How much economic change was there in the DDR 1949-1963?

 Some people felt that the East German state had the potential to transform the lives of its
citizens but others were disappointed at the low living standards and limited freedom and this
led to uprisings in East Berlin in 1953.

The 1953 Uprising

 There had been signs of unrest before June 1953.
 Many disapproved of the stricter border controls, enforced collectivisation and the added
pressure to increase productivity
 In 1952 an announcement was made called “Building of Socialism” which emphasised increasing
productivity and rapid change
 However, Stalin died in 1953 and the promise of greater freedoms under the New Course (plan
to change Soviet policy to improve living standards and give more consumer goods) encouraged
unrest
 In early June 1953 Ulbricht was summoned to Moscow and told that he needed to make
changes as his policies were causing unrest. However, the East German politburo made
contradictory statements which made the situation worse.
 Workers were told that their productivity would have to rise by 10% but wages would remain
the same- the changes were announced before the press could have been used to convince
people this was a necessity
 On 16 June workers on the Stalinallee went on strike and demanded an end to higher working
hours with no more pay. There was a call for a general strike and the next day thousands of
workers joined in. They demanded the end of Ulbricht’s economic policies and wanted him to
be removed and democratic elections held.
 Ulbricht called on Soviet forces to crush the rising and protect his position
 The rising was crushed but concessions were made- more consumer goods would be produced
and the increased working hours was ended
 The state then adopted a harder line on unrest with extra powers being given to the Stasi
 Ulbricht’s position was actually strengthened too
 This drew East Germany even closer to the Soviet bloc and made the people clear they would
not be given any help from the West.

Land reform, collectivisation & agriculture

 Large estates were seized at the end of the war and divided up and given to the rural working
class
 They were unable to farm these plots as they lacked the resources to do so
 The SED felt the best way to solve this problem was collectivisation with “land production co-
operatives” or LPGs- similar to collective farms in the USSR
 This began in 1952 and was part of “Building of Socialism”
 For individual farmers it changed little and meant that many simply gave up farming and left
for the West
 13% of agricultural land was abandoned which affected food supply to major cities and only
added to the unrest
 1/3 of farms were collectivised by 1958 but after 1959 collectivisation was reattempted and
a 2nd wave followed in 1960-61.
  Farmers who did not join collectives were denied the use of machinery and party officials
were sent to rural areas to convince farmers of the benefits
 By 1962 85% of farms had been collectivised
 This led to flight from land and the number of refugees going West peaked in 1961
 Rationing had to be introduced in 1961 due to food shortages
 In the long term though farms were made more efficient than in many parts of Eastern and
West Europe but only by the 1970s

Nationalisation and heavy industry

 During the Soviet occupation and before East Germany was created many large industries had
been nationalised and placed under state ownership
 The SED had already begun a planned economy under the Stalinist model, and this was pursued
through the period with a 2-year plan in 1949, Five Year Plan in 1951 and a Seven Year Plan in
1959-1965 (this was abandoned in 1962)
 76% of production was under the control of “People’s Own Factories (VEBs) and owned by the
state which meant it was much easier to make changes here than in agriculture
 The emphasis was on heavy industry as the state looked to raise low levels of productivity
 The arty set production levels, handled worker discipline and ran social activities which
allowed them to increase control over people’s lives
 The state proclaimed that the first Five Year Plan targets were exceeded, and that industrial
production doubled since 1950 but this is a simplistic argument- many of the new factories
were built in inappropriate areas and were not profitable. The quality of good made was often
low as quantity was put before quality. Plans were often out of date before they were
implemented and were unable to respond to short term changes. Consumer goods were not
produced which could have helped end social unrest
 Living standards only improved slowly. Many workers saw little gain for their work, and this led
to many moving to the West.
 The Second Plan put more emphasis on consumer goods and the economy grew by 12% in the
late 1950s, but rationing did not end until 1958. The growth was not at the same scale as seen
in West Germany.
 Workers cultural centres and polytechnics opened and many essential goods like bread had
prices set at low level and this helped stabilise numbers leaving
 But subsidising food prices meant the state couldn’t invest in other sectors or modernise
industry and this meant underlying economic problems were not tackled

The Seven Year Plan

 The 7 Year Plan was introduced in 1959 and aimed at aligning economic development with the
Soviet Union but this failed to address the situation
 Industrial growth declined and this led to more leaving the East until the construction of the
Wall which stabilised the workforce
 It also led to the loss of economic freedoms as there was less fear of workers leaving.
 In 1962 the Seven Year Plan was abandoned and in 1963 the “New Economic System for
Planning and Direction” (NOSPL) was introduced. This allowed workers some input and allowed
them to share profits which raised production levels.
  Workers in the DDR were better off than in other areas of Soviet control but the failure to
develop consumer industries meant that many felt life in West Germany was better and went
“next door”
 By the early 1960s East Germany was ranked 10th in the world for economic production but its
economy had been adapted to match the Soviet Union and this meant the economy could not be
balanced and couldn’t sustain high levels of growth
 Poor planning and mismanagement added to problems and meant the economy could have done a
lot better and stopped drain to the West

How much social change was there in East Germany 1949-1963?

 WW2 had impact on population structure as many young men had been killed.
 A significant number of the population fled to the West before the Wall in 1961
 Nationalisation of industry & land impacted social composition

Social Changes
 There was opportunity for social mobility for those willing to commit to the new political
system
 Those who gained the most were peasants, working classes & women. Many from poor
backgrounds were given education opportunities, with the chance to acquire degrees.
 Industrial expansion in what had been predominantly rural regions gave greater work
opportunities and new state organisations also offered more jobs and opportunities to rise
socially.
 In the factories, instead of private owners and managers, there was the opportunity for
workers, who were loyal to the party, to oversee production in the VEBs. There were similar
prospects in agriculture, where party officials were sent to oversee the running of collectives.
Rural workers not only gained access to better machinery, but, as in industry, education
opportunities were available as the state required better-trained workers and farmers.
 In contrast, many of the former middle class lost their position within society as they were
class enemies of the new workers’ state. This was particularly noticeable in professions such
as the medical profession, where many new young doctors, particularly women, were trained.
Women were also able to take advantage of the provision of maternity care, creches and
afterschool facilities so that they could take up work, be it part-time or at lower levels. The
entry of women into the workforce at these lower levels also gave many men the opportunity
to move up the work ladder.
 Because of these changes, there were opportunities for many of the young generation, who
were willing to make political compromises.

Mass Organisations
 Mass organisations played an ever-growing role in the political and social system of the
East German state. They allowed the regime to control every aspect of the people’s lives
and ensure that the views of the party dominated virtually every waking moment. This can
be seen in the establishment of the following.
  The Free German Trade Union League (FDGB) of which virtually every adult male was a
member. Although run by the state it was controlled by the party and organised workers’
holidays.
 Democratic Women’s’ League of Germany was for women
 League of Culture which looked after cultural pursuits
 The Society for Sports and Technology and the German Gymnastics and Sport’s League
provided sports opportunities but also prep for military service
 The German-Soviet Friendship Society which aimed to improve relations with Russia and to
reinforce the fact the Soviets had liberated Germany

Education and Youth

 It was very important to win over young people as they were the future of the state
 All schools were reopened in October 1945, but all teachers were dismissed due to their Nazi
past and emergency teacher training was required
 Young working-class East Germans had the chance of social mobility by training

Education
 Used as part of social engineering
 Existing school system was abolished, and new system established with following aims: all
children have same opportunities, emphasis on technical skills, develop close links with
factories or sport, provide practical work experience
 In 1946 “The Law for the Democratisation of German schools” was introduced. This provided
for: abolition of private and religious schools, expansion of pre-schools, a centralised
curriculum, new textbooks, abolition of selection and introduction of co-educational
comprehensive schools for 6-14
 Polytechnic education was introduced after 1956 and this included: curriculum with focus on
science & technology but ideological indoctrination, compulsory practical work 1 day per week,
sport and paramilitary training, encouragement of adult education for those school leavers
with no qualifications
 This provided opportunities for working class children
 Standards in maths and science rose
 However, a school could block advancement of anyone considered less committed to the regime
 People from professional classes were discriminated against
 Education saw more spending than in West Germany and standards went up

Youth Organisations
 These gave more control over young people
 The Free German Youth Organisation (FDI) was for 14-25-year olds and the Ernst Thalmann
Young Pioneers looked after 6-10 and Ernst Thalmann Pioneers from 10-14
 Activities and camping trips were organised including a visit to the concentration camp where
Thalmann was murdered by the Nazis
 These groups were not a total success and not all were won over to state views
 There was some support for Western culture, especially focused on rock-and- roll culture
 By the 1960s many were copying Wester lifestyle and the state responded with repression to
tolerance and by 1964 ad even established a radio station that played popular music
  Many young people conformed when at school but were more rebellious at home

Churches
 At the end of WW2 there were 15 million Protestants and 1 million Catholics in East Germany,
but the SED wanted religion to wither away
 Initially it seemed that Churches were exempt from radical changes and could run their own
affairs but after 1946 religious instruction was removed from curriculum in schools and in the
early 1950s the SED began a campaign against the members of Protestant Church youth
groups- members could not remain at school, take qualifications or go to university
 In 1954 the Youth Dedication Service was imposed on the young. The Church condemned this
as it involved a commitment to an atheist state
 Young people had to choose as refusing to join would mean they could lose out on future
opportunities but by the end of the 1950s the Church has been forced to give way and accept
no Christian teachings were contradicted
 Following more infiltration by the Stasi the Church found working agreement with the state

The Workers’ state?

 It is difficult to argue that changes created a worker’s paradise
 The SED dominated and replaced the old elites, so workers voices were not heard, and the
union was purged so leaders were loyal to the state
 East Germany did move to being a classless society but those in charge protected their own
interests leading some to argue this was “dictatorship over the proletariat”
 They could not enforce total conformity and the most notable sign of dissent was the numbers
leaving to go to West Germany

Why was the Berlin Wall built?

 In 1956 many had seen the crushing of Hungarian uprising by Soviet troops and wanted to
escape from Communist regime
 Divided Berlin was a focal point of the Cold War and the number leaving the East was an
embarrassment for the Communists but also was damaging the economy
 The number leaving peaked at times of repression
 America had chosen to pour large amounts of aid into the West Berlin, so it was a prosperous
vision of capitalism
 Khrushchev demanded Western powers withdraw from West Berlin and hand over access
routes in order to get West to recognise East German state; the Allies refused to give into
the demands
 In 1961 as collectivisation was imposed on East Germany the numbers using the last exit route
to the West increased
 At a summit in Vienna NK put more pressure on JFK, the new US President to withdraw forces
from Berlin in the next 6 months. JKF refused and announced an increase in arms spending.
 This led to strict travel restrictions imposed by the DDR
 A barbed wire fence was then built overnight on 12 August which ended free movement; this
was soon replaced by a concrete wall and all routes to West, except Checkpoint Charlie, were
closed.
 US diplomats and troops crossed into the East on 27 October and Soviet tanks arrived, but
the situation did not escalate further.
 The West did protest about the building of the wall but there was little that could be done.
The Soviets argued the Wall was needed as anti-fascist protection but even Communists
recognised the wall as a sign of the failures of the regime
 The Wall had a huge impact. It divided Berlin physically and divided families too
 For the East it helped prevent exodus of workers and improved economic progress
 This did lead to some economic freedoms and decentralisation which helped win popular
support
 For the West the Wall was a propaganda opportunity to exploit; the could argue if Communism
was a worker’s paradise why did they need to act to stop people leaving?
 JFK and NK both appeared weak. Kennedy refused to act to pull down the wall and NK failed to
drive West from Berlin.
 This also increased tensions as it led to more nuclear weapons being developed on both sides
 The wall allowed Ulbricht to establish a totalitarian dictatorship which could implement hard
line communist policies and allowed for a return of force and violence in the East