100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Previously searched by you
Previously searched by you
logo
Summary Developing the GDR's Economy 1949-61 $5.96
Add to cart
Quickly navigate to
Preview
  2.  
  3. PEARSON (PEARSON)
  4.  
  5. History 2015
  6.  
  7. Unit 2E.2 - The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90

Summary

Summary Developing the GDR's Economy 1949-61
 0 purchase
  • Course
  • Unit 2E.2 - The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90
  • Institution
  • PEARSON (PEARSON)

Fully detailed notes covering the 3rd bullet point of the Edexcel A-Level History specification for 'the German Democratic Republic, 1949-90' course. Note: therefore this document only covers the development of the economy, and its successes / failures for key topic one (establishing the GDR), not ...

[Show more]

Preview 1 out of 4  pages

Document information

  • August 26, 2022
  • 4
  • 2021/2022
  • Summary

Subjects

  • gdr
  • economy
  • history
  • a level
  • edexcel
  • edexcel a level history
  • june 1953 rising
  • socialist unity party
  • socialist economy
  • communism
  • establishing the gdr
  • german democratic republic

Written for

  • A/AS Level
  • PEARSON (PEARSON)
  • History 2015
  • Unit 2E.2 - The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90
All documents for this subject (20)

Seller

avatar-seller
ruthhh

Reviews received

Content preview

Establishing + Consolidating Communist Rule in the
GDR
HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GDR’S ECONOMY IN THE YEARS
1949-61?

Socialist Unity Party (SED) = the main party, communist.

OBSTACLES FACED BY THE GDR IN DEVELOPING A SOCIALIST ECONOMY
1. Lasting damage from WW2 - heavy bombing of East German cities such as Dresden left them
in ruin.
2. Lack of industrial areas - the best were in West Germany. The division of Germany meant that
the GDR no longer had access to supplies of coal and steel from the Ruhr, which was now part
of the FRG.
3. Reparations - 25% of all industrial goods produced in the GDR were seized by the USSR
4. Loss of valuable labour - due to continued migration to the FRG in the 1950s

POST-WAR REPARATIONS TO THE USSR
Although the wartime Allies fixed a sum of $20 billion dollars to be extracted from Germany, they could
not agree on a timescale/ means of repayment. So, they agreed that the occupying powers could take
reparations from their own zones.

Stalin urgently needed to rebuild the Soviet economy. The USSR extracted greater reparations from its
zone on the grounds that it had suffered extensive damage to its infrastructure during WWII (the USSR’s
steel output in 1945 was half that of the late 1930s)

● It is estimated that approx 1,500 entire industrial plants and half of all East German railway
tracks were taken from the Soviet zone into the USSR.
● If the removal of industrial equipment was too difficult then it was left in Germany and the
manufactured products seized.

Reparations did not cease until 1954. The impact on the economy was to depress standards of living,
fuelling hostility towards the Soviets in East Germany, who mistreated those employed in the dismantling
operations. Overall, 25% of all industrial goods produced in East Germany were taken as reparations.


SOCIALIST ECONOMICS AND PLANNING
The economic policy of the SED was based on Marxist ideology and closely followed Stalin’s policies, as
they believed that this was the best way to eradicate fascism / naziism which they thought was a product
of the later stages of a capitalist society.

They aimed to transform the GDR into a Marxist-Leninist state:
● This would require abolishing the landowning class, private business, and small farmers and
replace them with a centrally planned economy, nationalised industry and collectivised
agriculture.
● Following the creation of the GDR a State Planning Commission was established to plan and
supervise the implementation of 5 Year Plans

From 1950 onwards, industries in the GDR were given targets in 5 Year Plans modelled on Stalin’s
industrialisation of the USSR.

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ruthhh. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $5.96. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

66184 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now

Start selling
$5.96
  • (0)
Add to cart
Added