Deutsche Demokratische Republik German Democratic Republic ← 1949–1990 → Flag Coat of arms Motto German: "Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt Euch!" English translation: Workers of the world, unite! Anthem "Auferstanden aus Ruinen" Capital East Berlin Language(s) German Government Socialist republic Head of State  - 1949–1960 Wilhelm Pieck  - 1960–1973 Walter Ulbricht  - 1973–1976 Willi Stoph  - 1976–1989 Erich Honecker  - 1989 Egon Krenz  - 1989–1990 Manfred Gerlach Head of Government  - 1949–1964 Otto Grotewohl  - 1964–1973 Willi Stoph  - 1973–1976 Horst Sindermann  - 1976–1989 Willi Stoph  - 1989–1990 Hans Modrow  - 1990 Lothar de Maizière Legislature Volkskammer Historical era Cold War  - Established October 7, 1949  - Final Settlement September 25, 1990  - German reunification October 3, 1990 Area  - 1990 108,333 km² (41,828 sq mi) Population  - 1990 est. The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The flag of Germany is a Tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: Black, The Coat of Arms of the German Democratic Republic featured a Hammer and a compass, surrounded by a ring of Rye. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Political slogan "Workers of the world unite!", one of the most famous rallying cries of Communism, comes from Karl Marx A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's " Auferstanden aus Ruinen " ( German for "Risen from the Ruins" was the National anthem of East Germany (German Democratic Republic (GDR Throughout the world there are many cities that were once national Capitals but no longer have that status because the country ceased to exist the capital was moved or the capital East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any The first constitution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR in October 1949 created the office of de Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (President of the Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck ( January 3, 1876 - September 7, 1960) was a German communist and the first and only Walter Ulbricht ( June 30, 1893 &ndash August 1, 1973) was a German Communist politician Willi Stoph (9 July 1914 &ndash 13 April 1999 was an East German politician Erich Honecker ( August 25, 1912 – May 29, 1994) was a German Communist Politician who led the German Democratic Egon Krenz (born 19 March, 1937) is a German former Communist, who briefly served as leader of the German Democratic Republic Manfred Gerlach (born May 8, 1928) is a former East German politician ( LDPD) who acted as Chairman of the Council of State and thus Head The first constitution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR in October 1949 created the office of de Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (President of the Otto Grotewohl ( March 11, 1894 - September 21 1964) was an East German politician Willi Stoph (9 July 1914 &ndash 13 April 1999 was an East German politician Horst Sindermann ( 5 September 1915 &ndash 20 April 1990) was Chairman of the Council of Ministers of East Germany (GDR Willi Stoph (9 July 1914 &ndash 13 April 1999 was an East German politician Hans Modrow (born January 27, 1928) is a German politician best known as the last Communist premier of East Germany. Lothar de Maizière mɛˈzjɛʀ}} (born 2 March 1940) is a German conservative politician who served as the first and only democratically elected A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Volkskammer ("People's Chamber" was the unicameral Legislature of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany) Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the As a consequence of Germany 's defeat in World War II and the onset of the Cold War, the country was split between the two global blocs in the East and West Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, (or the Two Plus Four Agreement) was negotiated in 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. 16,111,000       Density 148. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 7 /km²  (385. 2 /sq mi) Currency East German mark Internet TLD .dd Calling code +37 1Although .dd was reserved as corresponding ISO code for East Germany, it was not put into the root before the country was dissolved. A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The East German mark (Mark der DDR commonly called the eastern mark ( Ostmark in West Germany and after the reunification) in East Germany only A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E ISO 3166 is a three-part Geographic coding standard for coding the names of countries and Dependent areas and the principal subdivisions 2Country code 37 was retired in Spring 1992. The number range was subdivided, and re-allocated amongst former USSR states. The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent nations that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

The German Democratic Republic (GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a socialist state created by the Soviet Union in the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the Soviet sector of occupied Berlin. The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative East Germany existed from 1949 until 1990, when its re-established states acceded to the adjacent Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), thus producing the current form of the state of Germany. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Until 1952 it consisted of the German states of Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Saxony. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular Mecklenburg ( Low German: Mekelnborg) is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Those were formed by pre-war German provinces or what was left of them with the new borders after the Potsdam Agreement. The Potsdam Agreement was an agreement on policy for the occupation and reconstruction of Germany and other nations after fighting in the European Theatre of World War II It claimed East Berlin as its capital. East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990

Prior to reunification, it consisted of 14 smaller districts and East Berlin which received the equivalent status of a district in 1961. The districts were named after their metropolises: Rostock, Neubrandenburg, Schwerin, Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder), Magdeburg, Cottbus, Halle, Leipzig, Erfurt, Dresden, Karl-Marx-Stadt (called Chemnitz until 1953 and again after 1990), Gera, and Suhl.

In 1955 the Republic was declared by the Soviet Union to be fully sovereign; however, Soviet troops remained, based on the four-power Potsdam agreement, just as British, Canadian and American forces remained in West Germany. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 As NATO troops remained in West Berlin and West Germany, East Germany and Berlin in particular became focal points of Cold War tensions. The North Atlantic Treaty West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the East Germany was a member of the Warsaw Pact and a close ally of the Soviet Union. The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was an organization of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. Following the initial opening of sections of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, new elections were held on March 18, 1990, and the governing party, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, lost its majority in the Volkskammer (the East German parliament) soon after. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The Socialist Unity Party of Germany ( German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) was the governing party of the German Democratic The Volkskammer ("People's Chamber" was the unicameral Legislature of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany) On August 23, the Volkskammer decided that the territory of the Republic would accede to the ambit of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany on October 3, 1990. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire In negotiation, an ambit claim is an extravagant initial demand made in expectation of an eventual counter-offer and Compromise. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland is the Constitution of Germany. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) As a result of the unification on that date, the German Democratic Republic officially ceased to exist. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany

History

Main article: History of the German Democratic Republic

The territories of East Germany were settled by Germanic peoples during the last few centuries BC. The German Democratic Republic (GDR German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik ( DDR) often known in English as East Germany The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic During the post-Roman migration period, many of these populations left for other lands, and Slavic Wends settled in their wake. The Migration Period, also called Barbarian Invasions, or sometimes Völkerwanderung ( German for "wandering of peoples" is the English name German imperial rulers conquered the area during the Middle Ages. The newly acquired land was organized in margravates, German feudal states on the land of Slavs. Margrave (marchio is the English and French form (recorded since 1551 of the German Title Markgraf (from Mark " Consequent waves of German settlements, which in subsequent centuries later included French Huguenots and Jews, gradually modified the originally Slavic composition of the land, except for the small community of Sorbs in Lusatia, and eventually most of what is now East Germany formed a large part of the historical Kingdom of Prussia. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth Sorbs (Serbja Serby also known as Wends, Lusatian Sorbs or Lusatian Serbs, are a Slavic people settled in Lusatia Upper and Lower Lusatia Upper Lusatia ( Oberlausitz or Hornja Łužica) is today part of the German state of Saxony except for a small part east of The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising

Districts from 1952 until reunification (1990)

In Imperial Germany and later during the time of the Weimar Republic, territory that would become East Germany was situated in the center of the state. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 This territory was known as "Mitteldeutschland" (Middle Germany), while the designation "East" was reserved for provinces such as eastern Pomerania, eastern Brandenburg, Silesia and East and West Prussia. Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. Etymology One theory claims that the name Silesia is derived from the Silingi, who were most likely a Vandalic (East Germanic people East Prussia (Ostpreußen; Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Prusy Wschodnie Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya) refers to the main part West Prussia ( Prusy Zachodnie was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773&ndash1824 and 1878&ndash1918 which was created out of the earlier Polish During World War II, Allied leaders decided at the Yalta Conference that post-war borders of Poland would be moved westward to the Oder-Neisse line, just as Soviet borders were also moved westward into formerly Polish territory. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and Codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from 4 February The Oder-Neisse line (Granica na Odrze i Nysie Łużyckiej Oder-Neiße-Grenze was drawn in the aftermath of World War II as the eastern border of Germany and

Discussions at Yalta and Potsdam also outlined the planned occupation and administration of post-war Germany under a four-power Allied Control Council, or ACC (composed of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union). The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in German as the Alliierter Kontrollrat, also referred to as the Four Powers (German At the end of World War II, at the Potsdam Conference in 1945, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union decided to divide Germany into four occupation zones. The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, Germany, from July 16, This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Each country would control a part of Germany until its sovereignty was restored. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

The Länder (states) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, fell in the Soviet Zone of Germany (in German: Sowjetische Besatzungszone, or SBZ). Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, is a state in Northern Germany comprising Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Soviet objections to economic and political changes in western (US, UK, and French) occupation zones led to Soviet withdrawal from the ACC in 1948 and subsequent evolution of the SBZ into East Germany, including the Soviet sector of Berlin. Concurrently, the Western occupation zones consolidated to form West Germany (or the Federal Republic of Germany, FRG). West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (

Three German states and divided Berlin in late 1949. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) consists of the American, British and French Zones (without the Saarland). Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Saar or Saar Area or Saar Protectorate or Saar Region was a French-German borderland territory twice temporarily made a protectorate The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) is formed from the Soviet Zone. The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state

Officially, both the western Allies and the Communists committed to maintaining a unified Germany after the war in the Potsdam Agreement, at least on paper. The Potsdam Agreement was an agreement on policy for the occupation and reconstruction of Germany and other nations after fighting in the European Theatre of World War II The 1952 Stalin Note proposed German reunification and superpower disengagement from Central Europe, but the United States and its allies rejected the offer. The Stalin Note, also known as the March Note, was a document delivered to the representatives of the Western allied powers ( Britain, France, and the German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Superpower disengagement is a Foreign policy option whereby the most powerful nations the Superpowers reduce their interventions in an area Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Stalin died in early 1953. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Though powerful Soviet politician Lavrenty Beria briefly pursued the idea of German unification once more following Stalin's death, he was arrested and removed from office in a coup d'etat in mid-1953. Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (ლავრენტი პავლეს ძე ბერია Lavrenti Pavles dze Beria; Russian: Лаврентий Павлович His successor, Nikita Khrushchev, firmly rejected the idea of handing eastern Germany over to be annexed, marking the end of any serious consideration of the unification idea until the collapse of the Communist East German government in 1989. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 17 1894 – September 11 1971 served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 following

Just as Germany was divided after the war, Berlin, the former capital of Germany, was divided into four sectors. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. East Germany and the rest of the Eastern bloc considered East Berlin to be the capital of East Germany, although the legality of this was disputed by the western Allies, as the entire city was formally considered an occupied territory governed by martial law through the Allied Control Council. During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 The Western Allies were the democracies and their colonial peoples within the broader coalition of Allies during World War II. Occupied territories is a Term of art in International law. In accordance with Article 42 of the Laws and Customs of War on Land (Fourth Hague Convention October Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in German as the Alliierter Kontrollrat, also referred to as the Four Powers (German In practice, the Allied Control Council quickly became moot as the Cold War intensified, and the eastern government ignored the technical legal restrictions on how East Berlin could be used. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the

Conflict over the status of West Berlin led to the Berlin Blockade, when the Soviet government prohibited overland transit between the western zones of Germany and West Berlin, prompting the massive Berlin Airlift. West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 11 May 1949 was one of the first major international crises of the Cold war. The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 11 May 1949 was one of the first major international crises of the Cold war.

History of Germany
Ancient times
Germanic peoples
Migration Period
Frankish Empire
Medieval times
East Francia
Kingdom of Germany
Holy Roman Empire
East Colonisation
Sectionalism
Building a nation
Confederation of the Rhine
German Confederation
German Revolutions of 1848
German Reichsflotte Navy
North German Confederation
Unification of Germany
The German Reich
German Empire
World War I
Weimar Republic
Nazi Germany
World War II
Post-war Germany since 1945
Occupation + Ostgebiete
Expulsion of Germans
FR Germany + GDR
German reunification
Present day Germany
Federal Republic of Germany
Topical
Military history of Germany
Territorial changes of Germany
Timeline of German history
History of the German language
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The first leader of East Germany was Wilhelm Pieck, the first (and as it turned out, only) President of the Republic. Despite the lack of a German nation state prior to 1871 the History of Germany dates back to the era of the Germanic tribes. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Migration Period, also called Barbarian Invasions, or sometimes Völkerwanderung ( German for "wandering of peoples" is the English name Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the East ( ern) Francia ( Regnum Francorum orientalium) known variously as Francia Orientalis or the Kingdom of the East Franks, was the The Kingdom of Germany grew out of East Francia in the tenth century The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in This article covers the medieval eastward migrations of Germans de Kleinstaaterei is a German word mainly used for the political situation in Germany and neighbouring regions during the Holy Roman Empire. The Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation (Rheinbund États confédérés du Rhin officially and Confédération du Rhin in practice) lasted The German Confederation (Deutscher Bund was the association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to serve as the successor to " Germany " at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 had been a collection of 39 States loosely bound together in the German Confederation. The Reichsflotte (Imperial Fleet was the first all- German Navy. The North German Confederation (Norddeutscher Bund came into existence in August 1866 as a military alliance of 22 states of northern Germany with the Kingdom of The unification of Germany took place on January 18, 1871, when Prussian Chief Minister Otto von Bismarck managed to unify a number of independent Deutsches Reich was the name for Germany from 1871 to 1945 in the German language. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification During World War I, the German Empire was one of the Central Powers that ultimately lost the war The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The history of Germany during World War II closely parallels that of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. As a consequence of Germany 's defeat in World War II and the onset of the Cold War, the country was split between the two global blocs in the East and West The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative The former eastern territories of Germany (ehemalige deutsche Ostgebiete describes collectively those Provinces or Regions east of the current eastern The expulsion of Germans after World War II was the Forced migration and Ethnic cleansing of German nationals ( Reichsdeutsche) and ethnic West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. While German -speaking peoples have a long history Germany as a Nation-state dates only from 1871. Background German settlement in Eastern Europe See also History of German settlement in Eastern Europe Part of the motivation behind the territorial This is a timeline of German history. To read about the background to these events see History of Germany. High German Old High German See also Old High German The earliest testimonies of Old High German are from scattered Elder Futhark Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck ( January 3, 1876 - September 7, 1960) was a German communist and the first and only However, after 1950 the real power rested with Walter Ulbricht, first secretary of the Socialist Unity Party, the ruling Communist party. Walter Ulbricht ( June 30, 1893 &ndash August 1, 1973) was a German Communist politician A Political party described as a communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of Communism through a communist form of

On June 16, 1953, following a production quota increase of 10 percent for workers building East Berlin's new boulevard the Stalinallee, (today's Karl-Marx-Allee), demonstrations by disgruntled workers broke out in East Berlin. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Karl-Marx-Allee is a monumental Socialist Boulevard built by the young GDR between 1952 and 1960 in Berlin Friedrichshain East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 The next day the protests spread across East Germany with more than a million on strike and demonstrations in 700 communities. Fearing revolution the government requested the aid of Soviet occupation troops and on the morning of the 18th tanks and soldiers were dispatched who dealt harshly with protesters. The result was some fifty deaths and a wave of arrests and jail sentences numbering over 10,000. ^[1] Transit between West and East Berlin was relatively free at the time, meaning that the protests and the harsh Soviet reaction unfolded in full view of many western observers. See Uprising of 1953 in East Germany. The Uprising of 1953 in East Germany took place in June 1953 A strike by Berlin construction workers on June 16

During the early stages of the occupation, the Red Army seized a great deal of industrial equipment from eastern Germany to be shipped back to the Soviet Union as war reparations, crippling the East German economy for years. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 War reparations refer to the monetary compensation intended to cover damage or injury during a war The increasing economic prosperity of West Germany led large numbers of East Germans to flee to the West. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( " Republikflucht " (flight from the republic and " Republikflüchtling(e " (fugitives from the republic were the terms used by authorities in the German Since the 1940s, East Germans had been leaving the Soviet zone of Germany to emigrate to the west. The ongoing emigration of East Germans further strained the East German economy. Although the border between the two German states was largely closed by the mid-1950s (see Inner German border), the sector borders in Berlin were relatively easy to cross. The inner German border ( German: Innerdeutsche Grenze or Deutsch-Deutsche Grenze, informal Zonengrenze) was an extensive system of fortifications Due to the lure of higher salaries in the West and political oppression in the East, many skilled workers (such as doctors) crossed into the West, causing a 'brain drain' in the East. A brain drain or human capital flight is a large emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge, normally due to conflict, lack of opportunity However, on the night of August 13, 1961, East German troops sealed the border between West and East Berlin and started to build the Berlin Wall, literally and physically enclosing West Berlin. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including Travel was greatly restricted into, and out of, East Germany. A highly effective security force called the Stasi monitored the lives of East German citizens to suppress dissenters through its network of informants and agents. For the regular police in East Germany see Volkspolizei. The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit ( Ministry for State Security

In 1971, Ulbricht was forced out as head of state under Soviet pressure, and replaced by Erich Honecker. Erich Honecker ( August 25, 1912 – May 29, 1994) was a German Communist Politician who led the German Democratic Ulbricht had experimented with a few reforms, but Honecker tightened the reins and imposed a new constitution that used the word "German" sparingly and defined the country as a "republic of workers and peasants. East Germany (German Democratic Republic was founded in 1949 and was absorbed into the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990 " East Germany was generally regarded as the most economically advanced member of the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was an organization of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe.

Until the 1970s, West Germany regarded East Germany as an illegally constituted state, and under the Hallstein Doctrine refused to have diplomatic relations with any country (except the Soviet Union) that recognized East Germany as a separate country. The Hallstein Doctrine, named after Walter Hallstein, was a key doctrine in the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany between 1955 In the early 1970s, Ostpolitik led by Willy Brandt led to a form of mutual recognition between East and West Germany. Ostpolitik ( German for Eastern Politics) describes the politics of the "Change Through Rapprochement" principle &mdash as verbalized by Egon Bahr Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm (18 December 1913 - 8 October 1992 was a German politician Chancellor of West Germany 1969&ndash1974 The Treaty of Moscow (August 1970), the Treaty of Warsaw (December 1970), the Four Power Agreement on Berlin (September 1971), the Transit Agreement (May 1972), and the Basic Treaty (December 1972) helped to normalize relations between East and West Germany and led to both German states joining the United Nations. The Treaty of Moscow, was signed on August 12 1970 between the USSR and West Germany ( FRG) The Treaty of Warsaw (Warschauer Vertrag was a treaty between West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany - the FRG and the People's Republic of Poland The Four Power Agreement on Berlin also known as the Berlin Agreement or the Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin was agreed on 3 September, Follow the link for other Transit Agreements ' The Transit Agreement of May 1972 arranged access to and from West Berlin from West The Basic Treaty (Grundlagenvertrag is the short-hand name for the Treaty concerning the basis of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security

Competition with the West was also conducted on a sporting level. East German athletes dominated several Olympic disciplines. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Of special interest was the only football match ever to occur between West and East Germany, a first round match during the 1974 World Cup. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup was held in West Germany from June 13 to July 7. Though West Germany was the host and the eventual champion, East beat West 1-0. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (

In 1989, following widespread public anger over the results of local government elections that spring, many citizens applied for exit visas, or left the country illegally. In August 1989 Hungary removed its border restrictions and unsealed its border and more than 13,000 people left East Germany by crossing the "green" border via Czechoslovakia into Hungary and then on to Austria and West Germany. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich ^[2] Many others demonstrated against the ruling party, especially in the city of Leipzig. Kurt Masur, the conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra led local negotiations with the government, and held town meetings in the concert hall. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Kurt Masur (b The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig ( Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) is a famous German Orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. ^[3] The demonstrations eventually led Erich Honecker to resign in October, and he was replaced by a slightly more liberal Communist, Egon Krenz. Egon Krenz (born 19 March, 1937) is a German former Communist, who briefly served as leader of the German Democratic Republic

On November 9, 1989, a few sections of the Berlin Wall were opened, resulting in thousands of East Germans crossing into West Berlin and West Germany for the first time. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Soon, the governing party of East Germany resigned. Although there were some small attempts to create a permanent, democratic East Germany, these were soon overwhelmed by calls for unification with West Germany. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( After some negotiations (2+4 Talks, involving the two German states and the former Allied Powers United States, France, United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union), conditions for German unification were agreed upon. The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, (or the Two Plus Four Agreement) was negotiated in 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 East Germany recreated the original five states that had been abolished in 1952. The (five New Länder ((Fünf Neue Bundesländer is a term describing five reestablished states ( Länder) in the former German Democratic Republic (East On October 3, 1990; the five East German states officially joined the Federal Republic of Germany, while East and West Berlin united as a third city-state (in the same manner as Bremen and Hamburg). Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany

To this day, there remain vast differences between the former East Germany and West Germany (for example, in lifestyle, wealth, political beliefs and other matters) and thus it is still common to speak of eastern and western Germany distinctly. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( The Eastern German economy has struggled since unification, and large subsidies are still transferred from west to east.

Politics

Main article: Politics of East Germany

The SED emblem represented the handshake between Communist Wilhelm Pieck and Social Democrat Otto Grotewohl when their parties merged in 1946

Communism  v • d • e  Basic concepts Marxist philosophy Class struggle Proletarian internationalism Communist party Ideologies Marxism Leninism Trotskyism Maoism Juche Left communism Council communism Anarchist communism Religious communism Eurocommunism National communism Communist internationals Communist League First International Second International Comintern Fourth International Prominent communists Karl Marx Friedrich Engels Vladimir Lenin Rosa Luxemburg Joseph Stalin Leon Trotsky Mao Zedong Related subjects Anarchism Anti-capitalism Anti-communism Communist state Communist symbolism Criticisms of communism Democratic centralism Dictatorship of the proletariat History of communism Left-wing politics Luxemburgism New Class New Left Post-Communism Primitive communism Socialism Stalinism Socialist economics Titoism Soviet Union Communism Portal

Political organization

The ruling political party in East Germany was the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party of Germany, SED). The German Democratic Republic (GDR German Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR commonly known in English as East Germany) was created as a socialist republic Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck ( January 3, 1876 - September 7, 1960) was a German communist and the first and only Otto Grotewohl ( March 11, 1894 - September 21 1964) was an East German politician Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based See also Marxian economics, Marxism Marxist philosophy or Marxist theory are terms which cover work in Philosophy Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective International Socialism redirects here For the journal of the same name see International Socialism (journal Proletarian internationalism is a A Political party described as a communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of Communism through a communist form of Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Leninism refers to various related political and economic theories elaborated by Bolshevik revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin. Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Maoism, variably and officially known as Mao Zedong Thought ( is a variant of Marxism derived from the teachings of the late Chinese leader The Juche Idea (주체사상 Juche Sasang) is the official state Ideology of North Korea and the Political system based on it Left communism is the range of communist viewpoints held by the Communist Left, which opposes the political ideas of the Bolsheviks Council communism is a Far-left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s Religious communism is a form of Communism centered on religious principles Eurocommunism was a new trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties to develop a theory and practice of social transformation that National Communism, is an Islamic form of Communism which had a strong Nationalist element The Communist League was the first Marxist international organisation The Second International (1889-1916 was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow The Fourth International ( FI) is a communist international organisation working in opposition to both Capitalism and Stalinism. Friedrich Engels (28 November 1820 – 5 August 1895 was a German social scientist and philosopher, who Rosa Luxemburg (Róża Luksemburg 5 March 1870 or 1871 15 January 1919 was a Polish-born Jewish German Marxist theorist, socialist Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij Mao Zedong ( 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Military and political leader who led Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. Anti-communism refers to opposition to Communism. Historically the word "communism" has been used to refer to several types of communal social organization and Communist state is a term used by many Political scientists to describe a Form of government in which the State operates under a one-party system Communist symbolism consists of a series of Symbols that represent (either literally or figuratively a variety of themes associated with communism Criticisms of Communism can be divided in two broad categories Those concerning themselves with the practical aspects of 20th century Communist state and those concerning Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist The " dictatorship of the proletariat " or workers' state is a term employed by Marxists that refers to what they see as a temporary state between the This article intentionally focuses only on the history of communism as a self-contained self-aware political movement Luxemburgism (also written Luxembourgism) is a specific revolutionary theory within Communism, based on the writings of Rosa Luxemburg. The New Class is a term to describe the privileged Ruling class of Bureaucrats and Communist party functionaries which typically arises in a Stalinist The New Left were the Left-wing movements in different countries in the 1960s and 1970s that unlike the earlier leftist focus on union activism instead adopted a Post-Communism is a name sometimes given to the period of political and economic Transition in former Communist states located in parts of Europe and Primitive communism is A term usually associated with Karl Marx, but most fully elaborated by Friedrich Engels (in The Origin of the Family 1884 and referring Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Stalinism is the political regime named after Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1929–1953 Socialist economics is a broad and sometimes controversial term Titoism is an adaptation of communist ideology named after Josip Broz Tito, leader of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, primarily used to describe The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Socialist Unity Party of Germany ( German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) was the governing party of the German Democratic It was created in 1946 through the Soviet-directed merger of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in the Soviet controlled zone. The Communist Party of Germany ( German Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands &ndash KPD) was a major political party in Germany between 1918

The Potsdam Agreement committed the Soviets to supporting a democratic form of government in Germany, and, unlike some Warsaw Pact countries, other political parties were permitted. The Potsdam Agreement was an agreement on policy for the occupation and reconstruction of Germany and other nations after fighting in the European Theatre of World War II The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was an organization of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe.

All parties operating in East Germany were obliged to join the "National Front of Democratic Germany", ostensibly a united coalition of anti-fascist political parties. The National Front of Democratic Germany ( German: Nationale Front des Demokratischen Deutschlands, NF was a Popular front of political parties Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology It was completely controlled by the SED. Members included:

• Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Christian Democratic Union of Germany, CDU), merged with the West-German CDU after reunification
• Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands (Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany, DBD). The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU was an East German political party founded in 1945 The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. The Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany (Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands (DBD was an East German Political party. This party was of special importance because of farmers' role in the economy. The party merged with the West German CDU after reunification. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany.
• Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands (Liberal Democratic Party of Germany, LDPD), merged with the West German FDP after reunification
• Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (National Democratic Party of Germany, NDPD), merged with the West German FDP after reunification. The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ( German: Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands (LDPD was a Political party in East Germany. The Free Democratic Party ( Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP is a liberal Political party in Germany. The National Democratic Party of Germany ( German: Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands, or NDPD) was an East German Political party The Free Democratic Party ( Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP is a liberal Political party in Germany.

Elections took place to a parliament called the Volkskammer, but were effectively controlled by the SED/state hierarchy, as Hans Modrow has noted. The Volkskammer ("People's Chamber" was the unicameral Legislature of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany) Hans Modrow (born January 27, 1928) is a German politician best known as the last Communist premier of East Germany. Elections were held in less-than-secret conditions, with voters given the choice of approving or rejecting "unity lists" put forward by the National Front. As was the case in most Communist countries, approval rates of 90 percent or more were routine.

Palast der Republik, the seat of the Volkskammer

The Volkskammer also included representatives from the mass organisations like the Free German Youth (Freie Deutsche Jugend or FDJ), or the Free German Trade Union Federation. The Palast der Republik ( Palace of the Republic) was a building in Berlin, on the bank of the River Spree between Schloßplatz and the Lustgarten The Volkskammer ("People's Chamber" was the unicameral Legislature of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany) The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ ( German: Freie Deutsche Jugend, was the official Socialist Youth movement of The Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (FDGB was the Trade union federation in East Germany. In an attempt to include women in the political life of East Germany, there was a Democratic Women's Federation of Germany, with seats in the Volkskammer. Democratic Women's Federation of Germany (in German Demokratischer Frauenbund Deutschlands/DFD) was a mass organisation with representation in the Volkskammer which

Important non-parliamentary mass organisations in East German society included the German Gymnastics and Sports Association (Deutscher Turn- und Sportbund or DTSB), and People's Solidarity (Volkssolidarität, an organisation for the elderly). The German Democratic Republic (GDR, often called East Germany, had founded a separate National Olympic Committee for socialist East Germany on 22 April People's Solidarity, or Volkssolidarität in German was an organisation for elderly people in East Germany from 1949 to 1990 Another society of note (and very popular during the late 1980s) was the Society for German-Soviet Friendship. The Society for German-Soviet Friendship (in German, Gesellschaft für Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft/DSF) was an East German

A highly effective secret police force called the Stasi infiltrated and reported on most private activity in East Germany, limiting opportunity for non-sanctioned political organisation. Secret police (sometimes political police) are a Police agency which operates in Secrecy to maintain National security against internal For the regular police in East Germany see Volkspolizei. The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit ( Ministry for State Security All formal organisations except for churches were directly controlled by the East German government. Churches were permitted to operate more or less free from government control, as long as they abstained from political activity.

Following German reunification, the SED was renamed the "Party of Democratic Socialism" (PDS) which subsequently merged with the West German WASG to form the Left Party (Die Linke). Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative (Arbeit und soziale Gerechtigkeit – Die Wahlalternative WASG) was a German political party founded The Left (Die Linke is a German political party that came into being on 16 June 2007 as a merger of The Left Party/PDS the former The Left Party continues to be a political force in many parts of Germany, albeit drastically less powerful than the SED.

Persons of note in East Germany

Erich Honecker

Political representatives

Main article: Leaders of East Germany

• Hermann Axen, editor-in-chief of the SED paper "Neues Deutschland" 1956–1978, SED secretary for international relations 1966-1989
• Johannes R. Becher, first minister for culture 1954–1958, wrote the lyrics of the national anthem
• Hilde Benjamin, Vice President of the GDR Supreme Court 1949–1953, Minister of Justice 1953–1967, dubbed "red guillotine" for her relentless persecution of political opponents
• Otto Grotewohl, Chairman of the East German SPD 1945–1946; joint chairman of the SED 1946–1954; Chairman of the Council of Ministers 1949–1964
• Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the SED Central Committee 1971–1989; Chairman of the Council of State 1976–1989
• Margot Honecker née Feist, minister for education 1963–1989
• Heinz Kessler, Minister of Defence 1985–1989 (deputy minister since 1957)
• Egon Krenz, General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party and chairman of Council of State from October to December 1989; he had been Honnecker's deputy and "crown prince" since 1983
• Erich Mielke, Minister of State Security 1957–1989
• Günter Mittag, SED secretary for economics 1962–1973, 1976–1989
• Hans Modrow, SED district secretary for Dresden 1973–1989, last SED prime minister November 1989 – March 1990
• Wilhelm Pieck, Chairman of the East German KPD 1945–1946; joint chairman of the SED 1946–1954; State President 1949–1960
• Günter Schabowski, SED district secretary for Berlin 1985–1989; as party spokesperson he caused the fall of the Berlin wall
• Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, head of the department of "commercial coordination" in the Ministry of Foreign Trade. The first constitution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR in October 1949 created the office of de Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (President of the Neues Deutschland (ND ( English: New Germany is a national German daily Newspaper. Johannes Robert Becher (b May 22 1891 in Munich; d October 11 1958 in Berlin was a German Politician and Hilde Benjamin ( February 5 1902 in Bernburg – April 18 1989 in East Berlin) was an East German judge and minister Otto Grotewohl ( March 11, 1894 - September 21 1964) was an East German politician Erich Honecker ( August 25, 1912 – May 29, 1994) was a German Communist Politician who led the German Democratic Margot Honecker née Feist (born April 17, 1927) is a German Communist Politician from Halle. Heinz Kessler (or Keßler; born 26 January, 1920) was a General in the National People's Army, Minister of Defense in the Ministerrat Egon Krenz (born 19 March, 1937) is a German former Communist, who briefly served as leader of the German Democratic Republic Erich Fritz Emil Mielke ( December 28, 1907 - May 21, 2000 in Berlin) was a German Communist who held the military For the regular police in East Germany see Volkspolizei. The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit ( Ministry for State Security Hans Modrow (born January 27, 1928) is a German politician best known as the last Communist premier of East Germany. Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck ( January 3, 1876 - September 7, 1960) was a German communist and the first and only The Communist Party of Germany ( German Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands &ndash KPD) was a major political party in Germany between 1918 Günter Schabowski (born 4 January 1929) was an official of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED the ruling party during most of the existence of The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski (born July 3, 1932) was a politician and trader in the German Democratic Republic.
• Karl Schirdewan, SED secretary 1953–1958, dismissed for "faction building"
• Horst Sindermann, Chairman of the Council of Ministers 1973–1976; president of parliament 1976–1989
• Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler, telecaster on East German television, infamous for his propaganda programme "Der schwarze Kanal"
• Willi Stoph, Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) 1964–1973 and 1976–1989; Chairman of the Council of State 1973–1976
• Harry Tisch, head of the Free German Trade Union Federation 1975–1989
• Walter Ulbricht, General Secretary of the SED Central Committee 1950–1971; Chairman of the Council of State 1960–1973)
• Markus "Mischa" Wolf, head of the GDR's foreign intelligence department 1952–1986

Other notable East Germans

Military of East Germany

Main article: Nationale Volksarmee

Like all Soviet bloc countries, East Germany had its own military force. Democratic Awakening (Demokratischer Aufbruch was an East German opposition political movement Erwin Strittmatter ( 14 August 1912 in Spremberg - 31 January 1994 in Schulzenhof near Dollgow/ Stechlin) was a Jan Ullrich (born December 2 1973 in Rostock, East Germany) is a German former professional Road bicycle racer. Katarina Witt (born December 3, 1965) is a German figure skater, in Germany she was commonly affectionately called "Kati" Christa Wolf (born Christa Ihlenfeld on March 18, 1929) is a German Literary critic, Novelist and Essayist Fritz Geißler (or Geissler) ( 16 September 1921 in Wurzen, Germany &ndash 11 January, 1984 in Bad Saarow Paul van Dyk (born Matthias Paul; in Eisenhüttenstadt, Brandenburg, Germany) is one of the world's leading electronic dance music DJs (ˈaŋɡela doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛɐ̯kəl (born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany) is the Chancellor of Germany. The Head of government of Germany is called Chancellor (Kanzler Hermann Kant (born June 14, 1926) is a German Writer from Hamburg noted for his writings during the time of East Germany History The creation of the National People’s Army on March 1, 1956, six months after the formation of the West German Bundeswehr, followed years The main military force was called the Nationale Volksarmee with 4 branches of service. Since East Germany was at the main hotline of the Cold War, East Germany's military was the most advanced in the whole Warsaw pact, excluding the Soviet Union. It was battle ready at all times, ready to be mobilized in a future war with NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty The East German military was composed into 4 groups:

• Army
• Navy
• Air Force
• Border Guards

and some paramilitary forces in reserve in case war broke out like the Combat Groups of the Working Class and in some cases, the Stasi. The Combat Groups of the Working Class ( German: Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse, KdA was a Paramilitary organisation in East Germany, founded For the regular police in East Germany see Volkspolizei. The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit ( Ministry for State Security

All young East German men had to join the Nationale Volksarmee. Attendance was compulsory for 18 months, except for serious medical reasons. An alternative service of the so called Baueinheiten (construction units) was not created until 1964 under pressure from the national Protestant church.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Subdivisions of the German Democratic Republic

In 1952, as part of the reforms designed to centralize power in the hands of the SED's Politbüro, the five Länder of East Germany were abolished, and East Germany was divided into fifteen Bezirke (districts), each named after the largest city: the northern Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was divided between the Bezirke Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg; Brandenburg (surrounding Berlin) was reorganized into the Bezirke of Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder) and Cottbus; Saxony-Anhalt split into the Bezirke of Halle and Magdeburg; the south-western Land Thuringia became the Bezirke of Erfurt, Gera and Suhl; finally, the south-eastern Land Saxony was divided between Leipzig, Dresden and Karl-Marx-Stadt (formerly and following the GDR's collapse again known as Chemnitz). Following the redrawing of Germany 's national boundaries after 1945 there were five states or Länder in the Soviet occupation zone: Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, is a state in Northern Germany comprising Rostock (ˈʁɔstɔk from Polabian Roz toc, literally "to flow apart" is the largest City in the north German state Schwerin (ʃveˈʁiːn is a City in northern Germany and the capital of the state Neubrandenburg ( New Brandenburg, nɔʏˈbʁandənbʊʁk is a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Brandenburg ( Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen states of Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Also see Potsdam New York (in the USA For the Potsdam Conference see Potsdam Conference. Frankfurt (Oder is a City in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River on the German- Polish border directly opposite the Cottbus ( Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz) is a City in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around 125 km southeast of Berlin on the Saxony-Anhalt ( Sachsen-Anhalt) is one of the sixteen ''Bundesländer'' (federal states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. Halle is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. Magdeburg ( Low Saxon: Meideborg ˈmaˑɪdebɔɐx the Capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany The Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen is located in central Germany. Erfurt (ˈɛɐ̯fʊɐ̯t is a City in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202619 (2006 Gera is the third largest city in the German state of Thuringia after Erfurt, the Thuringian capital Suhl is a Town in Thuringia, Germany. Its Population in 2003 was 43610 The Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen ˈzaksən Swobodny Stat Sakska is the easternmost federal state of Germany. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Chemnitz (1953–1990 Karl-Marx-Stadt ( Sorbian:Kamjenica is a City in Eastern Germany. Chemnitz (1953–1990 Karl-Marx-Stadt ( Sorbian:Kamjenica is a City in Eastern Germany. The GDR capital, East Berlin formed the 15th Bezirk, though it retained a special legal status in the GDR until 1968, when East Berliners voted with the rest of the GDR to approve the draft of the new constitution. East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 From this point onwards, irrespective of the Four Power Status and the western allies' objections that East Berlin was merely the Soviet occupied sector of the German capital, East Berlin was treated as a Bezirk like any other.

Economy

Main article: Economy of East Germany

Economic activity in the GDR. Like other East European communist states the German Democratic Republic (GDR - East Germany) had a Centrally planned economy (CPE similar to

East Germany's economy had a poor start in the aftermath of World War II's devastation. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Soviet Union demanded heavy reparation payments, and Lower Silesia, which contained coal mines, and Stettin, a prominent natural port, were given to Poland. Lower Silesia (Niederschlesien Silesia Inferior Dolny Śląsk is the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Upper Silesia is to Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

Like other East European socialist states, East Germany had a centrally planned economy (CPE), similar to the one in the former Soviet Union, in contrast to the market economies or mixed economies of most Western states. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. A planned economy or directed economy is an Economic system in which the Government or Workers' councils manages the Economy. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 A market economy is a realized Social system based on the Division of labour in which the prices of Goods and Services are determined in a A mixed economy is an Economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system The GDR became a member of the COMECON trading block in 1950. The state established production targets and prices and allocated resources, codifying these decisions in a comprehensive plan or set of plans. The means of production were almost entirely state owned. In 1985, for example, state-owned enterprises or collectives earned 96. A collective is a group of people who share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest or work together on a specific project(s to achieve a common objective 7 percent of total net national income. To secure constant prices for inhabitants, the state bore 80% of costs of basic supplies, from bread to housing. The per capita income in 1989 was an estimated $27,100, though the currency conversion used to create this figure is difficult to conduct. In 1976 average annual GDP growth was roughly 5. 9%. ^[4]

Examples of products exported are cameras under the Praktica brand, automobiles under the Trabant, Wartburg and IFA brands, hunting rifles, sextants and watches. A camera is a device used to capture images either as still Photographs or as sequences of moving images ( Movies or Videos. Praktica is a brand of Camera manufactured by Pentacon in Dresden in eastern Germany, formerly within the GDR prior to reunification The Trabant is an Automobile formerly produced by East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Saxony Wartburg was a car manufactured in East Germany. It had a three- cylinder two-stroke engine with only seven moving parts Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau ( Industrial Association for Vehicle Construction) usually abbreviated as IFA, was a conglomerate and a union of companies for vehicle A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls This article is about the sextant as used for Navigation. For the astronomer's sextant, see Sextant (astronomical. A watch is a timepiece that is made to be worn on a person The term now usually refers to a wristwatch, which is worn on the wrist with a strap or Bracelet.

In the 1970s the World Bank reported the GDR had a higher GDP per capita of population than the UK ^[5]. The World Bank is an internationally supported Bank that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries for development programs (e Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

The ultimate directing force in the economy, as in every aspect of the society, was the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED), particularly its top leadership. The Socialist Unity Party of Germany ( German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) was the governing party of the German Democratic The party exercised its leadership role formally during the party congress, when it accepted the report of the general secretary, and when it adopted the draft plan for the upcoming five-year period. The term General Secretary (alternatively First Secretary) denotes a leader of various unions parties churches or associations

The private sector of the economy was small but not entirely insignificant. In 1985 about 2. 8 percent of the net national product came from private enterprises. The private sector included private farmers and gardeners; independent craftsmen, wholesalers, and retailers; and individuals employed in so-called free-lance activities (artists, writers, and others). Although self-employed, such individuals were strictly regulated; in some cases the tax rate exceeded 90 %. In 1985, for the first time in many years, the number of individuals working in the private sector increased slightly. According to East German statistics, in 1985 there were about 176,800 private entrepreneurs, an increase of about 500 over 1984. Certain private sector activities were quite important to the system because those craftsmen provided rare, specially made spare parts.

Culture

Main article: Culture of East Germany

Music

Artists were expected to sing songs only in German at first, which changed with the end of the sixties. The Culture of East Germany has varied throughout the years due to the political and historical events that have taken place especially as a result of Nazism and Communism This seemed a logical constraint by the Party leaders but it was rather unpopular among young people. There were strict rules that regulated that all artistic activity ought to be censored for any open or implied anti-socialist tendencies. The band Renft, for example, was prone to political misbehaviour, which eventually led to its split. The Klaus Renft Combo is a veteran German Rock band, formed in Leipzig, in what was then East Germany, in 1958

The Puhdys and Karat were some of the most popular mainstream bands, managing to hint at critical thoughts in their lyrics without being explicit. Die Puhdys (ˈpuːdis are a veteran German Rock band, formed in Oranienburg, in what was then East Germany, in 1969 although they had Karat ( German for Carat) is a German rock band founded in 1975 in what was then East Berlin. Like most mainstream acts, they appeared in popular youth magazines such as Neues Leben and Magazin. Other popular rock bands were Wir, Dean Reed, City, Silly and Pankow. Dean Cyril Reed ( September 22, 1938 – June 13, 1986) was an American actor singer and songwriter who lived a great part of City is a German Rock band, formed in East Berlin in 1972 best known for the song "Am Fenster" (At The Window Silly is a German rock band. Founded in East Germany in the year 1978 Silly was one of the country's most popular music acts and was well Most of these artists recorded on the state-owned AMIGA label. AMIGA was a Record label for popular music of the VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin in East Germany.

Influences from the West were heard everywhere, because TV and radio that came from the Klassenfeind (class enemy, meaning "enemy of the working class") could be received in many parts of the East, too (a notorious exception being Dresden, with its geographically disadvantageous position in the Elbe valley, giving it the nickname of “Valley of the Clueless”). Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. The Western influence led to the formation of more "underground" groups with a decisively western-oriented sound. A few of these bands were Die Skeptiker, as well as Feeling B. Die Skeptiker (English The Skeptics is a German punk band founded 1986 in East Berlin. Feeling B was one of the first punk bands in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany Additionally, hip hop culture reached the ears of the East German youth. With videos such as Beat street and wild style, young East Germans were able to develop a hip hop culture of their own. Wild Style was the first hip hop Motion picture. Released independently in 1982 by First Run Features and later re-released for home video ^[6] East Germans accepted hip hop as more than just a music form. The entire street culture surrounding rap entered the region and became an outlet for oppressed youth. ^[7]

Classical music was highly supported, so that there existed over 50 classical symphony orchestras in a country with a population about 16 million. See also:

• Thomanerchor Leipzig
• Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
• Berliner Sinfonie Orchester
• Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in East German territory and his birthplace in Eisenach was turned into a museum of his life, which, among other things, included more than 300 instruments from Bach's life. The Thomanerchor is a Choir featuring Boy sopranos in Leipzig, Germany. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden ( Saxon State Orchestra Dresden) is an Orchestra based in Dresden, Germany founded in 1548 Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German The Konzerthausorchester Berlin (until 2006 known as the Berlin Symphony Orchestra in English and Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester in German) is a Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( Berlin State Opera) is a prominent German Opera company WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park In 1980 this museum was receiving more than 70,000 visitors annually.

In Leipzig, an enormous archive with recordings of all of Bach's music was compiled, along with many historical documents and letters both to and from him.

Every other year, school children from across East Germany gathered for a Bach competition held in East Berlin. Every four years an international Bach competition for keyboard and strings was held.

Theatre

East German theatre was originally dominated by Bertolt Brecht, who brought back many artists out of exile and reopened the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm with his Berliner Ensemble. (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. The Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, was a theatre opened on 19 November 1892 as the Neues Theater ("new theatre" Overview The Berliner Ensemble is a German Theatre company established by Playwright, Bertolt Brecht and his wife Alternatively, other influences tried to establish a "Working Class Theatre", played for the working class by the working class.

After Brecht's death, conflicts began to arise between his family (around Helene Weigel) and other artists about Brecht's heritage. Helene Weigel ( 12 May 1900 in Vienna &ndash 6 May 1971 in Berlin) was one of the outstanding Actors of her Heinz Kahlau, Slatan Dudow, Erwin Geschonneck, Erwin Strittmatter, Peter Hacks, Benno Besson, Peter Palitzsch and Ekkehard Schall were considered to be among Bertolt Brecht's scholars and followers. Slatan Theodor Dudow (Златан Дудов Zlatan Dudov) ( January 30, 1903 - July 12, 1963) was a Bulgarian born Film director Erwin Geschonneck ( December 27 1906 &ndash March 12 2008) was a German Actor. Erwin Strittmatter ( 14 August 1912 in Spremberg - 31 January 1994 in Schulzenhof near Dollgow/ Stechlin) was a Peter Hacks ( March 21, 1928 &ndash August 28 2003) was a German playwright author and essayist Benno Besson (born René-Benjamin Besson, November 4, 1922 in Yverdon-les-Bains; died February 23, 2006 in Berlin Ekkehard Schall ( May 29, 1930 in Magdeburg &ndash September 3, 2005 in Berlin) was a German stage and screen actor/director

In the 1950s the Swiss director Benno Besson with the Deutsches Theater successfully toured Europe and Asia including Japan with "The Dragon" by Jewgenij Schwarz. Benno Besson (born René-Benjamin Besson, November 4, 1922 in Yverdon-les-Bains; died February 23, 2006 in Berlin The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German Theatre. In the 1960s, he became the Intendant of the Volksbühne often working with Heiner Müller. The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre" is a Theater in Berlin, Germany. Heiner Müller ( January 9, 1929 &ndash December 30, 1995) was a (formerly East) German Dramatist, Poet

After 1975 many artists left the GDR due to increasing censorship. A parallel theatre scene grew up, creating theatre "outside of Berlin" in which artists played at provincial theatres. For example Peter Sodann founded the neues theater in Halle/Saale and Frank Castorf at the theater Anklam. Halle is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. Anklam is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, situated on the banks of the Peene river 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff and

Theatre and Cabaret had high status in the GDR, which allowed it to be very pro-active. This often brought it into confrontation with the State. Benno Besson once said: "At least they took us seriously, we had a bearing. "

Important theatres:

• Deutsches Theater[1]
• Berliner Ensemble[2]
• Volksbühne[3]
• Maxim Gorki Theater[4]

Cinema

In the GDR, the movie industry was very active. The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German Theatre. Overview The Berliner Ensemble is a German Theatre company established by Playwright, Bertolt Brecht and his wife The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre" is a Theater in Berlin, Germany. The head-group for film-productions was the DEFA [5], Deutsche Film AG, which was subdivided in different local groups, for example Gruppe Berlin, Gruppe Babelsberg or Gruppe Johannisthal, where the local teams shot and produced films. Potsdam-Babelsberg or short Babelsberg is the largest district of the city of Potsdam, Germany. The Johannisthal Air Field, located 15 km southeast of Berlin, was Germany's first airfield Besides folksy movies, the movie-industry became known worldwide for its productions, especially children's movies ("Das kalte Herz", film versions of the Grimm brothers fairy-tales and modern productions such as "Das Schulgespenst").

Frank Beyer's "Jakob der Lügner" (about persecution of Jews in Third Reich) and, "Fünf Patronenhülsen"(Five Bullet Shells) about resistance against fascism, became internationally famous. Frank Beyer ( 26 May 1932, Nobitz Germany - 1 October 2006, Berlin) was a German Film director. Jacob the Liar is a novel written by the German Author Jurek Becker published in 1969.

Movies about problems of everyday life such as "Die Legende von Paul und Paula" (directed by Heiner Carow) and "Solo Sunny" (directed by Konrad Wolf and Wolfgang Kohlhaase) were also very popular. Die Legende von Paul und Paula ( English: The Legend of Paul and Paula) is a 1973 tragicomic East German Film Konrad Wolf ( 20 October 1925, Hechingen - 7 March 1982, Berlin) was an East German film director son of

The film industry was remarkable for its production of Ostern, or Western-like movies. "Ostern" is also an alternative spelling of Ostara and German for Easter Indians in these films often took the role of displaced people who fight for their rights, in contrast to the American westerns of the time, where Indians were often either not mentioned at all or are portrayed as the villains. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. Yugoslavians were often cast as the Indians, due to the small number of American Indians in eastern Europe. See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian Gojko Mitić was well-known in these roles, often playing the righteous, kindhearted and charming chief ("Die Söhne der großen Bärin" directed by Josef Mach). Gojko Mitić (Гojкo Митић (born June 13, 1940 in Leskovac, Morava Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia) is a famous A traditional tribal chief is the leader of a Tribe, or the head of a tribal form of self-government The Sons of Great Bear (Die Söhne der großen Bärin is a German language Red Western of 1966, directed by Josef Mach. Josef Mach is a writer and film director from the Czech Republic best known for the Red Western he did for the East German DEFA The Sons of the Great Mother Bear He became an honorary Sioux chief when he visited the United States of America in the 90s and the television crew accompanying him showed the tribe one of his movies. Sioux (pronounced SUE are a Native American and First Nations people The United States of America —commonly referred to as the American actor and singer Dean Reed, an expatriate who lived in East Germany, also starred in several films. Dean Cyril Reed ( September 22, 1938 – June 13, 1986) was an American actor singer and songwriter who lived a great part of These films were part of the phenomenon of Europe producing alternative films about the colonization of America. See also Spaghetti Western and the West German Winnetou films (adaptations of novels of Karl May). Spaghetti Western, also known in some countries in mainland Europe as the Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western Winnetou is a fictional Native American hero of several novels written by Karl May (*1842 + 1912 with about 200 million copies worldwide one of the best selling German Karl Friedrich May ( February 25, 1842 &ndash March 30, 1912) was one of the best selling German Writers of all time noted

Because of censorship a certain number of very remarkable movies were forbidden at this time and reissued after the Wende in 1990. Die Wende marks the complete process of the change from Socialism and Planned economy to Democracy and Capitalism in East Germany Examples are "Spur der Steine" (directed by Frank Beyer) and "Der geteilte Himmel" (directed by Konrad Wolf). Frank Beyer ( 26 May 1932, Nobitz Germany - 1 October 2006, Berlin) was a German Film director. Konrad Wolf ( 20 October 1925, Hechingen - 7 March 1982, Berlin) was an East German film director son of

Cinemas in the GDR also showed foreign films. Czechoslovak and Polish productions were more common, but also certain western movies were shown, but the numbers were limited because it cost foreign exchange to buy the licences. Further, movies representing or glorifying capitalistic ideology were not bought. Comedies enjoyed great popularity, such as the Danish "Olsen Gang" or movies with the French comedian Louis de Funès. The Olsen Gang ( Danish: Olsen-banden, Norwegian: Olsenbanden, Swedish: Jönssonligan, German: Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (fyˈnɛs ( July 31 1914 &ndash January 27 1983) was a French Actor who

Jazz

Main article: Jazz in Germany

Sports

For a small country, the people of East Germany achieved some remarkable results in many sports including cycling, weightlifting, swimming, track and field, boxing, skating and other winter sports. An overview of the evolution of Jazz music in Germany reveals that the development of jazz in Germany and its public notice differ from the "motherland" of Jazz, the One reason for the success was started with late 1960s leadership of Dr. Manfred Hoeppner. Anabolic steroid doping allowed East Germany, with its small population, to become a world leader in the following two decades, winning a large number of Olympic and world gold medals and records. Anabolic steroids, or anabolic-androgenic steroids ( AAS) are a class of Steroid hormones related to the hormone Testosterone. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games ^[8]

Another factor for success was the furtherance-system for young people in GDR. When some children were aged around 6 until 10 years old (or older) sport-teachers at school were encouraged to look for certain talents in every pupil. For older pupils it was possible to attend grammar-schools with a focus on sports (for example sailing, football and swimming). This policy was also used for talented pupils with regard to music or mathematics.

Sports clubs were highly subsidized, especially sports in which it was possible to get international fame. For example, the major leagues for ice hockey and basketball just included each 2 teams (excluding the school and university sport). Football (soccer) was the most popular sport after team handball. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, or Olympic handball) is a Team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six Club football sides like Dynamo Dresden, 1. FC Magdeburg, FC Carl Zeiss Jena, 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig and FC Hansa Rostock did have some success in European competition. Dynamo Dresden are a German football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German football club based in Jena, Thuringia. FC Hansa Rostock is a German football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Many East German players became integral parts of the reunified national football team, for example Matthias Sammer. Matthias Sammer (born September 5 1967 in Dresden) is a retired German football player who is now a coach Other sports enjoyed great popularity like figure skating, especially because of sportswomen like Katharina Witt. Katarina Witt (born December 3, 1965) is a German figure skater, in Germany she was commonly affectionately called "Kati"

East Germans patriotically supported their athletes to success in international competitions for similar reasons as those in other countries, and this no doubt played its part in the success that state enjoyed. However, as with other Soviet states, a widely held perception existed that international athletic success advertised their political and economic system to a worldwide audience. In the special case of East Germany, being the minority section of the divided Cold War era Germany, the particular success of that state was considered to foster international acceptance of the GDR as a state in its own right. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Stamps and philately

Main article: Deutsche Post of the GDR

Stamp celebrating the GDR's 25th anniversary in 1974. References to "Mi" plus a number (eg Mi #242 refer to the catalog number of a particular stamp in the Michel catalog of German postage stamps

Communist States gave much importance to philately and the GDR was one of those which printed the most beautiful stamps. However, their philatelic value was sometimes questioned in the West since GDR stamps were usually part of a 3- or 4-stamp series and one of them would be very difficult to find and then would acquire an expensive value in the philatelic market. In the 1970s, as several States, such as the GDR, Paraguay, and later some Emirates, would print beautiful stamps that would not be in normal circulation but would rather be sold directly in the international market, philatelical associations began to disqualify some of these products.

Television and radio

Main article: Broadcasting in East Germany

Television and radio in East Germany was state controlled. Broadcasting in East Germany was owned by the state and was under its tight control and Censorship. Rundfunk der DDR was the official radio broadcasting organisation from 1952 until German reunification. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany The organization was based in the Funkhaus Nalepastraße in East Berlin. East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DFF), from 1972–1990 known as Fernsehen der DDR or DDR-FS, was the state television broadcaster from 1952.

Telecommunications

By the mid-1980s, East Germany possessed a well-developed communications system. There were approximately 3. 6 million telephones in usage (21. 8 for every 100 inhabitants), and 16,476 telex stations. Both of these networks were run by the Deutsche Post der DDR (East German Post Office). East Germany was assigned telephone country code 37; in 1991, several months after reunification, East German telephone exchanges were incorporated into country code 49.

An unusual feature of the telephone network, was that in most cases, direct dialing for long distance calls was not possible. Direct Distance Dialing ( DDD) or Direct dial is a Telecommunications term for a network -provided Service feature in which a Call Long distance in Telecommunications, refers to Telephone calls made outside a certain area usually characterized by an Area code outside of a Local Although area codes were assigned to all major towns and cities, they were only used for switching international calls. A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks Instead, each location had its own list of dialing codes - with shorter codes for local calls, and longer codes for long distance calls. In Telephony, the term local call has the following meanings Any call using a single switching facility; that is not traveling to another Long distance in Telecommunications, refers to Telephone calls made outside a certain area usually characterized by an Area code outside of a Local This was due to the way the calls were routed over the trunk network. After reunification, the existing network was largely replaced, and area codes and dialing became standardised. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung took place twice after 1945 first in 1957 the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks

In 1976 East Germany inaugurated the operation of a ground-based radio station at Fürstenwalde for the purpose of relaying and receiving communications from Soviet satellites, and serve as a participant in the international telecommunications organization established by the Soviet government, Intersputnik. Fürstenwalde is a town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg, Germany. The Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications commonly known as Intersputnik is an international Satellite communications services organization

Further information: Communications in Germany

Holidays

See also

References

• Thomas A. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( As a consequence of Germany 's defeat in World War II and the onset of the Cold War, the country was split between the two global blocs in the East and West The German Democratic Republic (GDR German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik ( DDR) often known in English as East Germany The first constitution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR in October 1949 created the office of de Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (President of the Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 The Ministerrat der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik ("Council of Ministers of the GDR" was the chief executive body or Government, of the German The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including History The creation of the National People’s Army on March 1, 1956, six months after the formation of the West German Bundeswehr, followed years The Landstreitkräfte was the ground component of the East German National People's Army. The Luftstreitkräfte der NVA (Air Forces of the NVA was the air arm of the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany Volksmarine ( People’s Navy) was the official designation of the maritime forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR For the regular police in East Germany see Volkspolizei. The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit ( Ministry for State Security The Volkspolizei ( German for "People's Police" was the National police of the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany) There was a high level of Conscientious objection in East Germany. Broadcasting in East Germany was owned by the state and was under its tight control and Censorship. During the Cold War, the two Countries of Germany &mdash the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic &mdash viewed themselves among Aktuelle Kamera (in English roughly translated as Current Camera) was the state Television newscast of the former German Democratic Republic Radio Berlin International was the international broadcaster for the German Democratic Republic (East Germany For the 1913 German novel about transatlantic tunnels see Der Tunnel (novel Der Tunnel ( English: The Tunnel) is a Education in the German Democratic Republic ( East Germany) was a high priority for the communist government and was compulsory from age six Deutsche Reichsbahn or DR (German Reich Railways was the national Railway of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany Interflug was the former state Airline of East Germany from 1963 until 1991 when it ceased operations following German reunification. The Trabant is an Automobile formerly produced by East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Saxony Barkas was the East German manufacturer of small delivery Vans and Minibuses named the B1000 Wartburg was a car manufactured in East Germany. It had a three- cylinder two-stroke engine with only seven moving parts The Sportvereinigung Dynamo ( (Dynamo Sports Association was the sport organization of the security agencies ( Volkspolizei, Ministry for State Security and customs The " Iron Curtain " was the symbolic ideological and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end Tourism in the German Democratic Republic (GDR was tightly controlled by the communist government though it was nonetheless possible to enjoy a holiday The jokes of the German Democratic Republic (GDR frequently included political characters had an eye towards life in East Germany and the Socialist Unity Party Ostalgie is a German term referring to Nostalgia for life in the former East Germany. The Palast der Republik ( Palace of the Republic) was a building in Berlin, on the bank of the River Spree between Schloßplatz and the Lustgarten Dean Cyril Reed ( September 22, 1938 – June 13, 1986) was an American actor singer and songwriter who lived a great part of Fichtelberg (ˈfɪçtəlbɛɐ̯k is a Mountain with two main peaks in the middle of the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains in south-eastern Germany in Saxony Baylis, David Childs, and Marilyn Rueschemeyer, eds. ; East Germany in Comparative Perspective Routledge. 1989
• Fulbrook, Mary. The People's State: East German Society from Hitler to Honecker Yale University Press, 2005. 352 pp. ISBN 0-300-10884-2.
• Fulbrook; Mary. Anatomy of a Dictatorship: Inside the GDR, 1949-1989 Oxford University Press, 1995
• William Glenn Gray; Germany's Cold War: The Global Campaign to Isolate East Germany, 1949–1969 University of North Carolina Press. 2003
• Jonathan Grix; The Role of the Masses in the Collapse of the GDR Macmillan, 2000
• Konrad H. Jarausch and Eve Duffy; Dictatorship as Experience: Towards a Socio-Cultural History of the GDR Berghahn Books, 1999
• Andrew I. Port, Conflict and Stability in the German Democratic Republic Cambridge University Press, 2007.
• Jonathan R. Zatlin, The Currency of Socialism - Money and Political Culture in East Germany. Cambridge University Press, 2007 ISBN 0521869560

Notes

External links

• AHF - Nationale Volksarmee (NVA)
• (German) Auferstanden aus Ruinen
• Translations of propaganda materials from the GDR.
• DDR Museum Berlin - Culture of the GDR
• East Berlin, Past and Present
• Pictures of the GDR 1949–1973
• The Lives of Others official website