Questions:

Economic struggles, unemployment.

• Harsh terms of the treaty of versailles

• Domestic Chaos

• Hyperinflation

• Great Depression of 1929

• Mass unemployment + Loss of benefits

• Germans turned anger on the failing weimar republic → New voters to polls → Nazi Party Appears →September 1930 becomes a serious presence 18.25%

• Unemployment hit 6 million and Nazi replaces Social Democrats as biggest party

• A calculated risk by president Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler chancellor in 1933

The Weimar republic had many issues at its core that led to its fall. The biggest issue of the Weimar Republic was the failing economic state due to the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles. There was mass unemployment, hyperinflation and a great depression. All of which led the acting president of that time to attempt to solve the problems with a radical party. The Weimar republic failed ultimately in the 1933s because of the inclination of Paul von HIndenburg in an attempt to address the issues of the weimar republic with radical party leadership and the appointment of hitler to chancellorship.

The division of the cold war between the allies and the USSR. 

• Germany into multiple states so that it could never be a threat (Yalta Conference 1945)

• Diverging policies of the powers controlling Germany: Logic of the Cold War

  • USA, Britain, France: Integration into the West

    • US + Britain at first, then France

    • Democratic system that held elections right away

    • Social market economy

  • Soviet:

    • Established a communist regime that the west powers opposed

• New currency Deutschmark

• Marshall Plan: Anti communist money aid

• Growing tensions of the cold war pushed Germany into 2 blocks

Germany was divided into 2 states in 1949 because of cold war tensions. The Allies. France, the USA, and Great Britain wanted to pursue a more democratic system and a market economy. This led to the creation of the triszone. The Soviet Union wanted to establish a communist regime which the west powers opposed. The differing plans for the future of Germany ultimately led to the clear distinction of the FDR and the GDR because the plans were incompatible to a unified Germany. One example that solidified the separation of Germany was the introduction of the Deutschmark. Currency introduced in the west and not adopted in the east that the USSR viewed as an aggressive action to undermine their regime. 

Article 48 was eliminated which granted emergency powers, did not want to make the same mistakes.

• German’s concern to avoid the failures of the third reich

• Ban of death penalty: third reich use

• More decentralized power: less central power

• Bundestag: most powerful body elected directly by the people

• Prevent strong powers of the president above parliament

• Emergency powers of article 48

• 5% rule for parties in the parliamentary system to avoid the internal collapse like the Weimar republic when parties formed coalitions 

• Able to ban parties hostile to democracy

The Basic law differed to some extent from the Weimar constitution due to the fact that the Basic laws purpose was to prevent the same mistakes that happened in the Weimar republic to happen again. The most clear and distinct change from the Weimar republic to the basic law was the elimination of provision 48 that granted the state emergency powers where basic civil rights of the citizens were able to be ignored. In the basic law that provision was eliminated in order to prevent the absolute power and dictatorship that Hitlers dictatorship created. It also differed in the elimination of the death penalty which had allowed Hitler to kill “legally” millions of Jewish people.

SED

• Forced merging of Social Demo and Communists 

• Unfree elections, increased control

• Stalinization, new type party control

CDU (Christian Democratic Party)

• Social Market Economy

• Close cooperation with occupation powers

• Germany Unity (Priority to west integrations)

• Anti-Communism

• Konrad Adenauer

SPD (Social Democratic Party)

• Plan Economy

• A more independent policy

• German Unity (Free + Democratic, Neutral accepted)

• Anti-Communism

• Kurt Schumacher

FDR

• Emphasis on traditional nuclear family

• Deep desire for stability → Reconstructed traditional family views

• Tax incentives for married couples with children

• Criminalization of abortion + homosexuality

• Discouragement of woman to work

GDR

• The West was more attractive = people leaving 

• Work shortage → women working

• A source of Pride → increased state control, appearance of a good life

• Deal making with women to ensure they don't leave → free birth control, childcare, vacations, abortion, support

• Have MORE kids tho

• Confirmed the women's traditional role but needed for labor

FDR - reinforcement of women's traditional roles. GDR - Labor shortage = women working/double burden

Social Programs:

• Childcare: not enough

• Pensions: also not enough

• Equal Pay: a reality but still double burden

• Housing Blocks: ugly, isolationist, keep workers fresh

• Right to work enshrined: used to complain about working conditions

• Humanitarian Goals vs. Reality

It can be considered entirely a welfare dictatorship because it controlled all aspects of public life in an attempt to gain legitimacy. 

• Allied control was significant: Parties needed approval from High Commissioner

• SRP and KPD were banned, extremist parties

• CDU absorbed many extremist parties

• Allies Prevented nationalist Takeover of FDP

• Economic Success story

(Allied control was significant, Parties banned, Economic success, Absorption of extremes)

• Economic success story 

  • Introduction of the Deutschmark, lowered reparation payments, Unemployment fell, standards of living improved

• Western Integration and strong influence of USA

Economic success story, Strong leadership, Western integration and ally supporrt. 

FDR

• Denazification

  • Broadcast of death camp horrors

  • Nuremberg trials

  • Eventually lenient

• Confronting the past pt.1

  • Media about the Nazi past

  • Trials in Ulm, Eichmann

  • Ended war crime trials after a set amount of years (tried to/failed)

  • Became a peripheral concern

• Confronting the past pt.2

  • 1980s involved the people in the rebuilding of history

  • Heroes, innocents, ignorance

  • Kohl avoided direct responsibility, because of a late birth

  • Kohl stressed the positive side of German history

GDR

• Denazification

  • Broadcast of death camp horrors

  • Nuremberg trials

• Confronting the past pt.1

  • Posed as Anti-Facist

  • No responsibility for crimes

  • All citizens were victims

  • Capitalism was responsible

  • Distance from the FDR because they claimed that is was a  Nazi successor state

• Confronting the past pt.2

• Prevent GDR residents from leaving

• Demonstrate sovereignty

• Stabilize power

Prevent people from leaving, legitimize their power.

FDR: Regulator, GDR: Complete Control, Response to Oil Crisis

The governmental influence over the economy differed primarily in the extent of direct governmental control in the economy. In FDR, the government primarily acted as a regulator and exerted minimal control except in the case to prevent instability. In the GDR, the government took an active role in the direct control of the economy. The government mandated all aspects of the economy. When both governments faced the Oil Crisis, the FDR allowed oil prices to rise in response to the shortage and instead focused on incentivising conservation of gas. The GDR on the other hand absorbed increased cost of the oil crisis and it created a massive national debt. In the context of the oil crisis the FDR and the GDR took very different routes of influence over the economy. The FDR left the economy be and instead changed constituent usage of gas. While the GDR actively maintained the price of gas, actively working to keep the economy constant. One demonstrating a hands off approach while the other demonstrated direct and active involvement. 

Yes

• Established Germany as independent of the west allies, esp. United states

• Aided in the maturation of their government

• Increased higher education

• Established Germany with own identity

• Guaranteed the borders between East and West Europe → GDR and FDR

• Prevent any further alienation of the 2 Germanys

• Development of friendlier relations

• People thought that it completely closed off the possibility of Germany ever reuniting

• Very different sovereignty

• Different governments and style of gov’t

• Very different policies

The two germanies in the 1970s and the 1980s were completely different societies. While the GDR relied heavily on the FDR for economic support for its humanitarian policies, at their core, the two societies held very different identities. FDR citizens held a strong relationship to their government and felt compelled to change it and protest if they felt it didn't suit their needs. On the other hand, GDR citizens lived under constant surveillance by the Stasi, they could not even think of dissent without major consequence. The two Germanies' sentiment towards protest shows a very different social and political climate because the two Germanies at this point in time were two fundamentally different societies. 

FDR

• Inadequate childcare and less generous birth allowances

• 20% of marriages ended in divorce

GDR

• Reversal back to traditional gender roles

• Faced the double burden of housework and employment

• Abortion legalized, Paid leave

• 30% of marriages ended in divorce

No

• Discussion of reintroduction of death penalty

• State action was disproportionate to the RAF 

  • Bans on radicals (early 1970)

• Modernizing police force and expanding power

• Implemented broad surveillance measures

• Infringement of civil liberties for suspected terrorists

Fall of the Soviet Union, increased political dissent,  

• Two separate confederate states

• Ecologist pacifist

• Separate similar living conditions