of the GDR imposed a rigid economic system with central planning and state control. Heavy industry was subject to predominant development. Ignoring the dissatisfaction of citizens caused by the shortage of consumer goods, the authorities tried by all means to force workers to increase labor productivity.
After Stalin's death, the situation of the workers did not improve, and they responded with an uprising on June 16-17, 1953. The uprising began as a strike of construction workers in East Berlin. The unrest immediately spread to other industries in the capital, and then to the entire GDR. The strikers demanded not only the improvement of their economic situation, but also the holding of free elections. The authorities were panic-stricken. The paramilitary "People's Police" lost control of the situation, and the Soviet military administration brought in tanks.
After the events of June 1953, the government switched to a policy of carrots and sticks. Softer economic policy("New Deal") provided for a reduction in output standards for workers and an increase in the production of certain consumer goods. At the same time, large-scale repressions were carried out against the instigators of unrest and disloyal functionaries of the SED. About 20 demonstrators were executed, many were thrown into prison, almost a third of party officials were either removed from their posts or transferred to other work with official motivation "for losing contact with the people." Nevertheless, the regime managed to overcome the crisis. Two years later, the USSR officially recognized the sovereignty of the GDR, and in 1956 East Germany formed the armed forces and became a full member of the Warsaw Pact.
Another shock for the countries of the Soviet bloc was the 20th Congress of the CPSU (1956), at which the Chairman of the Council of Ministers N.S. Khrushchev exposed the Stalinist repressions. The revelations of the leader of the USSR caused unrest in Poland and Hungary, but in the GDR the situation remained calm. The improvement in the economic situation caused by the new course, as well as the opportunity for disgruntled citizens to "vote with their feet", i.e. emigrate across the open border in Berlin helped prevent a repeat of the events of 1953.
Some softening of Soviet policy after the 20th Congress of the CPSU encouraged those members of the SED who did not agree with the position of Walter Ulbricht, a key political figure in the country, and other hardliners. The reformers, led by Wolfgang Harich, a lecturer at the University. Humboldt in East Berlin, advocated democratic elections, workers' control of production, and the "socialist unification" of Germany. Ulbricht also managed to overcome this opposition of the "revisionist deviationists". Harich was sent to prison, where he stayed from 1957 to 1964.
Berlin Wall
Having defeated the supporters of reforms in their ranks, the leadership of East Germany embarked on an accelerated nationalization. In 1959, the mass collectivization of agriculture and the nationalization of numerous small enterprises began. In 1958, about 52% of the land belonged to the private sector, by 1960 it had been increased to 8%.
Demonstrating support for the GDR, Khrushchev took a tough stance against Berlin. He demanded from the Western powers de facto recognition East Germany, threatening to block access to West Berlin. (Until the 1970s, the Western powers refused to recognize the GDR as an independent state, insisting that Germany should be unified in accordance with post-war agreements.) Once again, the scale of the exodus of the population from the GDR that had begun was terrifying for the government. In 1961, more than 207,000 citizens left the GDR (in total, more than 3 million people moved to the west since 1945). In August 1961, the East German government blocked the flow of refugees by ordering the construction of concrete wall and barbed wire fences between East and West Berlin. Within a few months, the border between the GDR and West Germany was equipped.
Stability and prosperity of the GDR
The exodus of the population stopped, the specialists remained in the country. There was an opportunity to carry out more effective state planning. As a result, in the 1960s and 1970s, the country managed to achieve a level of modest prosperity. The rise in living standards was not accompanied by political liberalization or weakening of dependence on the USSR. The SED continued to tightly control the fields of art and intellectual activity. East German intellectuals experienced much greater limitations in their work than their Hungarian or Polish counterparts. The well-known cultural prestige of the nation rested mainly on left-wing writers of the older generation, such as Bertolt Brecht (together with his wife, Helena Weigel, who directed the famous Berliner Ensemble theater group), Anna Segers, Arnold Zweig, Willy Bredel and Ludwig Renn . But there are also some new significant names, among them - Christa Wolf and Stefan Geim.
East German historians should also be noted, such as Horst Drexler and other researchers of the German colonial policy of 1880-1918, in whose works a reassessment of individual events in recent German history was carried out. But the GDR was most successful in raising its international prestige in the field of sports. An extensive system of state-run sports clubs and training camps has produced high-profile athletes who have achieved astonishing success in the Summer and Winter Olympics since 1972.
Changes in the leadership of the GDR
By the end of the 1960s, the Soviet Union, still firmly in control of East Germany, began to show dissatisfaction with the policies of Walter Ulbricht. The leader of the SED actively opposed new policy West German government headed by Willy Brandt aimed at improving relations between West Germany and the Soviet bloc. Dissatisfied with Ulbricht's attempts to sabotage Brandt's eastern policy, the Soviet leadership forced his resignation from party posts. Ulbricht retained the minor post of head of state until his death in 1973.
Ulbricht's successor as first secretary of the SED was Erich Honecker. A native of the Saarland, he joined the Communist Party early, and after his release from prison at the end of World War II, he became a professional functionary for the SED. For many years he headed the youth organization Free German Youth. Honecker set out to consolidate what he called "real socialism". Under Honecker, the GDR began to play a certain role in international politics, especially in relations with the countries of the Third World. After the signing of the Basic Treaty with West Germany (1972), the GDR was recognized by most countries of the world community and in 1973, like the FRG, became a member of the UN.
The collapse of the GDR
Although there were no more mass uprisings until the late 1980s, the East German population never fully adapted to the SED regime. In 1985, about 400,000 citizens of the GDR applied for a permanent exit visa. Many intellectuals and church leaders openly criticized the regime for its lack of political and cultural freedoms. The government responded by increasing censorship and expelling some prominent dissidents from the country. Ordinary citizens expressed outrage at the system of total surveillance carried out by an army of informers who were in the service of the Stasi secret police. By the 1980s, the Stasi had become a kind of corrupt state within a state, controlling its own industrial enterprises and even speculating in the international foreign exchange market.
The coming to power in the USSR of M.S. Gorbachev and his policy of perestroika and glasnost undermined the basis of existence ruling regime SED. East German leaders recognized the potential danger early on and abandoned restructuring in East Germany. But the SED could not hide from the citizens of the GDR information about changes in other countries of the Soviet bloc. West German television broadcasts, which were watched much more frequently by the inhabitants of the GDR than East German television productions, provided extensive coverage of the course of reforms in Eastern Europe.
The dissatisfaction of most East German citizens with their government culminated in 1989. While neighboring Eastern European states were rapidly liberalizing their regimes, the SED welcomed the brutal crackdown on a Chinese student demonstration in June 1989 in Tiananmen Square. But it was no longer possible to contain the wave of impending changes in the GDR. In August, Hungary opened its border with Austria, allowing thousands of East German vacationers to emigrate to the west.
At the end of 1989, popular discontent resulted in colossal protest demonstrations in the GDR itself. "Monday Demonstrations" quickly became a tradition; hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of large cities of the GDR (the most massive demonstrations took place in Leipzig) demanding political liberalization. The leadership of the GDR was divided on the question of how to deal with the disaffected, in addition, it became clear that it was now left to its own devices. In early October, M.S. arrived in East Germany to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the GDR. Gorbachev, who made it clear that the Soviet Union would no longer interfere in the affairs of the GDR to save the ruling regime.
Honecker, who had just recovered from a serious operation, advocated the use of force against the protesters. But most members of the SED Politburo did not agree with his opinion, and in mid-October Honecker and his main allies were forced to resign. new general secretary Egon Krenz became the SED, as did Honecker, the former head of the youth organization. The government was headed by Hans Modrow, secretary of the Dresden district committee of the SED, who was known as a supporter of economic and political reforms.
The new leadership attempted to stabilize the situation by meeting some of the demonstrators' most common demands: the right to leave the country freely (the Berlin Wall was opened on November 9, 1989) and free elections were proclaimed. These steps were not enough, and Krenz, after serving as head of the party for 46 days, resigned. At a hastily convened congress in January 1990, the SED was renamed the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), and a truly democratic party charter was adopted. Gregor Gysi, a lawyer by profession who defended several East German dissidents during the Honecker era, became chairman of the renewed party.
In March 1990, the citizens of the GDR participated in the first free elections in 58 years. Their results greatly disappointed those who hoped for the preservation of a liberalized but still independent and socialist GDR. Although several newly emerging parties advocated a "third way" other than Soviet communism and West German capitalism, a bloc of parties allied with the West German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won a landslide victory. This electoral bloc demanded unification with West Germany.
Lothar de Maizière, leader of the East German CDU, became the first (and last) freely elected Prime Minister of the GDR. The short period of his reign was marked by great changes. Under the leadership of de Maizière, the former control apparatus was quickly dismantled. In August 1990, five lands were restored that were abolished in the GDR in 1952 (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia). On October 3, 1990, the GDR ceased to exist, united with the Federal Republic of Germany.
Germany
The division of Germany into the FRG and the GDR
The geopolitical results of World War II were disastrous for Germany. It lost its statehood for several years and its territorial integrity for many years. Was torn off 24% of the territory Germany occupied in 1936, including East Prussia, divided between Poland and the USSR. Poland and Czechoslovakia received the right to evict ethnic Germans from their territories, as a result of which a stream of refugees moved into Germany (by the end of 1946, their number amounted to about 9 million people).
By decision of the Crimean Conference, the territory of Germany was divided into four zones of occupation: Soviet, American, British and French. Similarly, Berlin was divided into four sectors. At the Potsdam Conference, the main principles of the occupation policy of the Allied states (demilitarization, denazification, decartelization, democratization of Germany) were agreed upon. However, the lack of firm agreements with the German problem led the administrations of the occupation zones to apply the Potsdam principles at their own discretion.
The leadership of the Soviet military administration in Germany immediately took steps to form an obedient regime in its zone. The local committees spontaneously created by the anti-fascists were disbanded. To solve managerial and economic issues were created central offices. main role they were played by communists and social democrats. In the summer of 1945, the activity of 4 political parties: Communist Party of Germany (KPD), Social Democratic Party (SPD), Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDP). Theoretically, all permitted parties enjoyed equal rights, but in practice the Soviet government frankly preferred the KKE.
Based on the notion that Nazism was a product of capitalism and denazification implies a struggle against capitalist influence in German society, the Soviet government in the first months of the occupation seized "commanding heights" in the economy. Lots of large enterprises were nationalized on the basis that they belonged to the Nazis or their supporters. These enterprises were either dismantled and sent to the Soviet Union as reparations, or continued to operate as Soviet property. In September 1945, a land reform was carried out, during which more than 7,100 estates with an area of more than 100 hectares were expropriated free of charge. About 120 thousand landless peasants, agricultural workers and migrants received small allotments from the created land fund. The reactionaries were dismissed from the civil service.
The Soviet administration forced the SPD and the KPD to unite into a new party called the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). In subsequent years, control by the communists became more and more severe. In January 1949, the SED conference decided that the party should become a Leninist "party of a new type" along the lines of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Thousands of socialists and communists who disagreed with this line were expelled from the party in a purge. In general, the same model was used in the Soviet zone of occupation as in other Eastern European countries. She meant the Stalinization of the Marxist party, the deprivation of the independence of the “middle class” parties, further nationalization, repressive measures and the virtual elimination of the competitive electoral system.
The Western states acted in Germany as authoritarianly as the Soviet administration in its own zone. The anti-fascist committees were disbanded here as well. Land governments were established (in the American zone during 1945, in the British and French in 1946). Appointment to posts was carried out by a strong-willed decision of the occupying authorities. In the western occupation zones, the KKE and SPD also resumed their activities. The CDU was created, with which it established relations of the "commonwealth"; the Christian Social Union (CSU) was created in Bavaria; this party bloc began to be called the CDU / CSU. The liberal democracy camp was represented by the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
Soon the United States and Great Britain came to the conclusion that the revival of the German economy was vital to the recovery of Western Europe. The Americans and the British moved to concerted action. The first steps towards the unification of the western zones were taken at the end of 1946, when the American and British administrations agreed to unite the economic management of their zones from January 1, 1947. The so-called Bizonia was formed. The Bizonia administration received the status of parliament, i.e. acquired political rice. In 1948, the French also annexed their zone in Bizonia. The result was Trizonia.
In June 1948, the Reichsmark was replaced by the new "Deutsche mark". The healthy tax base created by the new currency helped Germany join the Marshall Plan in 1949.
Monetary reform led to the first clash between West and East in the Cold War was beginning. In an effort to isolate their occupation zone from the influence of the Western economy, the Soviet leadership rejected both assistance under the Marshall Plan and the introduction of a new currency in their zone. It also relied on the introduction of the German mark in Berlin, but the Western Allies insisted that the new currency become legal tender in the western sectors of the city. In order to prevent the penetration of the new brand into Berlin, the Soviet administration impeded the transport of goods from the west to Berlin by rail and road. On June 23, 1948, the supply of Berlin by rail and road was completely blocked. The so-called Berlin Crisis emerged. The Western powers organized an intensive air supply ("air bridge"), which provided everything necessary not only for the military garrisons of Berlin, but also for its civilian population. On May 11, 1949, the Soviet side admitted defeat and ended the blockade. The Berlin crisis is over.
The strengthening of the confrontation between the USSR and the countries of the West made it impossible to create a single German state. In August 1949, general parliamentary elections were held in West Germany, which brought victory to the CDU / CSU party, and on September 7, the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany was proclaimed. In response, on October 7, 1949, the German Democratic Republic was proclaimed in the east of the country. So, in the fall of 1949, the split of Germany received legal formalization.
1952 The United States, Britain and France signed an agreement with the FRG, which ended the formal occupation of West Germany, but their troops remained on German territory. 1955 between the USSR and the GDR was signed an agreement on the full sovereignty and independence of the GDR.
West German "economic miracle"
In the parliamentary (Bundestag) elections of 1949, two leading political forces were determined: the CDU / CSU (139 mandates), the SPD (131 mandates) and the “third force” - the FDP (52 mandates). The CDU/CSU and the FDP formed a parliamentary coalition, allowing them to create a joint government. Thus, in Germany, a “two-half” party model has developed (in contrast to the two-party model in the USA and Great Britain). This model was kept in the future.
The first chancellor (head of government) of the FRG was the Christian Democrat K. Adenauer (he held this position from 1949 to 1963). characteristic feature his political style was the desire for stability. An equally important circumstance was the implementation of an exceptionally effective economic course. Its ideologist was the permanent Minister of Economics of Germany L. Erhard.
The social market economy model created as a result of Erhard's policy was based on the concept of ordoliberalism (from German "Ordung" - order). Ordoliberals defended the free market mechanism, not in spite of, but thanks to state intervention. They saw the basis of economic well-being in strengthening the economic order. At the same time, key functions were given to the state. Its intervention was supposed to replace the action of market mechanisms, but to create conditions for their effective functioning.
The difficult period of economic reform fell on 1949-1950, when the liberalization of pricing caused an increase in prices with a relative decrease in the level of incomes of the population, and the restructuring of production was accompanied by a surge in unemployment. But already in 1951 there was a turn to the side, and in 1952 the rise in prices stopped, and the unemployment rate began to decline. In subsequent years, there was an unprecedented economic growth: 9-10% per year, and in 1953-1956 - up to 10-15% per year. Germany came in second place among Western countries in terms of industrial production(and only in the late 60s was pushed aside by Japan). Large exports made it possible to create a significant gold reserve in the country. The German currency has become the strongest in Europe. In the second half of the 1950s, unemployment practically disappeared, and real incomes of the population tripled. Until 1964, the gross national product (GNP) of the FRG increased 3 times, and it began to produce more products than all of pre-war Germany. At that time, they started talking about the German "economic miracle".
The West German "economic miracle" was due to a number of factors. The economic system chosen by Erhard proved its effectiveness, where liberal market mechanisms were combined with a targeted tax and credit policy states. Erhard succeeded in getting firm anti-monopoly legislation passed. A significant role was played by revenues from the Marshall Plan, the absence of military spending (before the FRG joined NATO), as well as the influx of foreign investment ($350 billion). In German industry, which was destroyed during the war years, there was a massive renewal of fixed capital. Implementation the latest technologies that accompanied this process, combined with the traditionally high efficiency and discipline of the German population, caused fast growth labor productivity.
Agriculture developed successfully. As a result of the agrarian reform of 1948-1949, carried out with the assistance of the occupying authorities, land property was redistributed. As a result, most of the land fund passed from large owners to medium and small ones. In subsequent years, the share of those employed in agriculture decreased steadily, however, extensive mechanization and electrification of peasant labor made it possible to ensure a general increase in the production of this sector.
The social policy, which encouraged direct relations between entrepreneurs and workers, turned out to be very successful. The government acted under the motto: "Neither capital without labor, nor labor without capital can not exist." Pension funds, housing construction, the system of free and preferential education, and vocational training were expanded. The rights of labor collectives in the field of production management were expanded, but their political activity was prohibited. The wage system was differentiated depending on the length of service at a particular enterprise. In 1960, the “Law on the Protection of the Rights of Working Youth” was adopted, and since 1963, a minimum leave was introduced for all workers. The tax policy encouraged the transfer of part of the wage fund into special "people's shares", which were distributed among the employees of the enterprise. All these government measures made it possible to ensure an adequate growth in the purchasing power of the population in the conditions of economic recovery. Germany was in the grip of a consumer boom.
In 1950, Germany became a member of the Council of Europe and began to accept Active participation in negotiations on European integration projects. In 1954, Germany became a member of the Western European Union, and in 1955 joined NATO. In 1957, Germany became one of the founders of the European Economic Community (EEC).
In the 1960s, a regrouping of political forces took place in Germany. The FDP supported the SPD and, forming a new coalition, the two parties formed a government in 1969. This coalition lasted until the early 1980s. During this period, the social democrats W. Brandt (1969-1974) and G. Schmidt (1974-1982) were chancellors.
A new political regrouping took place in the early 80s. The FDP supported the CDU/CSU and withdrew from the coalition with the SPD. In 1982, the Christian Democrat G. Kohl became chancellor (he held this post until 1998). He was destined to become chancellor of a united Germany.
German unification
During the forty post-war years, Germany was divided by the Cold War front into two states. The GDR was losing more and more to West Germany in terms of economic growth and living standards. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961 to prevent the flight of citizens of the GDR to the West, became a symbol of the Cold War and the split of the German nation.
In 1989, a revolution began in the GDR. The main demand of the participants in the revolutionary uprisings was the unification of Germany. In October 1989, the leader of the East German Communists E. Honecker resigned, and on November 9 the Berlin Wall fell. The unification of Germany became a practical task.
It was no longer possible to contain the process of German unification. But in the West and East of the country, different approaches to the future unification have been formed. The Constitution of the FRG provided for the reunification of Germany as a process of joining the lands of East Germany to the FRG, and assumed the liquidation of the GDR as a state. The leadership of the GDR sought to unify through a confederal union.
However, in the elections in March 1990, the GDR defeated the non-communist opposition led by the Christian Democrats. From the very beginning, they advocated the speedy reunification of Germany on the basis of the FRG. On June 1, the German mark was introduced into the GDR. On August 31, the Treaty between the FRG and the GDR on the establishment of state unity was signed.
It only remained to agree on the unification of Germany with 4 states - the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and France. To this end, negotiations were held according to the "2 + 4" formula, that is, between the FRG and the GDR, on the one hand, and the victorious powers (USSR, USA, Great Britain and France), on the other. The Soviet Union made a fundamentally important concession - it agreed to the retention of the membership of a united Germany in NATO and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from East Germany. On September 12, 1990, the Treaty on the Final Settlement with regard to Germany was signed.
On October 3, 1990, 5 lands restored in East Germany became part of the FRG, and the GDR ceased to exist. December 20, 1990 was formed the first Spilnonimets government headed by Chancellor G. Kohl.
Economic and social achievements, problems of the 90s
Contrary to optimistic forecasts, the socio-economic consequences of German reunification turned out to be ambiguous. Hopes of East Germans for miraculous economic effect associations did not materialize. The main problem was the transfer of the command-administrative economy of the 5 eastern lands to the principles of a market economy. This process was carried out without strategic planning, by trial and error. The most "shocking" version of the transformation of the economy of East Germany was chosen. Its features include the introduction of private property, the decisive denationalization of state-owned enterprises, the short time frame for the transition period to a market economy, etc. Moreover, East Germany received socio-economic and political forms organization of society immediately and in finished form.
The adaptation of the economy of the eastern lands to the new conditions was quite painful and led to a reduction in industrial production in them to 1/3 of the previous level. The German economy emerged from the state of crisis caused by the unification of the country and negative trends in the world economy only in 1994. However, the structural restructuring of industry, adaptation to the new conditions of a market economy caused a sharp increase in unemployment. In the mid-90s, it covered more than 12% of the workforce (more than 4 million people). The most difficult situation with employment has developed in East Germany, where the unemployment rate exceeded 15%, and the average wage lagged significantly behind the "old lands". All this, as well as the influx of foreign workers, caused growing social tensions in German society. In the summer of 1996 mass protests broke out, organized by trade unions.
G. Kohl called for comprehensive savings. The government had to go for an unprecedented increase in taxes, which accounted for more than half of total earnings, for a drastic reduction in government spending, including economic support for the eastern lands. All this, as well as G. Kohl's course to further reduce social programs, ultimately led to the defeat of the ruling conservative-liberal coalition in the next parliamentary elections.
The rise to power of the Social Democrats
The 1998 elections brought victory to a new coalition formed by the SPD (received 40.9% of the vote) and the Green Party (6.7%). Before the official entry into the coalition, both parties have developed a large, well-done government program. It provided for measures to reduce unemployment, revise the tax system, close 19 nuclear power plants, the remaining ones, etc. The government of the "pink-green" coalition was headed by the Social Democrat G. Schroeder. In the context of the economic recovery that began, the policy of the new government proved to be very effective. The new government did not abandon the savings in public spending. But these savings were achieved not by curtailing state social programs, but mainly at the expense of land budgets.
The 1998 elections brought victory to a new coalition formed by the SPD (received 40.9% of the vote) and the Green Party (6.7%). Before the official entry into the coalition, both parties have developed a large, well-done government program. It provided for measures to reduce unemployment, revise the tax system, close 19 nuclear power plants, the remaining ones, etc. The government of the "pink-green" coalition was headed by the Social Democrat G. Schroeder. In the context of the economic recovery that began, the policy of the new government proved to be very effective. The new government did not abandon the savings in public spending. But these savings were achieved not by curtailing state social programs, but mainly at the expense of land budgets. In 1999, the government announced its intention to launch a large-scale education reform to make it more effective. Additional appropriations for promising scientific and technical research began to be allocated.
IN early XXI century, Germany with its 80 million population became the largest state in Western Europe. In terms of industrial production, the level of economic development, it ranks third in the world, second only to the United States and Japan.
The German Democratic Republic, or GDR for short, is a country located in the Center of Europe and marked on maps for exactly 41 years. This is the most western country the socialist camp that existed at that time, formed in 1949 and became part of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990.
German Democratic Republic
In the north, the border of the GDR ran along the Baltic Sea, on land it bordered on the FRG, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Its area was 108 thousand square kilometers. The population was 17 million people. The capital of the country was East Berlin. The entire territory of the GDR was divided into 15 districts. In the center of the country was the territory of West Berlin.
Location of the GDR
On a small territory of the GDR there was a sea, mountains and plains. The north was washed by the Baltic Sea, which forms several bays and shallow lagoons. They are connected to the sea by straits. She owned the islands, the largest of them - Rügen, Usedom and Pel. There are many rivers in the country. The largest are the Oder, Elbe, their tributaries Havel, Spree, Saale, as well as the Main - a tributary of the Rhine. Of the many lakes, the largest are Müritz, Schweriner See, Plauer See.
In the south, the country was framed by low mountains, significantly cut by rivers: from the west, the Harz, from the south-west, the Thuringian Forest, from the south, the Ore Mountains with the highest peak Fichtelberg (1212 meters). The north of the territory of the GDR was located on the Central European Plain, to the south lay the plain of the Macklenburg Lake District. South of Berlin stretches a strip of sandy plains.
East Berlin
It has been restored almost completely. The city was divided into occupation zones. After the creation of the FRG, its eastern part became part of the GDR, and the western part was an enclave surrounded on all sides by the territory of East Germany. According to the constitution of Berlin (Western), the land on which it was located belonged to the Federal Republic of Germany. The capital of the GDR was a major center of science and culture of the country.
The Academies of Sciences and Arts were located here, many higher educational institutions. Concert halls and theaters hosted outstanding musicians and artists from all over the world. Many parks and alleys served as decoration for the capital of the GDR. Sports facilities were erected in the city: stadiums, swimming pools, courts, competition grounds. The most famous park for the inhabitants of the USSR was Treptow Park, in which a monument to the liberator soldier was erected.
Big cities
The majority of the country's population was urban dwellers. In a small country, there were several cities with a population of more than half a million people. The large cities of the former German Democratic Republic tended to have quite ancient history. These are the cultural and economic centers of the country. The largest cities include Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig. The cities of East Germany were badly damaged. But Berlin suffered the most, where the fighting went literally for every house.
The largest cities were located in the south of the country: Karl-Marx-Stadt (Meissen), Dresden and Leipzig. Every city in the GDR was famous for something. Rostock, located in northern Germany, is a modern port city. The world-famous porcelain was produced in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Meissen). In Jena, there was the famous Carl Zeiss factory, which produced lenses, including for telescopes, famous binoculars and microscopes were produced here. This city was also famous for its universities and scientific institutions. This is a city of students. Schiller and Goethe once lived in Weimar.
Karl-Marx-Stadt (1953-1990)
This city, founded in the 12th century in the land of Saxony, now bears its original name - Chemnitz. It is the center of textile engineering and textile industry, machine tool building and mechanical engineering. The city was completely destroyed by British and American bombers and rebuilt after the war. There are small islands of old buildings left.
Leipzig
The city of Leipzig, located in Saxony, before the unification of the GDR and the FRG was one of the largest cities in the German Democratic Republic. At 32 kilometers from it is another large city in Germany - Halle, which is located in the land of Saxony-Anhalt. Together, the two cities form an urban agglomeration with a population of 1,100,000 people.
The city has long been the cultural and scientific center of Central Germany. It is known for its universities as well as fairs. Leipzig is one of the most developed industrial regions in East Germany. Since the late Middle Ages, Leipzig has been a recognized center of printing and bookselling in Germany.
The greatest composer Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked in this city, as well as the famous Felix Mendelssohn. The city is still famous for its musical traditions. Since ancient times, Leipzig has been a major trading center; until the last war, the famous fur trades were held here.
Dresden
The pearl among German cities is Dresden. The Germans themselves call it Florence on the Elbe, as there are many baroque architectural monuments here. The first mention of it was recorded in 1206. Dresden has always been the capital: since 1485 - the Margraviate of Meissen, since 1547 - the Electorate of Saxony.
It is located on the Elbe River. The border with the Czech Republic passes 40 kilometers from it. It is the administrative center of Saxony. Its population is about 600,000 inhabitants.
The city suffered greatly from the bombing of US and British aircraft. Up to 30,000 residents and refugees perished, most of them elderly, women and children. During the bombardment, the castle-residence, the Zwinger complex, and the Semperoper were badly destroyed. Almost the entire historical center lay in ruins.
In order to restore architectural monuments, after the war, all the surviving parts of the buildings were dismantled, rewritten, numbered and taken out of the city. Everything that could not be restored was cleared away.
The old city was a flat area on which most of the monuments were gradually restored. The government of the GDR came up with a proposal to revive the old city, which lasted almost forty years. For residents, new quarters and avenues were built around the old city.
Coat of arms of the GDR
Like any country, the GDR had its own coat of arms, described in Chapter 1 of the constitution. The coat of arms of the German Democratic Republic consisted of a golden hammer superimposed on each other, embodying the working class, and a compass, personifying the intelligentsia. They were surrounded by a golden wreath of wheat, representing the peasantry, intertwined with ribbons of the national flag.
Flag of the GDR
The flag of the German Democratic Republic was an elongated panel consisting of four equal width stripes painted in the national colors of Germany: black, red and gold. In the middle of the flag was the coat of arms of the GDR, which distinguished it from the flag of the FRG.
Prerequisites for the formation of the GDR
The history of the GDR covers a very short period of time, but it is still being studied with great attention by German scientists. The country was in strict isolation from the FRG and all Western world. After the surrender of Germany in May 1945, there were occupation zones, there were four of them, since the former state ceased to exist. All power in the country, with all management functions, formally passed to the military administrations.
The transitional period was complicated by the fact that Germany, especially its eastern part, where the German resistance was desperate, lay in ruins. The barbaric bombardments by British and American aircraft were intended to intimidate the civilian population of the cities that were liberated by the Soviet army, to turn them into a heap of ruins.
In addition, there was no agreement between the former allies regarding the vision of the future of the country, and this is what subsequently led to the creation of two countries - the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.
Basic Principles for the Reconstruction of Germany
Even at the Yalta Conference, the basic principles for the restoration of Germany were considered, which were later fully agreed upon and approved at the conference in Potsdam by the victorious countries: the USSR, Great Britain and the USA. They were also approved by the countries that participated in the war against Germany, in particular France, and contained the following provisions:
- Complete destruction of the totalitarian state.
- Complete ban on the NSDAP and all organizations associated with it.
- The complete liquidation of the punitive organizations of the Reich, such as the SA, SS, SD services, as they were recognized as criminal.
- The army was completely liquidated.
- Racial and political laws were abolished.
- Gradual and consistent implementation of denazification, demilitarization and democratization.
The decision of the German question, which included a peace treaty, was entrusted to the Council of Ministers of the victorious countries. On June 5, 1945, the victorious states promulgated the Declaration of the Defeat of Germany, according to which the country was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the administrations of Great Britain (the largest zone), the USSR, the USA and France. The capital of Germany, Berlin, was also divided into zones. The decision of all issues was entrusted to the Control Council, it included representatives of the victorious countries.
Party of Germany
In Germany, in order to restore statehood, the formation of new political parties that would be democratic in nature was allowed. In the eastern sector, emphasis was placed on the revival of the Communist and Social Democratic Party of Germany, which soon merged into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (1946). Its goal was to build a socialist state. It was the ruling party in the German Democratic Republic.
In the western sectors, the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) party formed in June 1945 became the main political force. In 1946, the CSU (Christian-Social Union) was formed in Bavaria according to this principle. Their main principle is a democratic republic based on market economy on the rights of private property.
Political confrontations on the issue of the post-war structure of Germany between the USSR and the rest of the coalition countries were so serious that their further aggravation would lead either to a split of the state or to a new war.
Formation of the German Democratic Republic
In December 1946, Great Britain and the United States, ignoring numerous proposals from the USSR, announced the merger of their two zones. She was abbreviated as "Bizonia". This was preceded by the refusal of the Soviet administration to supply agricultural products to the western zones. In response to this, transit shipments of equipment exported from factories and plants in East Germany and located in the Ruhr region to the USSR zone were stopped.
At the beginning of April 1949, France also joined the Bizonia, as a result of which Trizonia was formed, from which the Federal Republic of Germany was subsequently formed. Thus, the Western powers, having entered into an agreement with the big German bourgeoisie, created a new state. In response to this, at the end of 1949, the German Democratic Republic was created. Berlin, or rather its Soviet zone, became its center and capital.
The People's Council was temporarily reorganized into the People's Chamber, which adopted the Constitution of the GDR, which passed a nationwide discussion. 09/11/1949 the first president of the GDR was elected. It was the legendary Wilhelm Pick. At the same time, the government of the GDR was temporarily created, headed by O. Grotewohl. The military administration of the USSR transferred all functions of governing the country to the government of the GDR.
The Soviet Union did not want the division of Germany. They were repeatedly made proposals for the unification and development of the country in accordance with the Potsdam decisions, but they were regularly rejected by Great Britain and the United States. Even after the division of Germany into two countries, Stalin made proposals for the unification of the GDR and the FRG, provided that the decisions of the Potsdam Conference were observed and that Germany was not drawn into any political and military blocs. But the Western states refused to do so, ignoring Potsdam's decisions.
The political system of the GDR
The form of government of the country was based on the principle of people's democracy, in which a bicameral parliament operated. The state system of the country was considered to be bourgeois-democratic, in which socialist transformations took place. The German Democratic Republic included the lands of the former Germany of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The lower (people's) chamber was elected by universal secret ballot. The upper house was called Land Chamber, the executive body is the government, which was composed by the prime minister and ministers. It was formed by appointment, which was carried out by the largest faction of the People's Chamber.
The administrative-territorial division consisted of lands, consisting of districts, divided into communities. The functions of the legislature were carried out by the Landtags, the executive bodies were the governments of the lands.
The People's Chamber - the highest body of the state - consisted of 500 deputies, who were elected by the people by secret ballot for a period of 4 years. It was represented by all parties and public organizations. The People's Chamber, acting on the basis of laws, made the most important decisions on the development of the country, dealt with relations between organizations, observing the rules for cooperation between citizens, state organizations and associations; adopted the main law - the Constitution and other laws of the country.
Economy of the GDR
After the partition of Germany, the economic situation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was very difficult. This part of Germany was very badly destroyed. The equipment of plants and factories was taken to the western sectors of Germany. The GDR was simply cut off from the historical raw material bases, most of which were in the FRG. There was a lack of such natural resources as ore and coal. There were few specialists: engineers, executives who left for the FRG, frightened by the propaganda about the cruel reprisal of Russians.
With the help of the Union and other countries of the commonwealth, the economy of the GDR gradually began to gain momentum. Businesses were restored. It was believed that centralized leadership and a planned economy served as a deterrent to the development of the economy. It should be taken into account that the restoration of the country took place in isolation from the western part of Germany, in an atmosphere of tough confrontation between the two countries, open provocations.
Historically, the eastern regions of Germany were mostly agricultural, and in its western part, rich in coal and deposits of metal ores, heavy industry, metallurgy and engineering were concentrated.
Without the financial and material assistance of the Soviet Union, it would have been impossible to achieve an early restoration of industry. For the losses suffered by the USSR during the war years, the GDR paid him reparation payments. Since 1950, their volume has been halved, and in 1954 the USSR refused to receive them.
Foreign policy situation
The construction of the Berlin Wall by the German Democratic Republic became a symbol of the intransigence of the two blocs. The eastern and western blocs of Germany were building up their military forces, provocations from the western bloc became more frequent. It came to open sabotage and arson. The propaganda machine worked at full power, using economic and political difficulties. Germany, like many Western European countries, did not recognize the GDR. The peak of the aggravation of relations occurred in the early 1960s.
The so-called "German crisis" also arose thanks to West Berlin, which, legally being the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, was located in the very center of the GDR. The border between the two zones was conditional. As a result of the confrontation between NATO blocs and countries belonging to the Warsaw bloc, the SED Politburo decides to build a border around West Berlin, which was a reinforced concrete wall 106 km long and 3.6 m high and a fence made of metal mesh 66 km long. She stood from August 1961 until November 1989.
After the merger of the GDR and the FRG, the wall was demolished, only small plot, which became the Berlin Wall memorial. In October 1990, the GDR became part of the FRG. The history of the German Democratic Republic, which existed for 41 years, is intensively studied and researched by scientists of modern Germany.
Despite the propaganda discrediting of this country, scientists are well aware that it gave Western Germany a lot. In a number of parameters, she surpassed her Western brother. Yes, the joy of reunification was genuine for the Germans, but it is not worth belittling the importance of the GDR, one of the most developed countries in Europe, and many in modern Germany understand this very well.
