What was it like living in East Berlin during the Cold War?
East Berlin was a typical communist city. The economy was depressed by the loss of so many educated professionals and the looting of the city by the Russians. Most buildings were drab, gray and nearly identical to each other. Citizens there could afford few luxuries.
Why was there an East Germany?
Political tensions In March 1948, the United States, Britain and France met in London and agreed to unite the Western zones and to establish a West German republic. The Soviet Union responded by leaving the Allied Control Council, and prepared to create an East German state.
How was Germany affected by the Cold War?
The aftereffects of World War Two were what shaped Cold War Germany. The post-war state of Germany was grim: about 1/4 of housing had been destroyed, the economic infrastructure had largely collapsed, inflation was rampant, there was a shortage of food, and millions of homeless Germans from the east were returning.
What was East Germany’s economy like?
The East German economy was dominated by consumer-goods manufacturers, and depended on raw materials and intermediate goods found exclusively in the West. East Germany had virtually no hard coal deposits, and only half of the fuel demand could be met domestically.
What did East Germany consist of?
Approximately half the size of West Germany, East Germany consisted of the German states of Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Lusatia, Saxony and Thuringia.
Who controlled East Germany during the Cold War?
The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union occupied East Germany and installed a rigidly controlled communist state. The other three Allies shared the occupation of West Germany and helped rebuild the country as a capitalist democracy.
What was the economy like in East Germany?
How did the Cold War affect East and West Germany?
Why was East Germany made?
What was it like living in Cold War East Germany?
The aftereffects of World War Two were what shaped Cold War Germany. The post-war state of Germany was grim: about 1/4 of housing had been destroyed, the economic infrastructure had largely collapsed, inflation was rampant, there was a shortage of food, and millions of homeless Germans from the east were returning.
What are facts about East Germany?
East Germans loved getting naked. A surprising one to end our article.
How did East Germany fall into communism?
The decline of east Germany is connected to the decline of the Soviet Union. The German Democratic Republic, GDR, existed from 1948 to 1989. The socialist state was on his height at 1970. At this time, the former communist leader, Walter Ulbricht, was kicked out of office by his designated successor Erich Honecker.
How did East Germans escape to West Germany?
– 4549 people were arrested – 174 people died (plus an unknown number of people whose bodies were never found) – 1256 people jumped ship in western ports – 913 people successfully fled over the sea