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History Course: Germany 1945-91
From Occupation to Division, 1945-1949
The WW2 Legacy- Facts and Figures
 The war had brought death, misery and physical destruction throughout the
nation
 Around 6
...

 Talked about plans for Germany once Hitler stopped being stupid
 Britain, America, and USSR agreed France could have a zone
 Zones; British, Soviet, American, French
Potsdam Conference: July 1945- Stalin, Atlee, Truman
 Aimed to deal with the major issues; Disarmament, denazification 1, territorial
adjustments and reparations 2
...

 But in the following 2 months the Soviets had about 300,000 dead or
wounded soldiers due to the Battle for Berlin3- so they were aaaaaangry by
Potsdam
...

2 Payments by Germany for the damaged caused by WW2
3
The name given to the final few months of WW2 in Europe which eventual led to Soviet forces
finally occuping the city itself!





o Soviet’s got 40% of 1937 German territory and 30 % of it’s industrial
production! It also significantly included Berlin- but they decided to be
difficult and separate that into the 4 zones too
At this point, it wasn’t certain that Germany would divide… but they
definitely do…
There was friction around Poland too- Poland was already a pro-communist
gov supported by the USSR
...


Reparations:
 There was a lack of consistency in the approach to reparations amongst the
allies
...
He even wanted to take some
boss scientists to the USSR (including taking their families?!) Stalin
wanted to make sure he was safe from attacks from the west
...

 Because the western allies had loads of industry they agreed to send some
over to Soviets whom had mainly agriculture- but OH NO, Stalin was a
douche-bag again and didn’t give much food at all
...
There were SO MANY
refugees, food shortages (meaning massive rationing), and severe wintersthere were even rumours of cannibalism…
 Many refugees were ex-prisoners of the Nazis
...


The 4 D’s successes and Failures
Denazification
 The issue with dealing with other Nazi figures (others from the Nuremberg
trials of course!)
 The Nazi party was dissolved and banned, and the army was also disbanded
...
There was also emphasis on reeducation= school teachers removed
...
‘Soviet special camps’
introduced
...
Asked Germans to complete
questionnaires to declare involvement, “Persil Certificates”
...
British sect- 90% of population pardoned; French- 50%;
America- 1/3 was pardoned
...
By 1950s, the whole process had wound down
...

Since WW2 there had been occasional trials, mainly due to individuals (Simon
Wiesenthal- got 16 people to trials)
Overall, denazification wasn’t a missed opportunity it was just not physically
possible
...

 The munitions factories were dismantled and private businesses with
potential to manufacture weapons were restricted
...

 1947- fear of militarisation was not as strong as the fear of communism for
the west and therefore the levels and restrictions were adjusted so the
economy could recover and be more immune to the threat of communism
...
g
...
Only a small
number of businesses were actually restructured
...

 This was an opportunity MISSED
...

o Suppressed all anti-Nazi parties as they feared all political activity
...

4

Like a state

o There were 4 political parties elected (in fair, free elections YAY) SPD,
KPD5, FDP6 AND CDU/CSU
...



Soviet zone: DRAMATIC CHANGE AH
...
The Soviet military
administration licensed political parties- legitimist KPD7
...
THEN THE SPD8 CAME ALONG TO
CHALLENGE THEM
...
In Autumn elections 1945 local elections favoured SPD
...
SED= Craaazy dominant
...

 Alan McDougal analyses the experiences of those involved
...

Education
 They wanted to remove the aspects which had boosted Nazism, create a
more equal society, and implant more socialist values
 1946, the law for the democratisation of German school was implemented;
Oberschule provided education for more able students from 14 years of age
...


5

SPD and KPD refused to merge- moody rivals
Free Democratic Party- more right-wing
7
KPD: German Communist Party
8
Social Democratic Party
6

Economic changes in the East
 Economic reforms were undertaken on socialist principles
...

 In September 1945- banks and factories were nationalised and in June 1946,
25 Soviet-owned joint-stock-companies (SAG’s) were formed by
amalgamating 213 firms
...
September 1945,
7,000 large estates (over 100 hectors) as well as Nazi owned ones seized and
turned into collectivised farms
...

 June 1947- German Economic Commission (nucleus of new state) was set up
in response to Bizonia
...

 Various Christian and conservative parties combined to form the CDU led
by Adenauer9 (AND THE AGE OF ADENAUER BEGINS)
 Various liberal parties formed- FDP, and lots of little parties formed- like
ones for refugees e
...
BHE
 There were not really any attempts at radical social or economic changes,
as had been happening in the Eastern zone (land reforms, mass
organisations)
 The main political divide- was with the SPD and CDS/CSU (the main
parties)
Truman Doctrine
 Lotsssssss of tension between soviets and the allies
 In march 1946- churchill’s iron curtain speech :S and he was like GUYS WE
NEED TO BE A STRONGER ALLIANCE TO MAKE SURE THERE’S NOT A SPREAD
OF SOCIALISM
...
Clay announced that the USA would no longer
provide goods to the soviets until they stopped being douche-bags and
stated treating their zone like 1 economic unit
Soviets decided to be bitches and stop Agricultural deliveries, which
meant food shortages  AND the USA suddenly thought that with a weak
economy they would be susceptible to communism
...


Marshall Plan
 Summer of 1947
 It was kind of a response to COMINFORM10 set up by Stalin
...

 There was a CRAZY amount of economic revival and in extension there was a
lot less support for communists with the areas receiving Marshall aid
 Aid was administered throughout the OEEC11
 Stalin, yet again, didn’t want to be out done so he only went and created
COMECON- economic help for the East- however it didn’t have the same
economic strength as Marshall aid (HAHAH)
 But really the Marshall plan just increased tensions with the West and East

BIZONIA BITCHES- January 1947
 The British and Americans joined forces to administer aspects of their
economy more efficiently!
 It did help the German economy- but it made the idea of reunification
less likely 
 In late 1947 there was a London conference- which made tension
between Soviets and Allies EVEN STRONGER (ugh)
...

 The Deutschmark (DM) was introduced to the Western zones- a sign of what
good buddies they were
...
And bartering replaced the
Reichmark (RM) for most transactions
 The currency reform was VITAL in order to boost the German economywithout a strong economy; trade could not prosper if the currency was not
reliable
...

 The economic and political divide because very very strong between the
West and East
...
They suspended all
road and rail passenger traffic
...
The western
allies had actually already begun supplying troops in the west by air
...

 So Truman was like, FUCK THIS- HERE WE GO BERLIN AIRLIFT
...

At its best, it was giving supplies every 90 seconds at Tempelhof Airport!
 Psychologically, the airlift showed that the west weren’t giving up without a
fight
...

 The blockade made the idea of a unified western zone almost inevitable, and
the western powers decided to co-ordinate their armed forces which laid the
foundations for NATO
...

They really wanted to create a strong democratic West-Germany that would
battle communism- short-term to being unified
...
The
West also rejected the Soviets because of their irrational fear of communism
...
And Theodor Heuss (FDP) became the first president! Schumacher
was the leader of SPD, and was a douche bag saying that Adenauer would
become a puppet of the USA
 West Berlin was NOT part of the FRG
 The tasks facing Adenauer were crazy- stupid Hitler fucking up Germany
during WW2, refugee crisis, rising prices, uneasy relationship with foreign
powers
 Adenauer campaigned for the merger of 3 western zones, even if it meant
losing the soviet zone  Schumacher called him a traitor
 Recognised by Western Europe, and invited to the council of Europe
(OEEC) so they could get all the economies of West Europe good again
...

 Pieck was appointed as president, Grotewohl as prime minister, and Ulbricht
as First Secretary of the Politburo13
...

 Constitutionally there WAS; freedom of speech, right to strike, freedom of
assembly and freedom to practise religion… but realistically the situation was
very different as freedoms were of lesser importance to Ulbricht’s ‘building of
socialism’ and the development of a socialist state closely allied to the USSR

12

Basic law: established a federal state and put in place constitutional controls to prevent some of the
conditions which had contributed to the democratic fragility
...

 Considerable economic and political growth and the political and economic
integration of the FRG with Western Europe and the USA
...








It was actually a lot worse for the GDR; this period saw the creation of a
highly disciplined socialist gov, obviously controlled by the stalkers of the
SED, and it’s full integration with the Eastern bloc and the USSR
The GDR DID have some economic and social improvements, especially when
compared with other Eastern bloc states, HOWVER, this has to be weighed
against in crazy bad increate in state repression and control
...
The GDR was
widely regarded as the most successful eastern bloc state- in terms of
economy and lack of widespread dissent between 1953 and 1988
...

This in effect, limited the democratic choices available to the
electorate
...
There were a shitload of inequalities in the GDR; Posh dicks whom
lived a life of luxury of the Politburo, and the mean denial of uni places to
some from more ‘bourgeois’ backgrounds (and also a STUPID lack of
advancement for women in certain professions)
Key economic and political developments in FRG and GDR
FRG
GDR
Economic success
 FRG witness what was  Generally seen as the
called the ‘economic
most successful
miracle’
socialist state in the
Eastern bloc
 It was run on ‘social-



market’ 14 economic
principles and the
results were envied by
many other Western
states
It became a founding
member of EEC 15







Political stability





FRG-became very
successful, wellfunctioning
democracy- which is
not what many
would’ve predicted
when it was formed in
1949
After failings of
Weimar democracy
and the third reich
dictatorship many
feared that most west
Germans wouldn’t
adapt to democracy





By 60s, it had the
highest standards of
living than any other
neighbouring socialist
state
By 1964, the USSR
claimed that the GDR
was one of the
strongest states in the
whole of Europe
(hmm
...

 The FRG stressed political freedoms, respect for human rights, and criticised
the GDR’s totalitarianism and state-led oppression and lack of freedom
...
Bundestag-main decision
making sect
...
Political parties
who didn’t support democratic
principles could be banned

GDR
 Federal state, but the 5 historical
Lander were replaced by Bezirke
 Formal head of state with a
president- largely symbolic role
...
The Volkskammer was
elected nationally, but had a
predetermined amount of seats for
the SED
...

o If he could get a neutral Germany, Stalin could try to expand Soviet
sphere of influence over Germany and into Western Europe
...

 Adenauer
o Viewed note as deliberate attempt to undermine FRG’s relations with
the Western allies
o Maintained that reunification would only be possible if the FRG was
firmly established and a strong power in it’s own right
o Felt a united, neutral Germany would be exposed to the Soviet
expansion
16

Hard currency= currency that considers to be strong because its value does not fall- the
deutschemark
17
Policy especially associated with Adenauer- wanted to increase the FRG’s military and economic
strength in order to put them in a stronger position to counter socialism

Developments in the FRG under Adenauer- chancellor of FRG 1949
Adenauer’s policies
 Reconstruction of FRG
 Integrate refugees and expellees into society
 Compensation for victims of Nazi war crimes
 Raise money
 ‘No experiments’
Economic miracle and rising living standards
 Massive economic growth during 50s
Effect by the Marshall plan
 FRG= given 1
...
8 million escaped from the GDR
o Industrial relations=good, principle of co-determination18gave trade
unions a stake in industries and reduced disputes
...

 Ruhr was short lived due to signing of ECSC (European coal and steal treaty
1951)
...

o Ad successfully secured the release of remaining German prisoners of
war from USSR in 1955 in return for the FRG diplomatic recognition of
the USSR
o Hungarian revolt-1956- people got scared of instability in east,
support for CDU/CSU in FRG
Resurrecting Nazi past
 Former Nazis were given high profile jobs- Adenauer ignored that they were
convicted Nazis
 Could be argued that his main priority WAS to physically rebuild Germany
 Globke- ex-Nazi Adenauer’s adviser
 1951 Reinstatement act allowed 40-80% civil servants to be ex-NSDAP
Concerns:
 That refugees were being treated as second class citizens- rejects the claims
about being a fair democracy
 The FRG gov intended that they’d leave-but they didn’t
...
Argued for an ‘armed police’ to stop internal
discontent that could threaten the FRG (US busy with Korean war)
 Setting up of army meant amendment to the basic law of 1949
 The army was called Bundeswehr and was initially purely for defence
 By 1961, the FRG’s army was the second strongest force in NATO- 350,000
soldiers
...

The reactions and fears created by the mini recession indicated that the
FRG’s successful embrace of democracy was dependent upon a good
economy

End of CDU/CSU gov
 Partly due to the SPD changing it’s policies
 1959, the SPD reformed- traditional support was from working class but due
to amazing economy- lost that support
...

Europe and USA
 Political stability
 Independence

Weaknesses





Criticisms of 131 law
Spiegel affair
Growth of criticism
from both left-wing
and right-wing groups

Economy
 Social-market econ
 Economic miracle
 Rising living standards
 Overall prosperity
 Good industrial
relations
 Major world economic
power
 Treatment of refugees
 Mini-reccession mid60s

Developments under Ulbricht in GDR 1950-1971
Political control by SED
 Elections were not fair, voters were just given a list of gov nominated
candidates
 The number of seats in the Volkskammer was predetermined and it was
considered democratic to maintain the SED’s leading role because it provided
guidance to the electorate
 Heavy handed terror tactics to persecute SPD supporters



USSR watched every move the SED made

State control of agriculture and industry
 Followed policies made by mother fucking Stalin
 1952- SED announced it would be taking industry & agriculture into state
ownership
 Lander- replaced with 15 administrative districts
 By late 50s- collectivisation was a go go go
 The GDR reached end of 5 year plan in 1955, despite issues it faced it did
succeed in doubling its industrial production
 HOWEVER, the scarcity of consumer goods and failure to raise living
standards did not boost public support
Impact of collectivisation- early 50s
 Wanted to increase size of farms and exploit both machinery and agricultural
labour to the full
 Many farmers didn’t care about the modern methods
 Up to 15,000 GDR farmers left for the FRG in the 50s
 Second wave of collectivisation in 50s= food shortages grr
 Collectivisation and food shortages= heavy rationing, milk, eggs etc and didn’t
end until 1958
Economy
 5 year plan (1950)
o Promised to double 1936 output- heavy industry emphasis
o GDR joined COMECON (1951)- 76% trade went to soviets
o Success- because they’d started with nothing!
 5 year plan (number 2) (1956)
o More regional specialisation allowing GDR to fufil position in relation
to less developed countries of comecon- FAILED
o 1959- abandoned
...
Ambitious targets in energy, chemicals
and engineering- plan brought initial success but abandoned- 1962
o GDR econ growing at 3% a year- FDR was at 8% 
 Attempts to catch West failed
 By 1955- wealthiest country in soviet bloc
 People at the bottom definitely had a good outcome
Lack of overall popular support for the GDR
 Morale= LOW
 Turnout for parades was low
 Shortages of housing
 Resentment from small businesses
 SED continued to enforce control and influence
 Some Christian organisations were banned
 Even the USSR was like ‘look bro, people are fucking terrified of you, just tone
it down a bit, let people travel easy yeah?’



But Ulbricht was like NAH I’M GOOD BRAH, also we need the industrial sect
to improve by 10%, so fuck you guys

June 1953
Causes
 Ulbricht wanting to improve industrial production by 10%= short term
 Long term;
o Enforced socialism led to mass exodus of population (447,00 Jan
1951- April 1953)- the economy got depressed 
o Workers were angry with the low wages, high taxation and rising food
prices
o Farmers also hated low prices they were getting for their crops due to
collectivisation and penalties for slow deliveries
o Independent businessmen feared they’d be nationalised
Pressure on Ulbricht:
 After Stalin died 1953- Ulbricht was more vulnerable, and USSR favoured
détente
...
Thought his position would be
undermined, HOWEVER it actually just strengthened him
...

Ulbricht’s rep rose too when in 1956 there was a crazy amount of rebellions
in the Eastern bloc (Hungarian uprising) however not in GDR (yay?!)
 USSR declared its formal recognition of the GDR
...
Adenauer banned KPD
...
5 million, 1961- 17 million
FRG rose 46 million- 56 million
Many that left were skilled workers 
FRG- could use high numbers migrating west for its own political propaganda
GDR citizens could gain FRG citizenship if they could prove political
persecution
Mid-50s, pretty easy to leave (travel visas, never return)
GDR didn’t want people to go 
Many ‘border-crossers’ people that lived in GDR but crossed for work GDR
thought they were a bad influence
Gradually GDR reduced benefits of going; paid their rent in FRG currency, and
didn’t have disposable FRG currency anymore

GDR response to emigration
 Late 50s- hard to get a travel visa, two-thirds of roads leading to west were
cut off
 Stasi looked for people with lots of luggage
 Mail was checked to see if people had sent luggage over
 Major propaganda saying GDR people were treated badly in the FRG
 1958- GDR gave doctors benefits; private practise, could travel abroad,
children given advantages for uni
 GDR claimed that emigrants were deserters of the communist cause
 Many people didn’t feel like they had a home- which could’ve been a reason
for all the refugees
 However, numbers of refugees from GDRFRG increased during periods of
internal and international tension
Reasons for differences in economic performance of the FRG and GDR
FRG STRENGTHS
 Marshall aid


Adenauer’s gov’s economic policies,
including Erhard’s social-market
economy



Availability of cheap labour and
development of harmonious
industrial relations
Integration with W
...
Europe

developing trade in Eastern Bloc

The Berlin wall; August 1961
Reasons

Role of USSR:
 Krush had failed to force concessions from the USA regarding the withdrawal
of Allied forces from West Berlin and so therefore supported the Berlin wall
being built
...
Beginning
of social unrest
FRG federal politics were
dominated until 1982
SPD chancellor 1974
...
Green party grew as
opposition issues such as;
environment, nukes,
rearmament- got middle
class SPD support
...
Bundestag no
longer supported Schmidt
...

Bundestag was dissolved
...
Throughout the
mid-70s, export businesses continued to take on workers
o Many FRG businesses showed a high level of marketing and advertising skills
which helped to open up international markets to German goods
...
This economic policy had crazy serious
after effects- opposition from own SPD and the Bundestag
o The co-ordination of EEC monetary systems boosted the econ recovery and
reduced unemployment
...
German’s
with materialism and consumerism







FRG’s failure to ‘denazify’
o Highlighted by Eichman’s trial
in Jerusalem and the second
Auschwitz trial
Fears that membership of NATO
would lead to deployment of nukes
Annoyance with the general
reluctance to confront the recent
past

YOUTH OPPOSITION




Econ miracle contributed to new youth culture - many young people could
afford to live away from home, new fashions, and higher educations
The US pop culture was crazy awesome
Mid to late 60s there was a hella lot of opposition from youths

APO




Loose group of left-wing students and trade unions which saw radical protest
as the only way to challenge the Bundestag and achieve the setting up of a
new West German Communist Party
1966- over 60% of the Bundestag was controlled by the Grand Coalition
Late 60s- membership dropped
o People got mainstream and supported Brandt/SPD
o Some joined new West German Communist Party
o Some joined Green party
o A couple joined emerging terrorist groups- Red Army Faction (RAF)

STUDENT PROTEST 1968 and German Socialist Students Union (SDS)









Originally strand of the SPD
SDS- opposed to rearmament
1961- SPD banned people in SDS from joining SPD
Mid-60s; campaigned agst Vietnam and nukes
Protested agst ex-nazis holding powerful positions in FRG
Sit ins & mass demonstrations
1967- during a student protest in W
...
G universities
Reached a peach of membership in 1968- 80,000 students deomnstarted in
Bonn agst Emergency legislation20

Concerns
 Some W
...

o 1979- RAF attempted to assassinate the US Commander-in-Chief of
NATO
 Attack ex-Nazis in positions of authority
20

1968- passed by Bundestag
...
C ran over 50 hospitals and old peoples homes
 Sent; alcoholics, drug addicts and homosexuals to the church

Education
Pre-Honecker
 Private schools abolished
 Religious schools abolished
 Rural schools established
 Vocational work
 Considerable changes in the 50s, but rationalised by Margot Honecker to
Education Minister- 1963
 Difficulties;
o Lack of suitable teachers
o Clash of teaching methods with SED and progressives
 Achievments
o Equality of opportunity
o University graduates from working class went up
60s
In GDR:
 Early 60s;
o Special school established for clever kids
 1965
o ‘equality of opportunity’ replaced by ‘importance of achievement’
o Quotas for workers/peasants dropped
o Worker attendance at uni fell- 38
...
e
...
influential 1959-89
Education
GDR
 50% girls achieving success in a levels
 Girls 50% students in h
...



FRG
 50% girls getting success in a levels
 38% students in h
...
Economically successful
compared to Eastern bloc
 Sporting achievements

Not support
 Compared with FRG- shit
...
Wall & the increasing
sense of Germany’s permanent
division, many were actually
prepared to work hard to
improve the GDR

 1988, mass organisations;
Democratic Women’s
Association of Germany 1
...
5 mil
...
G’s did accumulate large
savings accounts in 80s but that was because there was nothing to
buy!
o Borrowed more from FRG- 1983- GDR borrowed DM1 billion from
FRG
o Reduced domestic spending- public buildings, transport and roads
deteriorated
o Sold prisoners to the FRG
Had a pretty high amount of employees in state employment
Comparison to west= SHIT





FRG- 98% owned telephone, GDR- 9%
All adults had a job- even if they were over qualified for the job
Relative welfare success- lowered infant mortality rate

International relations





Late 1970s and early 80s showed cold war tensions increase between USSR
and USA
1980- Reagan became president and increased US spending
1981- Schmidt made a visit to GDR to prove to the world that the two
Germanys were still pursuing their own policies in the spirit of détente, but
cold war issues did have an impact
...


Gorbachev- former president of soviet union
Gorbachev’s reforms- Glasnost
 Freedom of speech
 Free elecions
 Inclusion of non-communists in gov
 Reduced censorship
Gorbachev’s reforms- Perestroika
 Reconstruction of political & economic system
 Allowed actions from various ministries, and eventually led to dismantling of
Soviet-era planned econ for a market economy
 Private enterprise too
Changes in USSR’s relationship with Eastern bloc
 Soviet spending on military had to be reduced in order to book USSR’s econ
 Gorb reduced the amount of soldiers stationed in GDR to less than 200,000
(before it was ½ million)
 USSR & NATO agreed in 1987 to withdraw their nukes from respective allies
in Europe 
 1988 Brezhnev doctrine- USSR couldn’t intervene with armed forces to assist
Eastern bloc govs that faced internal dissent
Changes in USSR’s relationship with FRG
 1987- West German president visited Bonn
 1988- Kohl visited Gorb
 YAY FRIENDSHIP
Beginnings of reform movements in other parts of Eastern Bloc
 Gorb’s policies lead to emergence of reform movements- particularly in
Poland
o Radical reforms







E
...
G gov
 Gorb’s reforms presented Hon’s gov with a dilemma 
 If SED started to undertake reforms and begin to retreat from socialist
principles, it would take away the very reason for GDR’s existence!
 Crazy difficult to justify a division if the political and economic systems were
so similar Hon’s position weakened
 Supporters in GDR that didn’t like the west, now thought they couldn’t like
the USSR due to the developments
 Shit load of people were annoyed that Hon wouldn’t reform like Gorb
 Hella lot of repression
 Soviet newspapers, films and magazines were censored
Declining fortunes of GDR;
 Econ downturn and increasing foreign debt
 Dilemmas for gov
 Reform movements in eastern bloc
 Increased repression
 Increasing demands for reform in GDR
 Gorbachev’s reforms
Demonstrations in Leipzig
 Since early 80s groups had met in churchs
 By 1989 small rallies were held after prayer meetings

Problems increasing in GDR summer of 1989





January 1989- Hon said the wall would stand for another 100 years
Summer 1989- thousands took opportunities to escape via Czech  Hungary
 Austria  FRG
Build up of long term political, social, and economic structure problems lead
to weakening of gov’s authority when support from USSR was withdrawn
Summer 89- mass demonstrations, opposition movements- challenging the
authority and legitimacy of E
...
G- popular holiday destination
 Feared the nationalism that inspired the Hungarian reform would rub off on
GDR opposition
 By summer, 30,000 E
...
G’s who left were welcomed into FRG real nicesly, with resettlement
camps
 Oct- GDR closed border with Czech
Developments on international scene
 Still in 89
 USA appeared to be re-assessing it’s policy with Europe?!
 USA started to advocate ‘self-determination’ for all of Germany and Eastern
Europe
o The right of nations to govern themselves, free from control by
another power
 USSR removed 500 short-range missiles from GDR
Growing opposition in GDR
Gorbs example in USSR
 Hon still didn’t want to accept Gorb’s changes
 USSR was easing censorship and introducing radical reforms
Local election results
 Condemned what they saw as the gov’s deliberate exaggeration of the results
to make it appear that the SED- dominated National Front had won 99% of
the vote
Reactions to Tiananmen Square
 Many E
...
Opposition groups demonstrated on things like human
rights, free elections etc
...
Berlin
 1989 Oct
 Gorb urged Hon to take up his reforms
 He made it clear the USSR was unwilling to intervene directly on the E
...

 Gob didn’t want devote resources to sustaining the GDR since it’d be a
massive strain on his own social revamp
Hon’s response to growing demonstrations and emigration
 The protesters in GDR were demanding change
 However Hon wanted to keep under socialist rule and didn’t want to change!
 When he came back from surgery he;
o Blamed FRG for the GDR’s problems
o And made a newspaper denounce emigrants
 The gov that replaced Hon in the second part of Oct offered travel
concessions and a greater readiness to consider the political reforms that the
protestors were demanding
...

 Protestors demanded freedom to travel and reforms- such as end of the Stasi

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Only response was E
...
G’s from coming in
Demonstrations spread to other parts of Germany
Church leaders urged protestors to not be violent

Honecker’s resignation 
 Couldn’t call on any Societ support
 Gorb believed it was an internal matter
 17th oct- Politburo asked Hon to step down
 18th oct- Hon stepped down on health grounds
 Krenz replaced him
...
G’s gathered in E
...
Due to a
misunderstanding people thought it started immediately and stormed the
checkpoints on 9th nov

BERLIN WALL
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November 9th 1989
Unrestricted travel ;)
They assumed people would go look at the west then come back to the east
Originally intended that the opening would be delayed
Mishandled at evening press conference
o Immediate opening announced by E
...
G’s received DM100 as welcome money
Prompted lots of people wanting to move permanently
Also made a severe strain on GDR’s shitty economy and heavy burdens on
FRG’s welfare system and taxation levels
Still not obvious that reunification was going to happen- the wall wasn’t
actually dismantled

East German leadership’s attempts at reform
 The civic movement and protest movement had no leader
...
They made their impact in
numbers- not violence
 Many SED party officials were removed
 Censorship was lifted at the end of Nov
 SED was reorganised and renamed PDS- party of democratic socialism
 Krenz resigned after 44 days in office
 Politburo= abolished
 New gov announced free elections, state based on rule of the law, and
economic reforms
 8 new politicians were introduced
 TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
 January 1990- 75,000 emigrated
Reactions in FRG
 Kohl now
 Nov 1989- Kohl prompted people to stay in east on the condition that SED
gave up control
...
Gs had gone to FRG and were worried about;
housing, employment and welfare
Kohls’ ten point plan
 28th nov
 Without any consultation- BADASS
 Ten-point plan; proposals for economic aid to GDR and practical
improvements such as more efficient postal services, ALSO for reuniting
 Demanded an end to SED monopoly on power, free elections, the
dismantling of the GDR’s socialist economy and replacement with Market
economy
 Kohl believed reunification would take 4-5 years
Mixed reactions
 Far too sudden proposal for the USSR
 Thatcher- worried Germany would be too powerful
 France- fourth Reich
 USA- welcomed it (YAY BUSH YAY…)
Goodbye GDR

Failure of attempts to preserve it
 Reforms by GDR were having little effect
 Still a shit load of demonstrations
 East german crisis had 2 key aspects;
o Attractions of west consumer society fuelled by experience of e
...
G and W
...
G goods fell, by
mid-summer 20% of workforce in industry was unemployed, shit load of
strikes
 Outdated machinery, over-high staffing levels, industry & agriculture in GDR
was shit
Discussions with Allied powers
 Discussions with FRG & GDR alone couldn’t cause reunification
 Two-plus four negotiations took place in May 1990; two Germanys and four
powers from WW2
...
Wall were hammered by ordinary
people- late 1991 it was actually taken down
 Loads of speeches were made at Brandenburg
First all-German election dec 1990
 Kohl- landslide victory BECAUSE HE’S A BOSS
 44% vote went CDU, 11% FDP
 Kohl’s CDU in coalition with FDP, controlled a hella lot of the seats in
Bundestag
 Said there would be economic wonders and blooming landscapes
Early signs of disillusionment
 New unified Germany faced new internal challenges
 Excitement and euphoria was replaced with resentment in both FRG and GDR
 Former E
...
G standards of living
 Former W
...
G there had been 1 informer to ever 7 people
 People were put into teams to retrieve information
 Estimated it’d take 400 years to complete task, but then went computers got
good it was estimated that it’d take until 2013 (ah yay!)
Wessis & Ossis
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There’d been a rise of Ostalgie in east- nostalgia for life in GDR
The Wessis generally said the Ossis were ungrateful, lazy and lacked initiative,
and O saw W as materialistic etc
Believe developed that anyone who had initive had left the GDR prior to the
building of the wall
For west, freedom meant; freedom of speech, attembly and travel
In East; security from threats of unemployment, crime & homelessness

Ostalgie
 Tv shows
 Museum in Berlin devolted to life in GDR



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