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4) economic stagnation in the 1980s - Coggle Diagram
4) economic stagnation in the 1980s
Gorbachevs influence
SED response to G's reforms
in an interview published in the West German magazine Stem in Apr 1987, Kurt Hager, responsible for ideology in the GDR, dismissed perestroika as 'redecoration'
SED argued:
economy achieved good growth rates
proximity to Western Europe meant it could not allow much liberalisation
it had undergone economic restructuring in the 1960s
SED was unequivocal in its opposition to prestroika and glastnost, when, by 1987, it became apparent that they were significant and not merely window dressing
given the availability of FRG televeisin, this argument was not going to convince anyone
where G and H met at the 11th SED Congress in Apr 1986, G suggested that the GDR might benefit from economic restructuring
H said that they young man had been making policy only a year an the already wants to bite off more than he can chew
this is not to suggest that the SED were nit afraid that demand for reform might spread. they were aware of G's influence in the Soviet bloc
however, the latter belonged to a younger generation and had initiated reforms in the SU to redress what he perceived as the failures of his predecessors
period saw the censorship of Soviet periodicals or their removal from the newsstands, especially if they published articles critical of the GDR
both H an G were communists
G's own speeches were subject to censorship
GDR newspapaers began to publish articles on alcoholism and food shortages in the USSR
H began making speeches asserting GDR sovereignty and independence
Eastern Europe 1980s
by 1987 it was clear that G's policies would have big effects
they had to find their own solutions
G made a speech to the Council of Europe in July 1989 announcing that the Brezhnev Doctrine was dead - communist countries could no longer rely on USSR
in Aug 1989, Poland elected its first non-communist head of govt. multiparty elections were held in Hungary in 1990
the problems within communism were so great. his policies were no longer about reform, rather change altogether
communism was threatened throughout the Soviet bloc
popularity of G
support came to a head during the 40th anniversary celebrations of the GDR in Oct 1989. in the presence of H and the SED, people chanted 'save us Gorby'
one teenager said that it was the advent of the Party itself, another say that it was the advent of G with an alternative type of socialism
people in GDR latched onto G as a new type of communist leader
the Central institute Youth Research basing in Leipzig found in 1988 that 83% of young people supported him. rose to 90% of young SED members
was very popular and his reforms in USSR gave him impetus to reformist movements in the GDR
although much of the work published about him and his own speeches and articles, had been banned in the GDR, they supplied a black market
very popular among ordinary GDR citizens
impact of Gorbachev's reforms
aim was not to destroy the system but to reform it
this entailed the pursing of policies of detente with the West to reduce the crippling defence budget and to move finance away from the satellite states to the USSR
initiated policies called glasnost and perestroika to try to address the issues
USSR could no longer subsidise the satellite states
he found a country on the edge of economic ruin
G told Honecker that the GDR would not be abandoned, however in practice, this was not clear
in 1986, G became in charge of USSR
opposition groups
man had young children and objected to why they were being indoctrinated at a young age
few members of any opposition group thought the GDR was about to collapse; it was a permanent fixture which they had to embrace and come to terms with
born in the 1950s and 60s they had little reason to respect the ageing leaders who had fought the Nazis
few sought regime change; most sought reform of their or to improve the quality of life in the GDR
attitudes hardened after 1987 when the regime drew more repressive and they began to be more focused on democracy as the precursor to reform
Ulbrichts children who had grown up in the GDR during the period of liberalism and Ostpolitik
influence of G and other factors such as reform in the Soviet bloc, had an effect on their growing radicalisation
many recruited heavily from 25-40 year olds
these groups predated Gorbachev
the late 1970s and 80s saw development of oppositions groups in the GDR
the role of protestant groups
Church, state and opposition groups
relationship between them is complex but in 3 stages:
mid-1980s to 1987
more people were taking the initiative and forming groups without waiting for a leader from Church leaders or members of the intelligentsia
at this time, grass roots groups developed
opposition groups grew more diverse and the Church less relevant
transitional period where new modes of dissent emerged and opposition groups grew more frustrated with Church caution
1987 - 1989
made the GDR become more politically polarised and unstable
state became more repressive and opposition groups more organised
1978-mid 1980s
State became frustrated that the Churches were unable to operate under such control
following the Concordat between Church and State it was hoped that Churches would be able to excursive some means of control over opposition groups to channel their dissent into safe avenues or irrelevant discussion
these phases are more complicated by the widespread infiltration of the Stasi, the diverse nature of the churches and their membership and the fact that many members of opposition groups were just using Churches as a place to meet
attitude of Church hierarchies could be ambivalent - contradictory
state expected churches to control the activities of protest and dissident groups
church offered opposition groups one of the few places they could meet
church leaders lacked control over individual pastors
opposition groups were allows to function as part of Churches as laws restricting freedom of association groups of more than six were illegal - excluded church ran groups
often bright but non-conformist young people could find a professional career only in the Churches - to support and lead opposition groups
1980s saw a symbiosis between Protestant Churches and the growing number off opposition groups
determination among protest groups
Stasi infiltration and repression
one example
she resisted and was fined 300 OM
when she refused to pay nothing was happened
17yearold was interrogated all night, and asked to sign a confession that she been put up to her actions by agents from FRG
in Leipzig the authorities were ordered to break up citizen groups monitoring the elections
members were arrested, beaten up and then allowed to go free - and then electroral scrutiny took place
Stasi laid on buses to arrest them all, they did so quite brutally
400 people met in Berlin church to draft a letter protesting about the fraudulent May 1989 elections and submit it to authotities
movements seemed unstoppable
others spread such dissent within the groups that they collapsed with a welter of personal antagonisms or discussions
it seemed many people were either losing their fear of the Stasi, or were so desperate for change they didn't care what would happen
sometimes infiltrators acred as agents-provocateurs, inciting members to more radical activities promoting extreme reactions from the security forces who had been forwarned
forces of repression were faced with a situation where more and more people dared to challenge authority
people could be arrested, imprisoned and deported to the FRG
they might have to countenance mass arrests or even brutal suppression - both of which are hardly characteristics of a regime with support
one leading dissident said that her husband was an IM who not only reported on her subversive activities, but also private life
any loss of confidence on the part of the security forces would weaken a govt
Stasi infiltrated most groups and some indeed collapsed because member were to afraid to speak openly
Rosa Luxembourg - Karl Liebnicht Parade, Jan 1988
most auspicious dates
in 1988 protestors joined the parade, many carrying banners demanding reform and, embarrassingly for the authorities, on the more prevalent slogans was:
the authorities reacted with arrests and brutality
more people realised that change was necessary and were increasingly prepared to join the protests
'freedom is always the freedom to think differently'
was an annual event to to celebrate the lives of the two founders of German communism who were murdered after end of WW1
Olaf Palme Peace March, Oct 1987
SED supported this
unofficial banners from peace groups appeared side by side with official ones
a march took place to support the idea of world peace
may 1989 elections
the discrepancies occurred
when people complained and protested, not a single complaint was upheld
theet were many cases of votes being increased support of the single list
the votes were taken to district electoral offices run by the SWED for checking
govt dismissed the protests at work of Western agitators
the problem was not necessarily in the actual polling stations
damage had been done
despite Stasi intimidation, these groups conducted their scrutiny and in many cases reported fraud
enough people had heard that electoral results in the GDR were unreliable
citizen groups were formed, usually under the auspices of the chruches, to monitor elections took place
declining authority od the SED
conclusion
although SED rejected his reforms within GDR, his popularity could not be stopped - citizens saw him as a hope for the future
if the SEF could have [prevented internal threats, hoever, they couldn't match the influence of Gorbachev in USSR
problems were growing, not least the damaging pollution because of the economic inefficienices
more people wanted to emigrate and those who remianed, increasingly took part in protest movements which were sheltered by the Protestant churches
more people called for reform
problems grew for GDR throughput 1980s and SED increasingly relied on repression
as we shall see, many SED functionaries were losing confidence and looked for leadership which did not appear
surveys conducted for youth found an alarming growth of dissatisfaction between 1985-89 especially in areas with pollution and low living standards
however, the movement in favour of reform seemed unstoppable
percentage of apprentices surveyed that 11% identified with the GDR 'hardly or not at all' in May 1988 and 23% in Oct 1988 and it took courage to be so forthright in these surveys
they tended to react to change by digging in their heels, rejecting reform and responding with greater repression
the problems faced by the GDR in the 1980s, as well as the growing influence of Gorbachev - all of which led to the weakening of the SED
events of 1989
Honeckers dismissal
2 specific events led to demise
mass protests took place in Leipzig a swell as other places and authorities were unable to stop them
during his visit for 40th anniversary celebrations, G had reiterated that USSR would not intervene in internal affairs of the GDR
not so when its appeared to give carte blanche to dissent but assuring the Soviet forces in GDR would remain in their barracks
ironically when H had been asserting it sindependence, you would think its what G wanted to hear
the end for H came quick
already had one cancerous tumour removed but doctors missed one which made him unwell and led to his death
he was 77 and ill for some time
they also blamed the FRG and West for dpreading unrest
at Politburo meeting of 17th Oct he was told he had lost support of the Party and should resign
he agreed but said his leaving would not solve the problems
indeed they seemed to do nothing in the face of growing opposition groups except leave the Stasi to destroy them
even when he was incapacitated through Sep 1989, his opponents did not act against him
Krenz
tried to reform govt by replacing old SED leaders with younger ones
changes in govt seemed to emphasise how ineffective SED had become and Karen's line seemed to offer just enough reform to dampen down protest
K hoped the question of emigration would be satisfied with very gradual reform
however even the usually acquiescent Volskammer there out his migration law od Nov 6 because it was so vague, it said nothing beyond a hint of a 30 days travel allowance each year
offered to liberalise foreign travel
protests had gathered even more momentum with as many as 750,000 demonstrators on streets at times
Stasi began to shred their files
K ordered the reopening of border with Czechslovakia on Nov 1 and those of would-be-emigrants began to travel there
H was right, his reignation solved nothing and demonstrations continues, growing in size
Leipzig, 30,000 marched to call for resignairton of Krenz
East Berlin, 20,000 did at least listen to the most popular of SED leaders, G Schabowski, but they had no idea ad nor possibly did he - how close GDR was to bankruptcy
visited USSR on Nov 1 but came back with nothing
Gorbachev's visit to East Berlin
these weren't disaffected punks but the pride of East G Youth
however the planned festivities on 7th Oct went a bit weird where G was a guest of honour and when he and H presided over a vast torch-lit parade of FDJ, many called out 'Save us Gorby'
at a later meeting with the Politburo, G made a pointed speech about how history leaves reactionary forces behind
H and Ulbricht, both had effectively been dicttaors and their acolytes simply were not used to independence of thought, the system was so centralised and lacking in avenues for dissent that it would take a real crisis to overthrow a leader
had been argued that H did hi best to ignore the protests and to concentrate on the celebrations of GDR, there is no doubt that the anniversary was of supreme importance to him
opening of the Berlin Wall
met by equally excited West Berliners
East Gs trying to cross the wall in the next few days found it closed again
11:30pm, border guard officer on duty ordered the gates open as a crowd protection measure which was the press of people trying to get through
FRG announced incorrectly that GDR had opened borders
ironically, last people to realise were the SED Politburo as thousands were pressing at the Berlin Wall
draft didn't say this, but it was meant to be that amplification was to be issued the following day but news spread quickly
at evening press conference, G S read out documents handed to him - didn't have time to read and digest, and this draft suggested that 'immediately, without delay' travel restrictions would open
9th Nov, officials at interior ministry drafted a proposal that East German citizens should be allowed to travel abroad if they have passport and visa - meant nothing as may not be granted
protests in Leipzig
in the event the protest took place as normal but the security forces did not stop it and did not fire their weapons
various reasons have been given
demonstrations themselves were peaceful: 'No violence' was common
there were some questions about the reliability of the security forces themselves
if authorities could only keep control by repression and agents of repression refused to be repressive, the regime would collapse
if they refused any order to fire, the entire security apparatus would be called into question
troops were only ordered to fire in self defence in Leipzig
mostly these were conscripts, not murderers
USSR troops following Gorbachev's earlier orders remained firmly in barracks
although Honecker publicly supported Chinese authorities when they had brutally suppressed similar pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, Peking, June 1989, there was probs little appetite for slaughter among members of the Politburo - any regime that killed its own citizens could no longer claim legitimacy
mass demonstrations took place in Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig
Sun 8th Oct, Mielke, head of Stasi, gave a red alert effectively authorising forces to shoot to kill
hospitals were cleared to receive anticipated hordes of wounded
particularly St Nikolai increasingly became the centre of protest, with regular Monday night crowds of 70,000 outside
effects of the fall of the Berlin Wall
powerful dn influential international voices opposed reunification
mayor of West Berlin said that this was not a 'festival of reunification' but a 'festival of seeing each other again'
FRG chancellor Helmut Kohl felt that the best solution was wholesale reform so as many people as possible stayed in GDR
may have been bankrupt with a decline in population, but it still had a government
Kohl, like many of his citizens and conscious of the concerns of voters, was worried about he impact of sudden mass immigration and the impact on FRG infrastructure
did not mean the fall of the GDR
protests
however they weren't demanding a regime change, again the authorities failed to realise this
there was little actual organised or coordinated leadership behind protest. movements
supported od the FRG Green Party became vocal on environmental issues
Christians wanted more rights of worship
New Forum, a nationwide political movement, was set up and mt in churches demanding reform through democracy
people were protesting about everything
pollution
lack of freedom
living conditions
but there was no specific revolutionary movement
protests spread to almost every city in GDR
conclusion
lack of supporters from the USSR was a big factor, many believed GDR had only survived this long because of the USSR
once Hungary opened its borders, little could be done to stem the tide of emigration except seal the GDR from all neighbours
protests became too widespread to halt
triggers were both external and domestic
GDR simply no longer credible
few had anticipated the quick collapse of the GDR
opening of Hungarys borders
others camped out in West G embassy in Budapest and other communist countries and demanded VISAs
led to GDR leadership to react slowly because they were unaware
in 2 weeks, 30,000 East Gs crossed into Hungary and thus Austria
they could hardly close the border with a fellow Warsaw Pact ally yet clearly the open border mocked the GDR
10th Sep, H formally declared the border open, and therefore destroying the treaty with the GDR refusing to let East Germans leaving without VISA
thousands of East Germans on holiday in Hungary simply crossed the border
some argue that the beginning of the GDR could be dated to this - made the Berlin Wall superfluous
in Sep 1989, H quietly openedits borders with Austria
following the opening of border with Austria, East G authorities banned its citizens from visiting Hungary
they set up camp inn the FRG embassies in Prague and Warsaw and demanded exit VISAs
thousands went to Czechoslovakia or Poland
Honecker finally ordered the GDRs borders closed, clearly not his ambition
end of GDR, 1989-90
elections March 1990
Social Democratic Party also embraced the GDR SPD
18th Mar first free elections took place
CDU headed by Kohl in FRG, absorbed the CDU of the GDR and formed an electoral coalition called 'alliance for germany' with the German Social Union and the Democratic Awakening
winners were the CDU-dominated alliance with 48% of the popular vote: SPD for 21%
these were the parties that had been allowed ti survive to give the illusion that the GDR was democratic
former citizens movements such s New Forum gained >5% maybe because they represented the past
as demand for reunification gathered, political parties in FRG realised it was vital for them to become involved in GDR politics - they took over the non-communist parties of the GDR
final govts of GDR
surveys shows want for reunification in Leipzig went from 39-72% in 2 months
when Kohl offered monetary union in Feb, GDR lost a key responsibility and FRG Bundesbank controlled its economy
Modrow indeed took 8 members into his govt in Feb to give credibility to his regime yet the momentum was for reunification
Modrow decided to bring forward elections to the Volksammer in may 1990, took place on 18th Mar
there would be elections to state govt, first free elections in GDR, but mostly dominated by FRG political parties
opposition groups also tried to preserve the GDR that centred around the Round Table. where political activists from both govt organisations and citizens' groups met between Dec 1989 and March 1990 to discuss the forms and structures of a new democratic GDR
was equipped with nice houses, restaurants, wswimming pools and nicer facilities
this was by no means a super-luxurious resort for millionaires but still much better than what normal GDR citizens could afford
Jan, meanwhile the inequities of the communist system cam etc light through the storming of the Stasi offices and invasion of the SED hierarchy compound at Wandlitz
former saw the discover not only of prisons and instruments of repression, but of millions of files which showed the extent of state surveillance
also appeared to support the Ministry of State Security
govts were trying to keep the state afloat
17th Nov, Modrow , whose role as Minister-President became more important as the SED imploded, offered economic reforms
asserted that the free market would be introduced
some that included autonomy for individual concerns and less central planning
he offered a third way between capitalism and communism, but very few interested
reunification
seen as long and difficult task, Kohl thought would take 5 years
collapse of the SED govt
old style leadership collapsed, Mielker + others on 13th Nov and 8th Dec the Public Prosecutor charged various former leaders such as Honecker and Mielke with corruption and misuse of office
Party tried to reinvent itself and Modrow came to the front, many thought it was all window dressing
Hans Morrow elected as Minister- President, the formal head of the state of GDR, he spoke in his inaugural address of why the GDR was still viabloe and important
people still applied for exit visa
Modrow was told of the dire economic situation
outlined a series of reforms in education, bureacracy and how the GDR would grow closer to the FRG and Europe
the political initiative shifted from SED to the official govt of GDR - the Council of Ministers in the Volskammer - previously simply rubber stamped the SED directives but now grew in importance
support fell quickly and in Feb 1990, the decision was taken to fight the 18th March election simply as PDS, thus SED ceased
those associated with the excessed of the regime such as Mielker were forced to resign and later faced prosecution
Krenz and older-style leaders barely lasted a month
4th Dec Krenz resigned as head of the SED
international relations
USA
France
Soviet Union
Britain
Thatcher worries that unification could destabilise G's rule in the USSR; he might be blamed for the loss of such an important satellite - hardliners might force him to resign
thatcher went to Moscow 2 months before the Fall of Berlin Wall to ensure G. she said: we do not want a united Germany, this would lead to change to post-war borders and we cannot allow such a development would undermine the stability of the whole international situation and could endanger our security
foreign minister, Douglas Hurd even went as far as to say that the Cold War, with a dvived Germany had brought stability to the continent
despite Thatcher welcoming the end of communism, it too shared the fear of a stronger Germany in Europe