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Establishing and consolidating communist rule in the GDR, 1949-61 - Post…
Establishing and consolidating communist rule in the GDR, 1949-61 - Post-war division of Germany
Potsdam
Berlin lay geographically in the East, within the Soviet zone
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reparations
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this was a short term strategy, they assumed that Germany would eventually reunite
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wester allies saw this a capitalist democracy, whilst Stalin emphasised the demilitarised neutral asepct
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Stalin had lost 20 million citizens wanted $20 billion, but the USA refused to agree on a fixed sum
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Yalta
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Poland would be given all of the land to the East of the border and Neisse Rivers as compensation for USSR taking it in 1939
allies agreed to divide Germany into 4 military zones, one each
Soviet Zone
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women: men ratio was 135:10, a lot of children and elderly people
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Soviet Policy
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German communists could run the Soviet zone, under Russian supervision to spread communism from working class to other zones
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in the soviet zone, former Nazi's were excluded from public life, and so communists would govern on Marxist-Leninism
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he had no desire for a Communist reoublic seperate from the other zones, wasn't even sure whether Communism was compatible with the zone
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Stalin's priorities
keep German weak, therefore no ideas of nationalism
but by doing so, would also mean that he doesn't get the reparations he needed to boost the economy
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merger of KPD and SPD
outside of the Soviet zone, there was very little support for a merger
during a referendum, 20,000 against, 3000 for
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the merger was force, and the USSR was very influential
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Anton Ackerman argued that Germany should take a peaceful path towards socialism - no Russian stye revolution - paving the way for merger of KPD and SPD " a reunited Germany "
however, the SED could still not win free elections
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payments of reparations
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Russians realised that they're not benefitting from this wastage, it was not in their interest to look after an economically weak and crippled zone - Soviet zone lost 11,800KM of railway track
SU pushed harsh reparations in order to rebuild its shattered economy as well as to keep Germany weak. they did this by:
monetary payments - total cost between 1945-54 was 64 billion Ostmarks (16.8 billion for occupation costs)
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Berlin Crisis
price controls and rations were taken away and the Marshall Aid was introduced which led to rapid economic growth
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Stalin still preferred a united Germany, but western powers too the initiative and the Deutschmark was still very successful
internal and external tensions led to the Soviet representative leaving the Allied Control Council (ACC) helping them introduce the Deutschmark and make preparations for the creation of the new state: FRG, May 1948
Marshall Aid
Satellite countries of the USSR did not attend the July conference in Paris in which the Marshall plan was discussed
seen as an event of the formal division on Europe into Soviet and Capitalist zoned of influence. two sides to it, those who sent delegates and those who didn't
In June 1947, was introduced to help finance European recovery
Berlin Blockade/Airlift
by September, they were flying in 4641 tonnes of supplies every day
by the time the blockade was destroyed, they were managing 8000 tonnes per day, and over 2,325,808 tonnes were delivered
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by May, Stalin realised that the Allies wouldn't give up and restored electricity supplies again, as well as canals and roads again
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Berlin Blockade failed and airlift showed that the West wouldn't give up on Berlin and Europe was divided further
Berlin lay within Soviet zone, there was no guarantee for access of the Western powers thus Stalin decided to take full control of B
formation of the GDR
Soviet leaders realistic enough to know it would take the Commnunitst regime years to catch up economically with FRG
330 Congress members agreed a draft Constitution of the GDR, announced the formation of the new state on October 7th
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SMAD abolished but turned into the Soviet Control Commission who role was to suprerivse the State's implementation of any allied directives
after the FRG was created, Stalin was still reluctant to create it
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GDR was known as Stalin's unwanted child - he got it out of default, not by design
conclusion
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Stalin favoured reunification but albeit as a socialist state, creation of the GGDR was not his primary solution
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