The SED

• People's congress


  Became the Volkskammer
• Supreme authority


  Lied within the Politburo of the SED
• Constitution guaranteed free speech
• Article 6


  A catch-all which could be used for repression
• The Ministry of State Security was formed and called the Stasi


  March 1950
• Volkskammer


  Was to be the supreme authority of whom were elected by a secret ballot
• Parties represented


  By proportional representation
• Head of the Volkskammer

  Minister-President elected by the largest party in the People's chamber
• Personal rights


  • Freedom of speech
  • Freedom of religion
  • Freedom of assembly
  • Freedom to send uncensored letters through mail
• Trade unions were recognised and given authority to call industrial action
• Religious intolerance outlawed, people free to worship as they chose
• Landerkammer


  Legislative body which represented the 5 states of the GDR
• Volkskammer


  Supreme organ of legislation whose members were elected by a direct secret ballot
• All citizens over 18

  Could vote, 21 could apply for political office
• Highest authority

  Was Council of Ministers
• Ministers


  Elected by members of the Volkskammer
• Council of Ministers


  Officially the government, determined policies and managed finances
• Landerkammer


  Delegates selected from 5 legislative bodies which implemented policy at land level
• Landerkammer


  Could always veto legislation, but Volkskammer could override this
• Constitution seemed democratic with guaranteed Civil rights
• Article 6-8 gave authorities the right to act ruthlessly as they chose to curb behaviour
• GDR ran as a dictatorship
• GDR supreme court and department of Public prosecution was created


  7th of December 1949
• Supreme Court


  Given authority to interpret Article 6 as it chose
• Department of public prosecution


  Tasked with prosecuting those who broke the law
• Central Commission for State Control


  Set up to order the investigation of those felt posed a threat to the regime
• People's police (KVP)


  Stood at 50,000 strong in 1950
• Future National People's Army


  Formed in 1955 as the army of the GDR
• Ministry of State Security (Stasi)


  Formed in February 1950, their duties were vague
• Stasi


  Reported to the Politburo of the SED, all powerful and outside the Constitution, tasked with detecting all internal opposition to the state, conducting espionage abroad, and providing security for Political institutions, installations and public buildings
• National Front for a democratic Germany

  Set up by the Volkskammer in February 1950, its role was to speak for all the parties and institutions within the GDR and draw up candidate lists in elections, and controlled elections
• First election


  Held in October 1950 to establish a permanent Volkskammer /Landerkammer
• National Front


  Drew up a list of candidates on the basis of a selection meeting at a local level, most non-SED members were rejected
• Voters


  Had to reject or accept all the names on the list
• Electoral turnout


  87.4%, of those, 99.7% accepted the full list of candidates
• Voting was meant to be secret but it wasn't really
• Elections were held in climates of mass fear, such as the purges and bribery
• Elections coincided with the laws providing credit for small farmers and benefits for disabled people, therefore bribery
• SED took 100 seats in the Volkskammer
• SED


  Dominated the GDR with the Volkskammer simply rubber-stamping its proposals