The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90 | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90

159 questions
16 subtopics
Paper 2: the depth study, one option of sixteen
Paper 2

A Paper 2 depth study of East Germany from its foundation to reunification, covering the Soviet zone and the SED state, the economic difficulties that produced the rising of 1953 and the Berlin Wall, the search for a distinct GDR identity, the machinery of repression, and the collapse of 1989..

It covers the post-war division of Germany, the system of government, economic developments, 1949–61, defending the GDR, 1949–61, economic situation after 1961, honecker and the development of a GDR identity, relations with West Germany, the growing international prestige of the GDR, social change and welfare programmes, repression and control, the SED and the Protestant church, western influences on the GDR, economic situation in the 1980s, gorbachev’s influence, the events of 1989 and the end of the GDR, 1989-90.

Sample questions from The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The post-war division of Germany

How was the SED created?

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By the forced merger of the Communist Party with the Social Democrats in the Soviet zone in 1946, which many Social Democrats resisted and some were imprisoned for opposing.
Economic developments, 1949–61

How did the GDR economy differ from the Federal Republic's?

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Central planning, state ownership of industry, no Marshall aid, heavy reparations, and the loss of the industrial west, so it started from a far weaker base.
Economic situation after 1961

How successful was the New Economic System?

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Growth improved markedly in the mid-1960s, but the reforms threatened the party's control of the economy and were curtailed after 1968.
Relations with West Germany

What was the Basic Treaty of 1972?

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The agreement in which the two German states recognised each other's borders and exchanged permanent missions, while the Federal Republic withheld full recognition as a foreign state.
Social change and welfare programmes

What was the GDR education system like?

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A ten-year comprehensive polytechnic school for all, combining academic subjects with work experience, followed by selective access to the Abitur and university.
The SED and the Protestant church

What was the Jugendweihe?

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The secular coming-of-age ceremony at fourteen involving a pledge of loyalty to socialism, which the churches initially opposed and most families eventually accepted.
Economic situation in the 1980s

What was the Schurer report?

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The 1989 internal assessment warning the Politburo that the GDR was effectively insolvent and that avoiding bankruptcy would require cutting living standards sharply.
The events of 1989

What happened to Honecker in 1989?

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He was forced from power.

The 16 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The post-war division of Germany	Recall questions on the occupation zones, Soviet policy in the east, the forced SED merger, the Berlin blockade, and the currency reform of 1948.	9
The system of government	Recall questions on the Volkskammer and Landerkammer, the National Front and the bloc parties, where power actually lay, and the mass organisations.	10
Economic developments, 1949–61	Recall questions on Soviet reparations, central planning, the rising of June 1953 and its suppression, forced collectivisation, and the effect of the open border.	10
Defending the GDR, 1949–61	Recall questions on the scale of emigration, why Berlin was the escape route, Khrushchev's ultimatum, and what the Wall changed and cost.	10
Economic situation after 1961	Recall questions on the New Economic System and why it was abandoned, Comecon, how the GDR compared with its neighbours, and Honecker's social policy.	10
Honecker and the development of a GDR identity	Recall questions on Abgrenzung, the socialist reading of German history, control of the media, Olympic success and the state doping programme.	10
Relations with West Germany	Recall questions on Ostpolitik and the Basic Treaty, the Four Power Agreement, changes to travel, Freikauf, and the risks the leadership accepted.	10
The growing international prestige of the GDR	Recall questions on recognition after 1972, the Hallstein Doctrine, its role in the Warsaw Pact, solidarity aid abroad, and dependence on Moscow and on Bonn.	10
Social change and welfare programmes	Recall questions on the housing programme, the polytechnic school, access to higher education, the position of women, and how welfare was funded.	10
Repression and control	Recall questions on the size of the Stasi, Zersetzung, how informers were recruited, the youth organisations, and what happened to those who applied to emigrate.	10
The SED and the Protestant church	Recall questions on the church as the one institution outside SED control, the Jugendweihe, the 1978 agreement, and how it sheltered opposition.	10
Western influences on the GDR	Recall questions on West German television, the Valley of the Clueless, Intershops and parcels, western music, and the Biermann affair.	10
Economic situation in the 1980s	Recall questions on the scale of foreign debt, why the state borrowed, the Schurer report, decaying infrastructure and pollution, and the microelectronics programme.	10
Gorbachev’s influence	Recall questions on Honecker's rejection of perestroika, the banning of Sputnik, the opposition groups, the falsified election of May 1989, and Gorbachev's warning.	10
The events of 1989	Recall questions on Hungary's border, the embassy occupations, the Monday demonstrations, why 9 October was decisive, and how the Wall came to open.	10
The end of the GDR, 1989-90	Recall questions on the collapse of the SED, the Round Table, the change from we are the people to we are one people, and the election of March 1990.	10

The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90 is 159 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.