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Documents - Economy and Politics in the Soviet Zone and GDR
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1.   Excerpt from the Currency Reform Resolution Passed by the Central Committee of the SED (June 22, 1948)
Like the Western occupation zones, the Soviet zone also needed to pass a currency reform to eliminate the excess of paper money left over from the Nazi period. On account of some previous fiscal....
2.   Excerpt from an Explanation of the Two-Year Plan for 1949/50 (June 30, 1948)
The Two-Year Plan of June 30, 1948, which laid out detailed plans for the economic development of the Soviet occupation zone/GDR for the years 1949 and 1950, took its economic cues from prewar figures.....
3.   The Five-Year Plan for 1951-1955 (1950)
With its first Five-Year Plan, which provided detailed numerical goals for all sectors of the economy and labor for the years 1951-1955, the GDR aligned itself with the Soviet rhythm of the planned....
4.   "That Was When I Knew: I Had to Become a Refugee" (March 19, 1953)
The vast majority of GDR refugees in the 1950s fled via the easily crossable border between the Soviet sector and the Western sectors in Berlin. After a temporary stay in provisional camps, they....
5.   From the Resolution of the 13th Meeting of the Central Committee of the SED (May 14, 1953)
The 13th meeting of the Central Committee of the SED took place on May 13-14, 1953. A report on its decisions appeared in the Tägliche Rundschau on May 17. In the excerpt reprinted below,....
6.   From a Communiqué by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED (June 9, 1953)
In its declaration of June 9, 1953, the Politburo of the SED acknowledged that the party and the government had made policy mistakes in the past. It also held out the prospect of an improved standard....
7.   Communiqué on the Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic (June 11, 1953)
In June 1953, the government of the GDR adopted the “New Course” [Neuer Kurs], a policy....
8.   From a Tribüne Article on Work Quota Increases (June 16, 1953)
On May 28, 1953, the GDR Council of Ministers ordered at least a 10% increase in work quotas to overcome the economic crisis and meet the targets of the first Five-Year....
9.   From a Statement by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED (June 16, 1953)
Under pressure from the growing protests in East Berlin, the Central Committee of the SED issued a statement on June 16, 1953. According to the statement, increased work quotas were still necessary....
10.   Statement by the Government of the GDR (June 17, 1953)
This GDR government statement on the construction workers’ protest in East Berlin on June 17, 1953, interpreted the unrest as “fascist” provocation directed by West Germany. To calm the situation,....
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