Democracy and Dictatorship - Topic 4

• Freedom of exprssion
• "Representative democracy"
• Federal state
• Temporary until Germany was united
• Uphold democracy
• President not directly elected

Number of small parties declined because:

• banned far right and far left parties
• 5% hurdle 
• Small parties divided 
• Right wing joined CDU

CDU:

• Conservative Christians
• Support Capitalism
• Welfare state

SPD:

• Traditionally socialist
• Working class and socialist povements
• Abandoned Marxism in 1959
• Social justice combined with individual freedom

FDP offten held a balance of power

Konrad Adenauer 1949 to 1963, chancellors democracy

1947 - food production only 51% of that in 1938. Dismantled German steel industry and took away $10 billion. European economy was not going to recover without Germany. 

Industrial production rose, higher wages (incomes increased 400%)

Why?:

• Bizionia in 1947
• Removed price controls 
• Control of wages and production
• Ending inflation through currency reform
• Reduced marginal tax rates
• Industrial production rose to 78%
• Cheap lacour from East
• Marchall Aid - 5% of national income
• Korean War 1950-53
• "Social market economy"

Economic: Made indespensible to the West. 

1949 - Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) and got Marshall aid

1951 - European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

1957 - Treaty of Rome, established the EEC later EU - and joined EURATOM

Political: Council of Europe 1948

Military: NATO 1949, joined in 1955

USSR:

Did not recoginse East as seperate. Hallstein Doctrine. Did not prevent 1953 uprising in East. Did visit Moscow 1955 releasing 10,000 prisoners of War

Success:

• Rapproachment
• Reputation rebuilt
• POWs 
• Treated as an equal

Failure:

• Never able to recocile the USSR 
• Fear at home because of army

25% fatherless, and women forced back home because of the cheap labour available in the Western zone

12-13 million refugees

1952 Equalisation of Burdens Act - redistribution to those who lost the most

Affluence - "building up for the future"

430,000 houses built, wages rose 400%.

Old elite still dominated and unrest from right at local levels and rnrest from left

Reintergration- 

Exonerated Nais of their crimes.

40-85% civil servants ex Nazis, pension for service to Nazi state, and own personal advisers 

Failure to stop the Berlin Wall

Der Spiegel affair, tried to scilence the magaxine by raiding offices. Outcry - fears of dictatorship

Did not run for president 1959

1948 - 

Declared temporary constitution

Volkshammer - represent the people

-Landerkimmer - 5 reigions

President Wilhelm Pieck

state within a state (Stasi)

1953 uprising:

Workers in Stalinallee end of increased work hours for same pay. General strike. Soviet troops to crush unrest 

Causes:

• long term disquiet 
• annoncement of "new course in Soviet Union"
• Boarder controls
• collectivisation
• increased productivity without pay
• "building of socialism"
• failure to persuade to need for change

Consequences:

• work hours ended, more consumer goods, and improved living conditions
• Increased power of Stasi, and apprent the West would not intervine

Land reform - 

Large estates to peasants 1945. Unable to farm profitably and in 1952 introduced collectivism and land production co-operatives

Not popular, many abandoned farms and flee to the West, and production slowed

1959 LPGs 45% of agriculture, 1961 85%. Major reason for Berlin Wall.

1950s:

Large industries under state ownership. Most people working in Peoples own Factories

and the party set the targets

Emphisis on heavy industry and 5 year plans 

Issue with 5 year plans:

• ignored customer demands
• quantity over quality
• out of date 
• fixed prices
• only slow improving living conditions

Seven Year plans:

1959- brought some consumer goods and an improvemnt in living and working conditions

Rationing did not end until 1958

1960s:

Berlin wall stabalised the workforce 

1962 abandoned 7 year plan, new plan never implimented

"New Economic System for Planning and Direction" (NOSPL) 1963

• more flexibility
• share profits
• quality rather than quality

This encouraged social change 

Peasants:

• gained land but forced to join a collective
• access to better machinery
• increased educational opportunities

Factory Workers:

• higher education
• promotion was available, and given opportunity to manage 

Women:

• doctors
• increased support - maternity care and after school facilities to alow women to work

Mass organisations:

• Free German Trade Union League (FDGB) - SED controlled
• Democratic Womens league of Germany
• League of Culture 
• German-Soviet Friendship alliance

Youth eduaction:

• Polytechnic, to win people over
• SED controlled
• Many left to study in the West

Youth opposition:

• rock and role, clampdowns to tolerance 

Religion and church:

• East remained religious 15 million protestants and 1 million catholic
• Fullfil Karl Marx prophecy
• Church land not seized 
• Ministers not de-Nazified
• Churches own internal affairs
• Removal of religious education

Jugendweihe 

1954 Youth Dedication Service, commitment to Marxism

Churches forced to change oppinions

Atheist state

Increased number of people moving after 1956 with the Hungarian crisis.

Khrushchev demanded that the West recognised the DDR

Support for West from USA, so many left for better opportunities. Seen as Capitalist infection, and undermining communism

1961 events:

June - Vienna summit (withdraw from West Berlin

July - Rejected demands. Travel restrictions, and Kennedy announced increased arms spending in West Berlin

August - Barbed wire wall later replaced with concrete. Only Checkpoint Charlie , restriction of free movement

October - Diplomats entered east to test, soviet tanks put on the boarder

• Physical divide
• Exodus of workers prevented
• WOrkforce stabalised
• Limited liberalisation
• 4 power agreement ended 
• failed to remove west apperaing weak
• Kennedy appeared weak for refusing to tear down the wall
• Propaganda against communism