Education of the GDR and FRG summary. State and political development of Germany after the Second World War. Social Democrats coming to power
The London meeting of the Western powers on Germany in 1948 gave impetus to the acceleration of measures to create a constitution for the future independent state of West Germany. On September 1, 1948, after the official merger of the three western occupation zones into one, a Parliamentary Council was created in Bonn from representatives of the West German elite with the rights of a temporary legislative body of the West German lands. Its leader was the famous politician, lawyer by training, 73-year-old Konrad Adenauer. He had a reputation as a moderate Francophile and a patriot of "European Germany". K. Adenauer did not like the warlike and revanchist Prussian spirit, considering it the cause of Germany's troubles. In 1945, after the occupation of the country by Allied forces, K. Adenauer headed the Christian Democratic Union, which became the most influential political party in the country.
On May 1, 1949, the Parliamentary Council approved a new constitution, on the basis of which on August 14, 1949, elections were held to the new West German parliament - the Bundestag, on behalf of which on September 20 the creation of a separate state - the Federal Republic of Germany - was proclaimed. The first head of its government (chancellor) was K. Adenauer. The Bundestag adopted a statement on the extension of the new constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany to the territory of the lands that were part of Germany within the borders of 1937. This step, together with the very fact of the declaration of the Federal Republic of Germany, was negatively perceived in the USSR, which refused to recognize the West German state.
After the proclamation of the Federal Republic of Germany, Moscow's hands were untied in the German question. Now it was impossible to blame her for initiating the split in Germany, the responsibility for which fell on the United States. During 1945-1949 in the eastern sector there were processes of denazification and consolidation of leftist forces around the communists. The Communist Party of Germany itself in the Soviet zone in 1946 was united with the Social Democratic Party into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). The activities of the old anti-fascist non-communist parties - the Christian Democratic Union, the Liberal Democratic Party - were not prohibited. They subsequently survived in the GDR as parties allied to the communists. The administrative structure in the eastern sector of Germany was ready to be transformed into a public administration system.
On October 7, 1949, the People's Congress from among representatives of the East German public, meeting in East Berlin, proclaimed the creation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The Soviet Union recognized the GDR and established diplomatic relations with it. Other people's democracies followed his example. SED leader Wilhelm Pieck became president of the GDR. In 1950, the GDR signed an agreement with Poland recognizing the existing border between the two states, and with Czechoslovakia a declaration on the absence of mutual territorial claims and recognizing the resettlement of the German population from the territory of Czechoslovakia as irreversible.
2. Germany and the Marshall Plan
A special place in the Marshall Plan was given to West Germany. After the end of World War II, West Germany essentially transformed from an enemy into a partner of the Western powers; it was assigned the role of an outpost in the fight against “Soviet communism.” Of all the Western European countries, the Marshall Plan gave clear preference to Germany. Thus, in the first years of the implementation of the “Marshall Plan” (1948-1951), Germany received from the United States almost as much as Great Britain and France combined and almost 3.5 times more than Italy. Banks in Germany traditionally took on commercial risk and a major role in ensuring industrialization, and were involved in the management of the companies being financed. After the collapse of the financial system due to World War II, the state began to acquire greater power to control the credit system, but the policies pursued were the result of negotiations and cooperation with major financial and industrial magnates. Funds received from the Marshall Plan were invested in the private and industrial sectors. However, banks were the backbone of the investment process. By participating in the capital of firms and purchasing blocks of shares, banks were thereby interested in the future of the industry and provided funds for its development. Encouraging capital accumulation and massive public investment in Germany became the main drivers of economic growth. The economic reforms of 1948 had a great impact on the development of the economy in Germany. The ideologist of these reforms was Professor of the University of Munich L. Erhard. In his writings on economic issues and in his practical activities, he advocated the formation of the so-called social market economy. His concept is based on the fact that the incentive for a person is the desire for his own well-being. Erhard defined the levers of the country's economic revival as free private initiative and competition with the active role of the state in economic life. The implementation of the “Marshall Plan” in Germany was, along with the Erhard reform, the most important condition for the transition from a totalitarian economy to a market one. But even more important was the decision made by the allies to return Germany to the political and economic arena of Europe. The lifting of restrictions on foreign trade allowed Germany to regain its leading position in Europe. The West German version of the transition from a centrally managed economy to a market represents a valuable experience for all countries tackling a similar problem.
The Marshall Plan is structured in such a way that it not only ensures the import of goods into Germany, but also creates the basis for a new capital ratio. All subsidized imports, after the sale of goods to German producers or consumers, form a multi-billion dollar fund in German currency, which, since we are talking about loans, due to their long-term nature, does not need to be transferred abroad at first.
In the first year of the implementation of the Marshall Plan, in order to maintain a balance of imports and exports, exports will be dominated by the export of raw materials. In exports, the preliminary issuance of licenses should be replaced by subsequent control over the delivery of foreign currency to the bank. In imports, it is necessary to introduce foreign exchange certificates so that foreign trade banks can open letters of credit.
The need to maintain, for external reasons, the dualism of a centralist economy and an economy with a federal structure means a contradiction in economic policy in itself, because a decentralized planned economy is impossible. This contradiction will be removed by transferring greater economic independence to self-government bodies, and the state, after carrying out the monetary reform, will be engaged in pursuing foreign economic, higher goals, the definition of which is a matter of state policy.”
Thus, the history of the economic revival of Germany after the Second World War is one example of the successful implementation of the ideas of economic liberalization with balanced participation of the state in the economic life of the country and ensuring the social nature of economic transformations. Necessary conditions for the success of the post-war reconstruction of Germany were external (Marshall Plan) and internal (political stability, political support for reforms, monetary reform, liberalization of prices and trade, including foreign, targeted and limited government intervention in economic life) factors.
The post-war reconstruction of Germany laid the foundation for the “economic miracle” - the rapid growth of the German economy in the fifties and sixties, ensured Germany's position in the European economy throughout the second half of the twentieth century, and became the economic basis for the unification of Germany at the end of the twentieth century.
3. National security doctrine and German foreign policy during the Cold War
One of the main events in the collapse of the world system of socialism and the revision of the results of World War II was the “unification of Germany,” or, more precisely, the Anschluss of the GDR carried out by the Federal Republic of Germany at the instigation of the United States and the connivance of Gorbachev’s leadership of the USSR.
After the war, Germany and Austria (part of Germany from 1938-1945) were divided into occupation zones between the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France. At the same time, after the departure of the Allied troops, Austria remained a single neutral state, not part of any military blocs. It was planned to do the same with Germany. But the Western imperialists did not need a democratic, neutral Germany. In 1949, the American, British and French zones of occupation of Germany were united into a “trizonia”, which quickly transformed into the state of the Federal Republic of Germany and joined the aggressive NATO bloc. As a response, the USSR was forced to create the GDR in its occupation zone, which later became part of the Warsaw Pact bloc. At the same time, the leadership of the USSR, until 1953, insisted on a plan to create a united democratic Germany, and only under Khrushchev recognized the fact of the split of Germany and gave the green light to the construction of socialism in the GDR.
Thus, it was the Western “democracies” that initiated the split of Germany in the 1940s - if Germany had remained united then, it would inevitably have come under the influence of the USSR. Conversely, the same Western “democracies” that split Germany in 1949 demanded its unification in 1989 when the forces of socialism weakened.
At the end of 1989, when socialism had already been overthrown in many countries of Eastern Europe, the political system in the GDR still remained unshakable, which could not but cause displeasure among anti-communist elements. The message from the Ministry of Security (Stasi) spoke of the growing desire of individuals to destabilize the political situation in the country and ultimately change the system of social relations. The note also indicated the approximate number of representatives of opposition groups and movements: about 2,500 people.
The immediate cause of the crisis was that in early May Hungary opened its border with Austria. This did not go unnoticed; thousands of people rushed through Hungary to Austria, and then to Germany. At the end of July, unofficial statistics recorded the visa-free departure of 150 citizens of the GDR; by mid-August the flow increased to 1,600 people, and by the end of September the number of those who left was 25,000. Thousands and thousands more who did not want to return to the GDR remained in Warsaw, they contacted the German Embassy asking for political asylum.
October 6, 1989 marked the 40th anniversary of the creation of the GDR. In his speech on this date, the then leader of the GDR and its ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), Erich Honecker, described the situation in the country as a complete idyll; the title of his solemn speech sounded like this: “The great thing that was done was done by the people and for the people.” Instead of taking a critical look at the current situation in the country and, perhaps, extinguishing the sparks that threaten to turn into raging flames, Erich Honecker limited himself to boring and unreflective slogans like “Always forward and only forward.” The GDR, he said, would approach the threshold of the 2nd millennium with the conviction that the future belongs to socialism, even if “the influential forces of the Federal Republic of Germany” sense a chance to bring about the results of the Second World War and all post-war development in one fell swoop.”
Meanwhile, an anti-government demonstration of thousands took place in the city. The police tried to disperse the demonstrators, but it was useless: people kept coming and staying. The demonstrators tried to appeal to M.S. Gorbachev, who was then visiting the GDR. The people chanted: “Gorbi, Gorbi!”
Only on October 11 did the Politburo of the SED Central Committee show the first signs of concern about the situation in the country. It published a statement in which for the first time one could discern an attempt to analyze the actual situation in the country. On October 17, 1989, at a meeting of the Politburo, Erich Honecker was removed from his post as General Secretary of the SED. In his place, Egon Krenz, member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Central Committee for Security Affairs, was elected. He was chosen for this post by a small group of people who were ready for changes in the Politburo, but this concerned only the individuals represented in it, and in no way a change in the overall political strategy. For the majority of citizens of the GDR, he was Honecker’s henchman and henchman.
However, a number of historians agree that if the steps that Krenz took had been taken several weeks (not to mention months) earlier, they would probably have been perceived as decisive measures and would have been warmly welcomed: literally the next day after his election, Krenz met with leading representatives of the church and participated in discussions with representatives of the working class on the current political situation.
The day before the grandiose demonstration on November 4, 1989 in Berlin, which served as a signal for the beginning of the collapse of the existing system, Egon Krenz appeared on television offering individual concessions. But it did not help. The demonstration, which lasted several days, ended with the demolition of the Berlin Wall on November 9, dividing the eastern regions of Berlin (the capital of the GDR) and “West Berlin”, formed from the American, British and French occupation zones of Berlin.
On the night of December 7–8, 1989, the extraordinary congress of the SED began its work. The party dissociated itself from the so-called. “totalitarian past”, proclaimed itself a “civilized social democratic party of the Western model” and renamed itself the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). On December 9, Egon Krenz was dismissed.
Immediately after the collapse of the socialist system in the GDR, the question of its unification with the Federal Republic of Germany arose and the agreement on establishing the unity of Germany was signed on August 31, 1990 in Berlin.
Related information.
In the period from 1949 to 1990, there were two separate states on the territory of modern Germany - the communist GDR and the capitalist West Germany. The formation of these states was associated with one of the first serious crises of the Cold War, and the unification of Germany with the final fall of the communist regime in Europe.
Reasons for separation
The main and, perhaps, the only reason for the division of Germany was the lack of consensus among the victorious countries regarding the post-war structure of the state. Already in the second half of 1945, the former allies became rivals, and the territory of Germany became a place of collision between two contradictory political systems.
Plans of the victorious countries and the separation process
The first projects concerning the post-war structure of Germany appeared back in 1943. This issue was raised at the Tehran Conference, where Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met. Since the conference took place after the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk, the leaders of the Big Three were well aware that the fall of the Nazi regime would occur within the next few years.
The most daring project was proposed by the American president. He believed that it was necessary to create five separate states on German territory. Churchill also believed that after the war Germany should not exist within its previous borders. Stalin, who was more concerned about the opening of a second front in Europe, considered the issue of dividing Germany premature and not the most important. He believed that nothing could further prevent Germany from becoming a unified state again.
The issue of the dismemberment of Germany was also raised at subsequent meetings of the Big Three leaders. During the Potsdam Conference (summer 1945), a four-way occupation system was established:
- England,
- THE USSR,
- France.
It was decided that the Allies would treat Germany as a single whole and encourage the emergence of democratic institutions on the territory of the state. The solution to most issues related to denazification, demilitarization, restoration of the economy destroyed by the war, revival of the pre-war political system, etc., required the cooperation of all the victors. However, immediately after the end of the war, it became increasingly difficult for the Soviet Union and its Western allies to find a common language.
The main reason for the split among the former allies was the reluctance of the Western powers to liquidate German military enterprises, which contradicted the demilitarization plan. In 1946, the British, French and Americans united their zones of occupation, forming Trizonia. In this territory they created a separate system of economic management, and in September 1949 the emergence of a new state was announced - the Federal Republic of Germany. The leadership of the USSR immediately took retaliatory measures by creating the German Democratic Republic in its occupation zone.
The beginning of the Cold War in 1946-1947 and the growing confrontation between the USSR and the Western powers made it impossible to recreate a unified German state. The differences in the approach of the USSR and the USA to solving the German problem turned out to be insurmountable. The USSR advocated the reunification of Germany, its demilitarization and neutral status. The United States opposed the neutral status of a united Germany. They sought to see Germany as a dependent ally. As a result of the USSR's victory in the war, the countries of Eastern Europe came under its control. Power in them gradually passed to local communists loyal to the USSR. The United States and Western states, in opposition to the USSR, sought to maintain West Germany in their sphere of influence. This predetermined the state split in Germany.
Western states decided to create a special West German state in those territories that were under their occupation control. For this purpose, an Economic Council was established in Frankfurt from representatives of the Landtags of the states. He resolved financial and economic issues. The Economic Council had a majority of the CDU, CSU and FDP parties, which advocated a social market economy. In 1948, by decision of the Economic Council, monetary reform took place in the three western occupation zones. A stable German mark was introduced into circulation, and price controls were abolished. West Germany embarked on the path of creating a social market economy, and its economic revival began.
In 1948, to develop and adopt a draft constitution for the West German state, a special Parliamentary Council was convened - the Constituent Assembly, elected by the Landtags of the West German states. The draft constitution was developed in committees of the Parliamentary Council with the participation of German jurists and approved by military governors. In May 1949, the Parliamentary Council adopted the Basic Law. It received ratification and approval from the Landtags of the West German states, except for Bavaria, but is also valid for it, and came into force. This is how the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) came into being. It covered half of the former territory of the country and two-thirds of the Germans lived there. Western states adopted an occupation statute in 1949. He limited the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany in the field of foreign policy, defense, and foreign trade until 1955. Germany is still occupied by American troops.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany is officially called the Basic Law, since when adopted, this act was considered temporary until the unification of the German lands into a single state, after which it was planned to develop a constitution for a united Germany. According to the Basic Law, Germany was open to the annexation of the remaining German states. After German unity is achieved, the Basic Law applies to the entire German people and ceases to be valid on the day when a new constitution comes into force, which will be adopted by the free decision of the German people. The Constitution of 1949 was also called Bonn - after the name of the new capital of the Federal Republic of Germany - Bonn.
In the Soviet zone of occupation, that is, in the eastern part of Germany, in October 1949, its own constitution was adopted, created on the Soviet model, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was proclaimed. As a result, a long forty-year period of existence of two independent German states began. They did not remain neutral, but entered military-political alliances opposing each other. In 1955, Germany joined NATO, and the GDR joined the Warsaw Pact.
The GDR included five German states. Soon, in 1952, the lands on the territory of the GDR were legally abolished and fourteen territorial districts were formed. The Chamber of Lands was abolished in 1958. The parliament of the GDR - the People's Chamber - became unicameral. The GDR, established as a federal state, became a unitary state.
Germany in 1945
At the last stage of the Second World War, the territory of Nazi Germany was liberated by all progressive forces. A special role belonged to the Soviet Union, the USA, Great Britain and France. After signing the surrender in May 1945, the Nazi government was dismissed. Governance of the country was transferred to the Inter-Allied Control Council.
For joint control over Germany, the allied countries divided its territory into four occupation zones to transfer it to peaceful life. The division looked like this:
- The Soviet zone included Thuringia, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg;
- The American zone consisted of Bavaria, Bremen, Hesse and Württemberg-Hohenzollern;
- The British zone covered Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia;
- The French zone was formed from Baden, Württemberg-Baden and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Note 1
The capital of Germany, the city of Berlin, was allocated to a special zone. Although it was located on lands transferred to the Soviet occupation zone, its management was transferred to the Inter-Allied Commandant's Office. It also housed the main governing body of the country - the Allied Control Council.
The occupation zones were administered by zonal military administrations. They exercised powers until the election of a provisional government and the holding of all-German parliamentary elections.
Education Germany
Over the next three years, the western zones of occupation (American, British and French) converge. The military administration is gradually restoring representative bodies (Landtags), carrying out reforms and restoring the historical territorial division of the German lands. In December 1946, the British and American zones merged to form Bisonia. Unified governing bodies and a united body of supreme power were created. Its functions began to be performed by the Economic Council, elected by the Landtags in May 1947. he was empowered to make financial and economic decisions common to all the lands of Bisonia.
In the territories that came under the control of the Western powers, the “Marshall Plan” began to be implemented.
Definition 1
The Marshall Plan is a program of US assistance to European countries for post-war economic recovery. It was named after its initiator, US Secretary of State George Marshall.
He served as a unifying factor. New authorities were created in Bisonia: the Supreme Court and the Council of Lands (government chamber). Central power was transferred to the Administrative Council, which reported on its actions to the Economic Council. In 1948, the French occupation zone joined Bisonia to form Trizonia.
The London meeting of the six victorious countries (USA, UK, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium and France) in the summer of 1948 ended with the decision to create a separate West German state. In June of the same year, monetary reform was carried out in Trizonia and the development of a constitution began. In May 1949, the West German constitution was approved, establishing the federal structure of the state. At the next session of the victorious states in June 1949, the split in Germany was officially recognized. The new state was named the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The Federal Republic of Germany included three quarters of all German territories.
Education of the GDR
At the same time, the formation of a state took place in the Soviet occupation zone. The Soviet Military Administration (SVAG) announced the liquidation of the Prussian state and restored the Landtags. Gradually, all power was transferred to the German People's Congress. The SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany) initiated the adoption of a Soviet-style constitution in May 1949. The inter-party National Front of Democratic Germany was formed. This served as the basis for the proclamation of the East German state of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) on October 7, 1949.
Thus, back in 1945, at a meeting in Potsdam, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill divided Germany into four occupation zones and established quadripartite control of Berlin. This agreement was to remain in force until the Soviet Union, the USA, England and France agreed on the creation of a pan-German state and concluded a peace treaty with it.
The Cold War “buried” these plans. In September 1949, a new state emerged on the territory of the three western occupation zones - the Federal Republic of Germany. In response, in October of that year, Stalin created the German Democratic Republic.
Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)
In September 1949, the ruling circles of the USA, England and France completed the split of Germany, forming a separate state in the western part of the country. The West German monopolies were given the opportunity to create their own state as payment for Germany's participation in the aggressive imperialist blocs led by the United States. Simultaneously with the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany, on September 21, 1949, the occupation statute developed by the governments of the United States, England and France came into force, which retained the supreme power in the Federal Republic of Germany for these powers.
The Statute of Occupation defines the powers that are retained by the occupying authorities in the exercise of their supreme power, which is exercised by the governments of France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
In order to ensure the achievement of the main goals pursued by the occupation, these powers (to the occupying powers) are specifically specified.
The governments of the USA, Great Britain and France took the path of refusing to implement the decisions of the Potsdam Conference (July - August 1945), which provided for the demilitarization of Germany, the eradication of German militarism and Nazism, the elimination of monopolies and the broad democratization of the country.
In the western zones of German occupation, demilitarization and denazification were practically not carried out. Many former Nazis returned to important positions.
The Soviet Union consistently advocates the development of friendly relations with the entire German people. Believing that the normalization of relations between the USSR and the Federal Republic of Germany would help strengthen peace in Europe, resolve the German problem and develop mutually beneficial trade, the Soviet government addressed the German government on June 7, 1955 with a proposal to establish direct diplomatic, trade and cultural relations between both countries. And in September 1955, both governments exchanged letters on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the establishment of embassies.
Having set a course for restoring the power of monopoly capital in West Germany and dividing the country, the Western powers set as their goal the revival of German militarism in order to then use it in their interests against the USSR and other socialist countries. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Soviet Union's repeated proposals aimed at preserving German unity were rejected by the Western powers, who viewed West Germany as their future political and military ally.
The occupation authorities of the Western powers contributed in every possible way to the restoration and strengthening of the economic and political positions of the West German bourgeoisie and helped it consolidate its forces. Parties were created to represent the interests of monopoly capital. In Germany, a state apparatus was created with the help of which monopoly capital could strengthen and expand its positions and control the entire life of the country. The Western powers banned the organization of the Socialist Unity Party in West Germany. These policies, combined with the anti-communist stance of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), prevented the unification of communists and social democrats.
The labor movement was also in the process of re-establishing proletarian organizations. The lack of unity of the West German labor movement seriously hampered the struggle of progressive forces against the split of the country. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany formally proclaimed the basic democratic rights of citizens - their equality before the law, personal freedom, equality of men and women, freedom of political views, press, meetings, etc. The adoption of these points to a certain extent took into account the intensification of the struggle of West German workers for their interests .
An expression of the systematic line of the Western powers aimed at splitting Germany was the creation in 1947 of the so-called “Bisonia”, which united the American and British zones of occupation, and then “Trizonia” (in 1948), as well as the implementation of a separate monetary reform.
After the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Western powers set a course for restoring the military-industrial potential and rearmament of West Germany, and for involving it in military blocs directed against the USSR and other socialist countries.
Chancellor Konradom Adenauer did everything possible to implement the plans for the remilitarization of the Federal Republic of Germany, which were hatched by the West German monopolies. In August 1950, he handed over a memorandum to the American High Commissioner in which he “reiterated his readiness to contribute in the form of a German contingent in the event of the creation of a Western European army.” The Western powers agreed to this proposal of the German Chancellor. Revanchist demands aimed at revising the results of the Second World War increasingly became the basis of the official policy of the ruling circles of Germany.
Taking a course towards the remilitarization of the country, the Adenauer government rejected all peace initiatives of the Soviet Union, in particular, its draft peace treaty with Germany of March 10, 1952. And on March 26, 1952, the Western powers signed a general agreement on relations with Germany, according to which the formal occupation of West Germany, but US, British and French troops remained on its territory. But the entire working class, all the democratic forces of the country resisted the policy of restoring West German monopoly capital and its course towards the remilitarization of West Germany. And despite the persecution, the communists continued to fight against the remilitarization of the country and to overcome the division of Germany.
As for the development of economics and politics, by the beginning of the 60s, Germany was increasingly asserting itself as the leader of Western European states. Its ruling circles have increased their foreign economic and foreign policy activity. But by the end of the 60s, Germany was affected by economic and political crises.
In 1969, the SPD-FDP coalition government was formed. Chairman of the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) Wili Brandt became Federal Chancellor, and Chairman of the FDP (Free Democratic Party) Walter Scheel became Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the field of foreign policy, the government took a realistic approach to assessing the situation in post-war Europe; it took into account the desire of broad sections of the West German population for détente, their desire to put an end to the dangerous remnants of the Cold War. The Brandt-Scheel government moved to improve relations with socialist countries and accepted the Soviet Union's proposal to hold negotiations. As a result, on August 12, 1970, the Moscow Treaty was signed between the USSR and Germany. Both sides expressed their desire to promote peaceful relations between all European states, pledged to resolve their disputes exclusively by peaceful means and to refrain in their mutual relations from the threat or use of force. The third article of the treaty, which established the inviolability of the borders of all states in Europe, was of key importance. The Moscow Treaty created the necessary political preconditions for a serious turn in Soviet-West German relations, which were normalized on the basis of Germany's renunciation of claims to change the existing European borders.
Of great importance for mitigating tensions in Europe was the agreement signed in September 1971 by four powers - the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and France on West Berlin, an important point of which was the provision that West Berlin is not an integral part of the Federal Republic of Germany and will not be continue to be managed by it.
The conclusion of the Moscow Treaty, the negotiations of L. I. Brezhnev with W. Brandt in Crimea in September 1971, especially the visit of L. I. Brezhnev in May 1973 to Germany gave impetus to the development of economic relations between the Soviet Union and the Federal Republic of Germany, put them to a qualitatively new level. Of great importance was the signing in May 1973 of an agreement between the USSR and Germany on the development of economic, industrial and technical cooperation for a period of 10 years.
German Democratic Republic (GDR)
In October 1949, the Western imperialist powers completed the division of Germany, creating a separate West German state. Under these conditions, the democratic and patriotic forces of Germany decided that the time had come to take the fate of the country into their own hands, to repel the reviving German militarism, and to prevent the spread of power of revanchists and fascists throughout Germany. To this end, the democratic forces of East Germany, on October 7, 1949, proclaimed the creation of the German Democratic Republic. The GDR emerged as the first state of workers and peasants in German history. Exercising supreme power here, the Soviet Military Administration (SVAG) carried out a number of measures for demilitarization, denazification and democratization, and created favorable conditions for the formation of a united, peace-loving, democratic Germany.
The struggle of the peace-loving forces of the German people for a new Germany was led by the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). Immediately after the legalization of its activities on June 11, 1945, the Central Committee of the KKE addressed the people with an appeal containing a program for democratic reforms throughout the country. The KKE oriented the working class and the working masses towards establishing an anti-fascist-democratic system in Germany. She called for the creation of new government bodies from below, to punish war criminals, to expel the Nazis from administrative and economic bodies and replace them with anti-fascists, to liquidate monopolistic associations and transfer large industrial enterprises, junker estates, as well as banks and the hands of the people. The appeal of the KPD received the approval of the working class and other sections of the German people, as well as all democratic parties and organizations.
The unity of action of the working class in East Germany was the basis for the establishment of a strong alliance of the working class with the peasantry, petty and middle bourgeoisie.
With the defeat of fascism, the old state apparatus was liquidated. In East Germany, the Nazis were removed from administrative and economic institutions. On the initiative of the communists and other anti-fascists and with the support of the SVAG, new government bodies (Landtags) were created on the ruins of Hitler's Reich, which expressed and defended the interests of the broad masses.
Of great importance for strengthening the new anti-fascist-democratic system in East Germany was the liquidation of the property of monopoly capital, this most important support of fascism. Carrying out the Potsdam decisions, SVAG in October 1945 imposed sequestration on all property belonging to the Hitlerite state, war criminals, active Nazis, as well as monopolies that participated in the outbreak of the war.
The most important distinctive feature of the development of Germany after liberation was the interweaving of the social (class) struggle of the masses with the struggle against the schismatic actions of the American-British imperialists and German reactionaries, who prevented the creation of a single independent German state. The decisions of the 2nd German People's Congress, held in March 1948, were of great importance in the struggle for the national unity of the country. It proclaimed the slogan of the struggle for a united German Democratic Republic and elected the governing body of the movement - the German People's Council. He adopted the draft constitution of the GDR and proclaimed the formation of the German Democratic Republic on October 7, 1949.
The government of the GDR declared as its program the struggle for further democratic reforms, the economic and cultural rise of the German people, for national unity, for friendship and cooperation with the Soviet | Union and all peace-loving peoples of the world. The formation of the GDR met with full support and approval from the Soviet government, which immediately recognized it and transferred all administrative functions belonging to SVAG to the GDR government. The formation of the GDR was a turning point in the history of the German people, a powerful blow to German imperialism and militarism.
Thus, with regard to relations between the Soviet Union and the GDR, in 1954 the Government of the Soviet Union was invariably guided by the desire to promote the settlement of the German problem in accordance with the interests of strengthening peace and ensuring the national reunification of Germany on a democratic basis.
In view of this situation and as a result of the negotiations that the Soviet government held with the government of the German Democratic Republic, the government of the USSR recognizes the need to take further steps to meet the interests of the German people, namely:
1. The Soviet Union establishes the same relations with the German Democratic Republic as with other sovereign states.
The German Democratic Republic will be free to decide at its own discretion its internal and external affairs, including questions of relations with West Germany.
2. The Soviet Union retains in the German Democratic Republic functions related to ensuring security arising from the obligations assigned to the USSR under the agreements of the four powers.
The Soviet government took note of the statement of the government of the German Democratic Republic that it would comply with the obligations arising for the German Democratic Republic from the Potsdam Agreement on the development of Germany as a democratic and peace-loving state, as well as the obligations associated with the temporary presence of Soviet troops on the territory of the GDR.