Topic 4

• What did SED propaganda emphasise about the 1980s?

  That by the 1980s GDR citizens enjoyed the security of full employment, non-existent homelessness, cheap rents, subsidised essential food items and cheap public transport
• How accurate was the propaganda?

  It was accurate in some ways but there was some overstaffing, citizens seen as politically unreliable may not have had employment opportunities of their choice and a lack of housing meant that people lived in overcrowded conditions
• How available was food?

  Food was available but queues for it were often long
• What was the GDR's economy like by the mid-1980s?

  1) The GDR's economy was facing slower industrial growth which resulted in a failing income for the Government (1982-1985, economic growth had slowed to 1.5% from a previous 2% in 1976-1980)

  2) The economy was being hampered by expenditure on defence and paying for the wall which took up nearly 8% of Government spending
• How did the GDR try and improve the economic problems in the 1980s?

  1) The Government reduced spending, sold political prisoners to the FRG and got loans from the FRG

  2) Good were then taken from the domestic market to boost exports which increased shortages of consumer items within the GDR
• How many prisoners were sold a year to the FRG?

  1500
• What was the Five-Year Plan of 1986-1990?

  1) Its guidelines aimed at the construction and modernisation of homes, and a focus on new technologies to compete with the West

  2) This plan did little to improve the quality of items produced and the country failed to close the gap with the progressing economy of the West Germany
• How much had the debts throughout the 1980s grown to?

  DM40 billion
• What report showed the scale of the problem?

  Schurer-Papier which was prepared for the Politburo in 1989
• What did the report show?

  There was a need to increase export surplus by over 500% from 1990-1995 in order to stabilise debt levels
• What did the GDR do with Soviet oil and why?

  Resold soviet oil to the West to try and gain hard currency
• What was the problem with reselling the oil?

  It meant using brown coal which was cheaper but it was more inefficient for its domestic use
• How much did exports of heavy industry drop by between 1986 and 1988?

  About 30%
• What did the level of national debt mean for East Germany?

  It contributed significantly to Gorbachev's decision not to increase financial support for the GDR from the USSR which had severe economic problems of its own
• How much had spending on housing, education, health and welfare increased?

  Rose from DM72.9 billion in 1980 to DM112.3 billion in 1985
• Why was health an important issue for the GDR?

  It encouraged public satisfaction with the state and prevented opposition
• Why did East Germany have additional healthcare costs?

  Due to contamination of cities by heavy industries meaning they had the most polluted air which caused respiratory problems for the population
• How did the health system compare with the West?

  Compared favourably with the West in the 1970s, but fell increasingly behind in the 1980s
• What was estimated by 1987 about alcoholism?

  By 1987 it was estimated that 1 in 8 East Germans suffered from some form of alcoholism and this was an extra economic burden on the healthcare system
• Why were consumer goods neglected?

  Due to the focus on heavy industry
• What did Honecker order in the 1970s?

  That factories should have 5% of their output as consumer goods
• What did the population have little difficulty obtaining in terms of consumer goods?

  The basic goods like bread and butter, however they had to spend a long time shopping for them
• What did family and friends do with consumer goods?

  People often bought things didn't need to exchange with families and friends as it was unclear which items would become available again
• What did the transference of Western culture do?

  Allowed the sharp contrast in living standards to become apparent
• Explain the economic relations with the West

  1) The economic relationship between the GDR and the FRG had grown throughout the 1970s

  2) The GDR borrowed heavily from the FRG to finance the increasing imports of consumer goods, as well as to finance expensive welfare costs
• What percentage of trade was with West Germany by 1989?

  20%
• How many dissidents did West Germany buy the freedom of?

  34,000
• What did this scheme mean for the East?

  It is estimated that through this scheme the East were paid DM3 billion by the West
• What did the SED request from the FRG in late 1989?

  A new billion Deutschmark loan
• What gave the impression that the economy was grinding to a halt?

  Hard currency debts, falling standards of living, a lack of investment and a labour shortage
• Explain the impact of perestroika and glasnost

  1) For Gorbachev's policies to be a success it was essential that the economy of the GDR improved

  2) By the late 1980s it was clear that the advantages of the USSR maintaining a military presence in communist European states were outweighed by the costs
• What was the impact of the ending of the Brezhnev Doctrine on the GDR?

  The SED could no longer count on the support of the USSR if there was unrest
• Why was there pressure to reform by the late 1980s?

  There was a diverse range of issues that meant people wanted change, e.g. peace, ecological issues, women's rights, and gay rights
• What are some examples of oppositional groups?

  1) There were 80-90 ecological groups including the Environmental Library (based in Berlin) which printed a journal and members were monitored and arrested by the Stasi

  2) Promotion of peace - The Initiative for Peace and Human Rights (IFM) was formed which was targeted by the Stasi, but they did gain some support from the Protestant Church
• How did the Protestant Church become a basis for growing opposition from the mid-1980s onwards?

  1) The Church gave shelter for new groups to grow and prosper

  2) In 1987 the Church from Below (Kirche von Unten) was created and showed that a new generation of Christians were rejecting the SED

  3) They worked with the IFM and the Environmental Library
• By 1988, what percentage of young workers felt strong identification with the GDR?

  20%
• What factors contributed to the desire for change in the late 1980s?

  1) The grim conditions of the GDR economy led to long-term stagnation

  2) Gorbachev's reforms helped to spread discontent within the GDR

  3) Demands for reform within the GDR were often protected and incubated by the Protestant Church

  4) The rise of protest groups gave calls for reform more confidence

  5) The increasing inability of the SED to control events within the state allowed the reforms to grow
• What did Honecker proclaim in January 1989?

  That the Berlin Wall would stand for another 50, or even 100 years
• What was Project 'High Tech Wall 2000'?

  It was the plan to computerise the surveillance of the Wall, and these plans were pursued throughout 1989 with the objective of preventing all escapes
• When did Hungary begin to dismantle its border with Austria?

  2nd May 1989