Preview

What Was the Most Significant Event in the Life of the Ddr?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
616 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Was the Most Significant Event in the Life of the Ddr?
What was the most significant event in the life of the DDR?
Germany was never meant to split up. The significant things were communism, the division, the fall of the berlin fall and control. We can’t really point to a significant event. More importantly, most of the changes that took place in the life of the GDR were forced upon it from outside – crushing the Berlin workers rising, building the Berlin wall and the end of the soviet union were all external.
Germany was split into two countries, East and West Germany. The East ruled by communism (GDR) and the West capitalism. Many people left the GDR to go the West because it was run by a capitalist country so all the German people had been living in a capitalist Germany so when the east became communist most Germans living in the east weren’t use to the way in which it was ruled. They had to split Germany because they couldn’t have a Single Germany loyal to both the USSR and the USA. This is shown in source 4; it shows the general level of fear in the East. Stalin’s opinion is shown in source 6 when he said in reality, they actually had far too much fear, as neither side wanted war at all. The main point about the division of Germany is that it was the peoples doing so the GDR was created because of the allied fears of the USSR starting WW3.
In 1989 when the berlin wall came down it effect all of Germany in a strong way people from each side rushed to meet people on the other as shown in source 31 it shows how significant the fall of the berlin wall was to hundreds and thousands of people there when the wall started to be broke down. Many people got very emotional about this moment over the wall that split them apart for 30years. This is also shown in source 30.The Main reason for the collapse of the East German government was the hatred towards communism by the East German people.
The weakest part of the GDR was that it was communist. The East German people hated communism. The historian pol O’docartaigh (in

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones between France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Although Germany’s capital city of Berlin was located entirely within the Soviet controlled section of Germany, it was also divided between the four nations. France, Great Britain, and the United states controlled the western half of the city, later uniting their individual zones in order to form a West German State, while the Soviet Union controlled the eastern half. Berlin became politically advantageous and extremely important to the Soviet Union and East…

    • 1556 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Berlin Wall Dbq Analysis

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As a result, many Eastern Germans migrated to the West because they didn’t like the way their government works. Which led to the forming of the Berlin Wall by the East German authorities. Shown in document 3b, the impact of the wall was significant because it…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Although initially it seems apparent that the First World War narrowed the existing political divisions in Germany during this period, as the war progressed, the resentment grew, in part because of the huge losses and the economic crisis that hung over the country. Therefore because of this the political divisions increased, and by the end of the war the polarisation of German politics was explicit.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    World War II DBQ

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    One of them being that Germany was frustrated over the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was upset that they had to follow unfair demands, including paying for all of the damages of World War I, lessening their armies, and limiting their military. In time, an aggressive ruler in Germany came to power named Adolf Hitler. Hitler felt that the outcome of the Treaty of Versailles was unfair, so he did the opposite of what the treaty stated and put all the money into building a stronger military. As time went on, Germany wanted to reunite their brother land (doc 1). Since other powerful countries feared the power of Hitler and his army, they gave into him, following the policy of appeasement. They agreed to the terms in which the “Big Four” gave Czechoslovakia over to Germany in order to resist war (doc 4). Hitler believed it was their right to the land because Germany owned it, post-World War I. In addition, at the start of World War II, most nations were in a worldwide depression. This state of depression, made it easier for aggressive and charismatic rulers to take control over weak nations. The people hoped the powerful rulers would help to fix and change the economy. Many of the great powers thought it was a good idea to give into appeasement. On the other hand, many disagreed and argued that by giving into one demand today would cause the nation to weaken “tomorrow” (doc…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    ussr

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The immediate post-war period in Germany in 1945 resulted in the establishment of a divided Germany into two separate states in 1949. After the war, Germany was split into four zones and split up among Britain, USA, France and the USSR. Tensions between the Western and Eastern Allies arose within the years prior to the division, largely due to the actions taken by Stalin and the USSR. I feel that the primary cause for the division of Germany was due to these actions which encouraged the different zones to react in ways which heightened the tensions, resulting in a knock-on effect of events which gradually resulted in the division.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After all the land was divided the Soviet Union controlled East Germany. Just like the Soviet Union, the economy in East Germany was struggling to get back on its feet after the war. While West Berlin became a popular area, East Berlin was nearly nothing. The shelves in the stores were nearly bare, and what was there was bad quality. Under the shock of the people of East Germany, the Soviet Union went against their promises, and made East Germany a Communist country. This decision by the Soviet Union even further separated East Germany from the rest of Europe.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The German Democratic Republic was formed from what once was the Soviet Zone of Germany. After the tensions of the cold war became too hostile for all participants Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany and were renamed the GDR for the East and the FRG for the West. The GDR was formed in October 1949 and was governed by the SED, a political party made up of the Communist Party and the Socialist Party. Wilhelm Pieck was appointed president, Otto Grotewohl Prime Minister and Walter Ulbricht became the First Secretary, a role which was more superior when it came to decision making. This new socialist state was a part of the Eastern Bloc and it soon became the most successful state within it. The USSR had a very big influence on East Germanys policies and there economy, due to the communal beliefs in socialist and communist ideas. In addition, I believe that the USSR did control the GDR as East Germanys markets and resources were managed for the benefit of the Soviet Union, not for the benefit of the Citizens of the GDR.…

    • 1190 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though Berlin lay deep within the Soviet sector, the Allies thought it would be the best to divide this capital. Therefore Berlin was also divided into four parts. Since the Soviet Union was in control of the eastern half of Germany, they made East Berlin the capital of East Germany. The other three counties were each in control of a small part of what was to be West Germany. The Allies decided that they would come together to form one country out of their three divided parts. Those three divided parts formed West Germany. After all the land was divided the Soviet Union controlled East Germany. Just like the Soviet Union, the economy in East Germany was struggling to get back on its feet after the war. While West Berlin became a lively urban area like many American cities, East Berlin became what many thought of as a ‘Mini-Moscow'. In East Germany there was literary almost nothing. The shelves in the stores were practically bare, and what was there was not in very good quality.…

    • 2186 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After Reagan’s famous “Tear Down this Wall”, speech, the Berlin Wall had officially been torn down by 1989, officially reuniting East and West Germany after 45 years of communist intervention. This was a very…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Berlin Wall

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages

    World War II left Germany split in two. The East became a communist country and the West was a democratic nation. Berlin, the capital of Germany, was also split in two. Up until the Cold War, those from East and West Berlin could travel freely in. The mental barrier did not stop people from migrating from East Germany to West Germany. Therefore the East side of Germany wanted a physical barrier. The major effects of Khrushchev and Ulbricht’s plan to overtake Germany are, the Berlin Wall, friends and family were separated, and those from the East and West could not travel freely with in Berlin. This can be shown by examining the research of, The Berlin Wall (Anne Marie Hacht and Dwayne D. Hayes), Berlin Wall History, The Berlin Wall Is Built, August 13, 1961, The Berlin Wall Falls, November 9, 1989, and social Effects of Berlin Wall.…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Communism scared many Germans especially those of a higher or middle class because communists wanted to equally spread people’s wealth meaning Germans always felt unprotected. Another reason for Germans being afraid of communists was because of their violence, which began when killing the royal family in the Ussr. This meant that Germany wanted protection and the SA gave Germans exactly that as they went around arresting and murdering communists. This increased Hitler’s supporters because German’s felt safer with the SA as well as Hitler overcoming the threat of communism by trying to overthrow them. In addition, when farmers read about communist farming policies in the USSR it instantly made all farmers dislike communists and more began to support Hitler. This also got owners of big industries worried in case the same happens to them so again they also opposed communists.…

    • 588 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The negative effects of the Cold War on Germany had a real hard impact on the country. After WWII and the fall of Hitler Germany was broken up into four different sections. They were divided among the British, French, Americans, and Russians. With this division of the country families were separated and Germany's materials were used up by each sector. Depending on where the families lived some would have been put on one side or another and would have not been able to communicate with one another. By this happening Germany began to fall apart even more. Germany's economy also suffered by the division because they were having to pay reparations to the four other countries for the cost of war. There factories and raw materials were also being used for the use of the other countries also to help them produce more goods. In later years of the Cold War the western powers (U.S., France, and British) decided to emerge their sections with each other to form one major section that would be called West Germany, and East Germany would belong to the communist Soviet Union. When the sections became divided into east and west, the western powers tried to airlift things they needed to help the people living in those areas and bring in goods that they need to survive. The Soviet Union tried to put a blockade up to…

    • 743 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Weimar Republic Essay Notes

    • 2959 Words
    • 12 Pages

    The Great Depression brought to Germany not only deep economic dislocation and withstanding social distress, but it also brought a deep sense of psychological disillusionment. It was in this atmosphere of national disillusionment that the Nazi Party was able to prosper.…

    • 2959 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    I agree to a certain extent with the statement as although it initially seems that the First World War narrowed the existing political divisions within Germany in this period, as the war proceeded, the resentment greatened, in part due to huge losses and the economic crisis that prevailed over the country. Therefore because of this the political divisions increased, and by the end of the war the polarisation (division) of German politics was clear. This widen polarisation was also strengthened as left wing and right wing became more extreme- causing a wider gap within the political system.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After World War II, Germany was in ruins and the world was divided. In a famous speech Churchill expressed his view that an Iron Curtain had now descended across Europe (Harbutt 551), “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Atlantic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent” (Perry 452). The “Iron Curtain” that had fallen across Europe, separated the West and East. A Cold War had begun between the two major powers: The U.S and Soviet Union. It was Capitalism\Democracy vs Communism/Autocracy (Perry 452). This curtain laid between West and East Germany. The West controlled by the U.S. and the East by the Soviet Union. Germany while being virtually one country was split between 2 really different ideologies,resulting…

    • 1678 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays