Theme 1: Establishing Control

What were the two Great Power conferences in 1945?

• Yalta (Feb)

• Potsdam (July)

What was agreed about Germany at Potsdam?

• Partition of Germany and Berlin into four

• Reparations

• Denazification, deindustrialisation, demilitarisation, democratisation

What was agreed about the size of reparations?

• Each side would take from their own zone

• +10% extra from each Western zone to the USSR

• +15% more in exchange for food and raw materials

Give three ways the conferences contributed to the division of Germany

• Increased tensions/divisions between the USA and USSR

• Disagreements over reparations and policy in Germany

• Established temporary division of Germany

In what ways was Germany divided before WW2?

• Temporary administrative division

• Economic division

• Ideological division

• Social division

Which organisation administered the Soviet zone?

SMAD (Soviet Military Administration)

How did the SMAD operate?

• 50,000 members led by the Ulbricht group

• Guided by USSR

• Mostly centralised control

• Allowed some autonomous German organisations (eg. political parties)

Give three ways the Soviets approached denazification

• Imprisoned 200,000 people in NKVD special camps

• Tried to eradicate the preconditions for Nazism

• Education reform (pro-Soviet curriculum, purged 80% of teachers)

What were the land reforms of September 1945?

• All large landowners lost all land - abolished Junker class

• 1/3 of useful land redistributed to peasants or government

What other economic reforms were passed in October 1945?

• Confiscated property of former Nazis

• Nationalisation of banks, property, businesses and mines

What two types of company made up 60% of output?

• SAGs (Soviet owned joint stock companies)

• VEBs (people’s own factories)

How much did the USSR pay in reparations?

• $30 billion (compared to agreed $10 billion)

• Dismantled industrial plants

• 25% of zone’s GDP

What was the purpose of reparations?

• Repay costs of war

• Pay costs of occupation

• Keep Germany weak

How did economic policy differ in the Western zones?

• More lenient to help Germany recover

• Marshall Aid (1947)

• New currency Deutschemark (1948)

• No significant economic restructuring

What did the USA and USSR disagree about regarding Germany?

• Methods/size of reparations

• Whether to do major economic restructuring (eg. socialist policies)

What disputes emerged between USA and USSR regarding reparations?

• Soviets refused to deliver food

• Disputes over distribution of coal

• USSR wanted to keep Germany weak

How did reparations affect Eastern and Western zones?

• Eastern zones: reparations until 1953, took 25% of zone’s GDP

• Western zones: took 15% of zones GDP until 1949

What were the pre-1946 communist and socialist parties called in Germany?

• KPD (communist)

• SPD (socialist)

What was the group of communists trained in the USSR to spread communism in Germany called?

Ulbricht Group

Why did the communist party want to merge with the socialists?

• Wanted to win electorally, so needed more votes

• KPD seen as Soviet puppet

Why did the socialist party want to merge?

• Help gain power

• Pressure from the Soviets

When was the SED created?

April 1946

Where was the SED based and why?

Only in the Soviet zone - little support for the merger in the Western zones

Give a piece of evidence that the SED was initially unpopular

• West Berlin voted 20,000 to 3000 against merging

• Oct 1946 - SED won under 20% in Berlin

Give a piece of evidence that the SED was popular

Biggest party in the GDR - 2 mil members by 1948

Who were the two chairmen of the SED until 1950?

Wilhelm Pieck and Otto Grotewohl

How did the SED change in its first few years?

• Purged former socialists

• Committed to Marxism-Leninism from 1948

What was the start and end date of the Berlin Blockade?

June 1948 - May 1949

Give two immediate causes of the Berlin Blockade

• Soviet representative walked out of Allied Control Commission (ACC)

• Deutschemark introduced

What was the purpose of the Berlin blockade?

Force the Allies out of West Berlin

Give three reasons why the Berlin Blockade contributed to the division of Germany

• Cemented division between USA and USSR

• USA now committed to West Germany as a symbol of freedom

• Triggered the official formation of the FRG and GDR

When were the FRG and GDR officially created?

• FRG - May 1949

• GDR - Oct 1949

Give three reasons Stalin was reluctant to impose communist rule in the Soviet zone

• SED too weak to do so

• International backlash

• Still wanted a unified Germany

What were Stalin’s notes (1952)?

Offer to reunite Germany

Why was Stalin’s offer of reunification rejected?

West insisted on free elections with a UN monitor

Give three reasons the USA were to blame for the division of Germany

• Truman mistrusted Stalin and refused to work with him

• Undermined economic punishment on Germany to help it recover - Marshall Aid

• Founded the Economic Council (1947)

Give three reasons the USSR were to blame for the division of Germany

• Imposed communism on their zone

• Berlin Blockade

• Pushed for formation of SED - refused proper ‘democratisation’

Give three reasons why Germans were to blame for the division of Germany

• KPD/SED members like Ulbricht and Pieck contributed to one-party state

• West German elites cooperated with new economic order, happy to abandon Eastern politicians

• More focused on Western unity at expense of East

What year was the GDR constitution crea

Give three pieces of evidence that the GDR constitution was democratic

• Guaranteed human rights eg. freedom of speech

• Trade unions could call strikes

• Elections every four years with secret ballot, multiple parties, proportional representation, compulsory voting

• Two elected chambers (Volkskammer and Landerkammer)

Give two pieces of evidence that the GDR constitution was not democratic

• Article 6 banned ‘incitement to boycott’

• Article 8 said the state can restrict or revoke personal freedoms

Give three pieces of evidence that the GDR merely had a façade of democracy?

• Only one list of candidates to choose from at elections - National Front drew this up

• Party over state - Prime Minister and President couldn’t make decisions

• Volkskammer only met a few days a year and only approved Politburo decisions

• SED dominated Landerkammer

What did the 1968 constitution change?

• Central role of SED to implement socialism

• Article 21 - civil rights linked to ‘corresponding obligations’

What did the 1974 amendments change?

Emphasised ties with USSR (not with FRG)

What were the two chambers of Parliament, and what was the difference?

• Volkskammer - People’s chamber (lower chamber) proportional representation

• Landerkammer (Chamber of States) - delegates from states

Which organisations had seats assigned in the list of approved candidates in the election?

• Parties - 110 SED, the rest divided between Christian, liberal, and SED-puppet groups

• 155 for mass organisations dominated by SED (eg. FDJ)

What happened to the Landerkammer?

• 1952: transferred power to 15 regional organisations to suppress regional power bases - sidelined

• Dec 1958: Landerkammer abolished

Who were the de jure (in law) leaders of the GDR?

• Pieck (President)

• Grotewohl (Prime Minister)

Who was the de facto (in reality) leader of the GDR?

Ulbricht (First Secretary)

What political change was made in 1960?

Role of President abolished after Pieck’s death, replaced by collective Council of State