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GDR 2b.2 Flashcards

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1
Q

consumer socialism

A

rewarding workers if they worked for the state
state would provide them with consumer goods

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2
Q

“protective wall”

A

what the SED called the Berlin Wall
Division was fixed
The people just had to accept the situation

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3
Q

NES:
name + years

A

New Economic System
1963-68

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4
Q

why was the NES implemented

A

the GDR’s newfound security after the building of the Berlin Wall allowed it to implement new policies
promote innovation + efficiency

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5
Q

NES:
aims

A

focused on scientific + technological advancements
encouraged unis + industries to develop links to improve production
allow decision making from lower levels
introduced profit making as an indicator for performance

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6
Q

problems with the NES

A

managers did not possess the financial skills
difficulties in obtaining necessary resources
opposition to NES from those committed to communism
led to some deliberately sabotaging industrial production, eg, breaking machinery and taking extended sick leave
led to very wealthy people
wage differentials unnecessary when theres a lack of consumer goods

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7
Q

successes of the NES

A

increased industrial output in some areas, esp chemicals and engineering
more efficient decision making due to local managers having more power
technological progress

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8
Q

Why was the NES abolished

A

Brezhnev wanted to recentralise economic planning
Brezhnev’s curt visit to the GDR in December 1965 made it clear he did not want the NES to continue
failure to meet targets + accusations of relying on the FRG

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9
Q

Erich Apel

A

former rocket scientist for nazi + soviets
appointed by Ulbricht as chairman of the state planning commission
supported ulbricht in implimenting the NES
December 1965 - he shot himself, signalled an end to any chance of continuing the NES

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10
Q

ESS:
name + years

A

Economic system of socialism
1968-71

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11
Q

ESS:
aims

A

more centrally planned
expanded to include agriculture, trade + industry
placed more emphasis on developing computer technology, chemical + plastic industrie

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12
Q

growth of GDRs economy comapred to western ones during ESS

A

GDRs economy grew by 5.7%
western GNP grew to 5.1% from 3.5%

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13
Q

% of industrial production growth during ESS

A

Industrial production rose 43%
quality of trained labour increased

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14
Q

failures of the ESS

A

never lived up to the high expectations
failed to overtake the FRG’s economy
emphasis on industries and not enough on consumer goods led to shortages esp during the winter

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15
Q

successes of the ESS

A

By 1970, the GDR replaced Poland as the USSR’s main trading partner
By 1970, FDR was in the top 10 industrial nations in he world (10th place)
GDR’s economy grew by 5.7% whilst Western GNP grew to 5.1% from 3.5%
Industrial production rose 43%
The quality of trained labour increased

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16
Q

what was the main focus of the SED after 1971

A

raising living standards through consumer socialism + better welfare
more content workforce = workers work longer and harder for the state

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17
Q

nationalisation in 1972

A

all private + semi private buisnesses nationalised
however, this sector created over 11% of GDRs production + employed nearly 500,000 people
restricted impact of honeckers consumer socialism

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18
Q

Unity of Social and Economic policy
years

A

1971-85

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19
Q

% of industrial growth per year through 1970s

A

5% per year

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20
Q

by 1980 how many households had a:
TV
refrigerator
washing machine

A

nearly every household had a TV + refrigerator
85% had washing machines

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21
Q

Delikat + Exquisit shops

A

government-run stores selling high-quality luxurious goods, eg, Dresden china
designed for elite party members
accepted East German currency
products unaffordable for the vast majority of GDR citizens

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22
Q

Intershops

A

shops which sold western goods at lower prices than the FRG but only accepted western currency

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23
Q

OPEC crisis of 1973

A

worldwide oil prices were raised
the GDR had very few natural recourses
GDR sheltered from the steepest oil price rises by using soviet supplies - COMECON

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24
Q

liquidity crisis

A

by 1982, the GDR found it difficult to secure credit
the slowdown in retail trade caused a shortage of consumer goods
raising production costs increased state expenditure
mounting interest rates and failing trade led to the GDRs inability to borrow money

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25
loans from the FRG to GDR between 1983-84
nearly DM 2 billion
26
1982 imports vs exports
imports fell by 30% exports rose by 9.1% (east germans notes 'a thousand little things' vanished from stores)
27
Trabant (Trabi)
expensive and deliberatly underproduced as the state throught private ownership was wrong "whats the best feature of a trabant? theres a heater at the back to keep your hands warm when your pushing it."
28
when did GDR become a member of comecon
1950
29
% of GDR trade with USSR + easten bloc after joining COMECON
76%
30
1970s labour shortages
due to COMECON, the GDR was able to bring in workers from other socialist countries to study at East German universities and graduate in science or technology, eg, Vietnam, Mozambique, Angola + cuba These students faced hostility and inequality during economic decline of 1980s
31
USSRs trade with GDR
45% of GDR's exports of plant + machinery USSR paid for these with natural resources USSR supplied: 90% of GDR's iron ore, oil, + wood 80% of its rolled steel + sheet metal
32
second OPEC oil crisis
By 1980, the soviets began to reduce the GDR's oil supplies despite the personal letter from Honecker to Brezhnev pleading for the oil
33
similarities between Ulbrichts NES + ESS and Honeckers Unity of social and economic policy
Both advocated for full political control by the SED Both dependent on soviet agreement and cooperation Both failed to tackle poor supply + quality of consumer products
34
May 1971
Honecker visited Ulbricht's home with senior GDR guards with machine guns They surrounded his building once Honecker entered ulbrichts home, after an hour Ulbchit agreed to resign
35
Newspapers
Honecker had daily meetings with the editor of Neues Deutschland to approve the front page Before 1961, although it was easy to get Western newspapers, it was illegal to display or read them Only Western newspapers allowed were ones written by western communists
36
what message did all newspapers have
SED leaders were adulated widespread social problems in FRG, homelessness, unemployment + drug addictions anniversaries eg: ussr liberating germany from the nazi regime + formation of SED, establishment of GDR
37
how many publications did the SED control
70% of publications are controlled by the party The rest were papers/ magazines by mass organisations, eg, FDJ Only publication not controlled by SED was the church - they were expected to only write on church matters, strictly non controversial
38
when was DDR1 and DDR2 established
DDR1 - august 1953 DDR2 - 1958
39
which radio station catered for the capital
Berliner Rundfunk
40
DT 64
youth music station established in 1964
41
how many licenced radios in GDR by 1985
6.6 million 39.9 for every 100 people
42
western radio influence
western music popular among the youth weakened the hold of GDR's radio stations SED attempted to jam foreign signals, which was outlawed by international agreements, + risked the West jamming GDR radios
43
Fernsehen der DDR (DDR-FS)
state run company which controlled television had 2 stations by 1969
44
scheduling of GDR TV vs FRG TV
SED ensured that news programs were not broadcast at the same time as FRG ones - people would prefer to listen to Western news They also ensured popular entertainment was scheduled at the same time as FRG news broadcasts to discourage people switching their aerials to the west
45
Karl Eduard Von Schnizler Der schwarze Kanal (The black channel)
(regimes leading propagandist) led the TV show Der schwarze Kanal (The black channel) he referred to the FRG as 'the land of the wolves' and called Adenauer 'Hitler's heir' the most despised man in the GDR
46
The sand man
East german childrens programme adored by generations lasted longer then the GDR itself
47
Abgrenzung
demarcation policy of creating a clear difference between GDR and FRG persued by Honecker
48
Language
East Germans did their shopping in a Kaufhalle, not a Supermarkt The capital of the GDR never referred to as east berlin only 'Berlin, capital of GDR', and West Berlin became westberlin (as if it were a separate country) language became Sovietised - Russian was the foreign language studied in schools
49
when did the SED legalise western stations
1974 SED admitted to fighting a losing battle westen stations discouraged but tolerated
50
how many east germans belonged to a sports club by 1982
3.3million football, fishing + gymnastics most popular
51
German gymnastics and sports assossiation (DTSB)
umbrella organisation directed by SED controlled the sports clubs formed in 1957
52
over 28,000-
-sporting festivals in the GDR in 1980
53
mid 1980s survey conducted by DTSB on why citizens participated in sports
only 14% gave an officially appropriate answer 80% said 'because it was fun'
54
1964 tokyo olympic games
GDR + FRG represened an all-german team
55
1968 mexio olympic games
since this olympic game onwards the GDR + FRG represented two different teams GDRs team called 'east germany' whilst FRG was 'germany' GDR gained 25medals + came in 6th place
56
1972 munich olympic games
full recognition of the GDRGDR had its own flag + national anthem
57
1976 montreal olympic games
GDR second place medal table - USSR first and FRG 4th
58
1980 moscow olympic games
GDR won 11/13 gold medals available for womens swimming 6 of those new world records
59
Marita Koch
track athlete set world records at 100, 200 + 400 metres set world record for womens 400 mentres during 1985 world cup running the distance in 47.60 seconds
60
Rica Reinisch
swimmer won 3 gold medals - all new world records product of dresden sports school
61
Katarina Witt
figure skater won olympic gold medals in 1984 + 1988 world champion 4 times during 1980s
62
by mid 1970s how many places in the specialist sports schools
approx. 10,000
63
Stasis role in sports
SED sent spies into the FRG to collect info on its sports training programmes when GDR teams, participated they were accompanied by Stasi + not allowed to liaise with Western athletes
64
Amateur status
professional athletes were banned from the Olympic Games until 1988 amateur athletes usually and to support themselves by working full or part time Athletes would participate for honour and glory not prize money
65
how did amateaur status help the GDR
east german athletes were able to devote all their time to training as they were supported by the state east german athletes did not make any money anyway and were just given subsidies
66
Heidi Krieger
won gold in shot put at European championships in 1986 after 8 years of training at the Dynamo sports club in East Berlin without her knowledge She was fed with regular doses of anabolic steroids + birth control pills that since 1997 she's lived as a man
67
Sigmund Jahn
in 1976 he became the first German in space flew on the Soyuz 29 mission with soviet cosmonauts awarded hero of the GDR medal
68
Hallstein docterine
1955-69 publicly announced by Adenauer in 1955 said the FRG presented the entire german nation did not accept GDR as a legitimate state + would not have diplomatic relations with any nation (other than the USSR) which accepts the GDR referred to the GDR as 'a zone'
69
Willy Brandt
FRGs first social democratic party (SPD) chancellor in 1969 attempted to improve relations between GDR + FRG
70
Christmas 1963
West berliners allowed to enter east berlin for the first time since the building of the Berlin Wall allowed 24 hour passes
71
Ostpolitik
'east politics' 1969-nov 1989 (fall of berlin wall) aimed to improve relations between GDR + FRG as Brandt was mayor of west Berlin during 1961 he witnessed families being torn apart + other horrors that he wanted to ease the tensions
72
Erfurt meeting - March 1970
Willy Brandt meeting with Willi Stoph many east germans in the crowd had banners with 'Y' on them to show their support for Brandt rather than Stoph
73
number of visits from west germans into the GDR 1971 vs 1973
1971 - 1.25 million 1973 - over 6 million
74
how much did telephone calls increase between 2 nations between 1971-76
increased 6 folds
75
Article 6 of 1974 constitution
the GDR 'is forever and irrevocably allied with the USSR'
76
Ostpolitik- how much did GDR receive in loans from FRG
over DM 15 billion
77
1970 Treaty of Moscow
FRG + USSR agreed to no territorial claims against each other
78
1970 Treaty of Warsaw
FRG accepted boarder between GDR + Poland
79
1971 Four powers agreement
allowed West Berliners to visit East Berlin secure soviet acceptance of this provision made another Berlin blockade impossible
80
1972 Basic Treaty
FRG + GDR both acknowledge the existence of each other agree to settle disputes without threatening or using force
81
nations with formal relations with the GDR 1972 vs 1978
1972 - 38 1978 - 123 (including USA in 1974) direct impact of basic treaty
82
Guillaume Affair
1973 discovered that Gunther Guillaume one of Brandt's senior aides, was a GDR spy directly supervised by Markus Wolf (head of Stasi) Reason for Brandt's resignation in 1974 Guilaume sentence to 13 years in prison released by FRG in 1981 in exchange for western spies caught in GDR
83
travel from GDR-FRG in 1964
old age pensioners allowed to visit west berlin (the SED did not care if they didnt come back- the vast majority returned) west berliners could visit the GDR up to 30 days per year
84
Friedrichstrasse rail station
'The Palace of tears' emotional meetings and partings took place between west and west berliners
85
by 1988 how many phone called a year betweem GDR + FRG
40million calls a year
86
how did the GDR make it hard for east germans to visit the west
if a personal visit was allowed (usually for family emergencies) only one member of the family permitted to travel emotional blackmail - if they didnt return the Stasi would interrogate them and restrict their careers
87
November 1973
the amount of currency westerners needed to exchange into GDR currency to gain an entry visa was doubled this led to numbers visiting east Berlin falling by 1/3 in 1974
88
before 1983 how many east germans applied for emigration to the FRG
100,000 - they were refused
89
restricted emigration 1984
40,000 people permitted to emigrate to the FRG all seen as political opponents to the regime emigration was a form of political control not freedom of travel
90
advantages of Ostpolitik for GDR
living standards in the GDR was highest in the eastern bloc consumer goods eg: cars + household items, more readily available no tariffs or trade barriers between GDR + FRG GDR was an unofficial member of the European Economic Community (ECC)
91
disadvantages of Ostpolitik for GDR
over DM 800 million of income year year was generated from compolsory currency exchnages of west berliners travelling to the east made the GDR reliant on the FRG economically trade with FRG increasing from DM8.8billion in 1978 to DM15.2 in 1986 some loans from FRG tied to agreements such as removing mines - SED lost control over its own affairs 2 secret loans taken from FRG of nearly DM 2 billion to solve liquidity crisis
92
"which 3 great nations in the world begin with U?-
-The answer is USA, USSR, and our GDR"
93
when did the GDR join the UN
september 1973 as its 133rd member
94
reporting of the full text of the Helsink accords in neues deutschland
resulted in it selling out for the first time since its publication
95
State visit - Egypt
1965 visited by Ulbricht marked the end of GDRs political isolation
96
December 1981
Visit by Schmidt to the GDR east german crowds carefully chosen and controlled by stasi to prevent the same actions as the erufut meeting in march 1970
97
honecker visiting western states
1980 - Austria's first Western state visit 1985 - Italy, Belgium, sweden + france he never got an invitation to visit the UK or USA
98
prague spring
1968 Ulbricht heavily supported this but the NVA did not take part as memories of the 1938 Nazi invasion would bring more unrest
99
Wladyslaw Gomulka
polish communist politician feared potential links the GDR had or could develop with the FRG resented arrogance of GDR leadership in the 1960s
100
NVA
GDRs army established in 1956 National peoples army
101
August 1970 January 1971
August 1970 - Brezhnev met SED leadership without Ulbricht to end his control January 1971 - 13/21 politburo members signed a letter from Brezhnev calling for Ulbricht's resignation
102
1975 Treaty of friendship + mutual assistance
committed the GDR to stay allied with the USSR
103
Helmut Schmidt
FRG chancellor after Brandt 1974-82 SPD
104
Helmut Kohl
FRG chancellor after Schmidt 1982-98 CDU first chancellor of the reunited Germany

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