GDR

• In a command economy such as in the GDR, the government strictly controls all economic activity and decision making.
• On June 17th, workers went on strike in East Berlin, leading to violent clashes between protesters and police.
• These protests led to the Berlin Uprising, which was put down by Soviet tanks and resulted in hundreds of deaths.
• The SED was the ruling party, with Walter Ulbricht as its leader
• By November 9th, over one million people had taken part in peaceful demonstrations across the GDR.
• Walter Ulbricht was the first secretary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) from 1950-1971
• Erich Honecker became the new leader of the SED in 1976
• East Germany's borders were opened on November 9th, allowing citizens to travel freely into West Germany.
• East Germany's economy suffered from low productivity due to lack of investment and outdated technology.
• The country had high levels of unemployment and poverty compared to West Germany.
• Honecker's policies included improving living standards through consumerism and modernization
• Erich Honecker became the new leader of the SED in 1971
• Honecker's policies included improving living standards through consumerism and increased trade with Western countries
• Honecker's policies included economic reforms such as the New Economic System (NES)
• On March 23rd, 1990, East Germans voted in their first free elections since World War II.
• The Stasi was established in 1950 under the leadership of Erich Mielke
• The Allied Control Council (ACC) was established in July 1945 to govern occupied Germany.
• On August 13th, 1961, the East German government began building the Berlin Wall to prevent its citizens from escaping to the west.
• Comecon was established by the Soviet Union in 1949 to promote economic cooperation among socialist countries
• By the late 1980s, East Germany faced significant challenges including an aging population, declining birth rates, and increasing emigration.
• In May 1985, Erich Honecker visited Moscow to meet Soviet leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Yuri Andropov.
• In June 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin, preventing food and supplies from entering West Berlin.
• In June 1987, Honecker visited West Germany and met with Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
• In October 1977, the Helsinki Accords were signed, which included provisions on human rights that the East German regime violated.
• In June 1978, Honecker became the leader of the SED party and served until his resignation in October 1989
• The Stasi was established by Walter Ulbricht in 1950 as the Ministry for State Security (MfS) and had over 200,000 employees at its peak