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To what extent did East Germany fail to achieve their domestic aims between ?
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‘The government of the German Democratic Republic entirely failed to achieve itsdomestic aims in the years 1949-1963.’ How far do you agree?
Entirely Failed Relative Success
Unpopularity of collectivisation led Successful nationalisation of industry
to farmers fleeing West. Subsidisation of products to make
Berlin Uprising 1953 indicated deep them affordable and accessible to all
dissatisfaction with the governance. east Germans.
Economy developed, living standards Improvements in education, roles of
did not. women (only applicable if you
Stazi used to enforce communism embraced communism)
public were not cooperative.
When analysing the extent to which the German Democratic Republic was successful in
achieving its domestic aims and their economic, social and political implications, many
would often suggest that it was entirely a failure in comparison to the state of FRG between
1949-63. Whilst West Germany is highly recognised for being prosperous with the economic
miracle that took place under Ludwig Erhard, East Germany in its initial years faced more
challenges in implementing its communist objectives such as industrialisation and
collectivisation, however by the 1960s both the economy and living standards did show
signs of improvement. Therefore, as its evident that the leaders of the GDR did not share
the same ideological objectives as the FRG, it would be unfair to suggest that East Germany
entirely failed in its domestic aims, as although it took longer to implement communist
economic and social peak, it was still relatively successful after this period.
One of the key challenges Ulbricht and the GDR faced in implementing a communist regime,
was the collectivisation, particularly of agriculture. In a typically communist fashion, Ulbricht
and the leaders of the GDR aimed for a nationalised society, in which all produce was state
produce to allow for equal distribution. This involved a centralisation of farms, businesses
and other industries in which the government heavily influenced how they ran their trade.
Although in the early 1950’s a large number of farmers and private businesses were still
independent, there was still high taxation, government harassment and farmers were poorly
paid. This could definitely be used as evidence to suggest that East Germany entirely failed
in their domestic objectives, and is only further reinforced by the Worker’s Uprising of 1953,
which truly reflects the resentment towards the government’s handling of industry and the
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