Hello and welcome everyone to our beginners guide on East Berlin communism! In this article we will go over some of the important parts of East Berlin’s communistic regime including: history, ideology, daily life and its fall. So let’s dig in and understand this interesting sort of history more.
1. Historical Background
After World War II, the foundations of East Berlin communism were laid. After the war, Germany was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allied powers: the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain, and France. This part of Berlin was occupied by the Soviet Union, which put into place a socialist regime modelled on communist ideology.
2.
The Rise of Communist Rule
In 1949, the German Democratic Republic (shortened title: GDR, which is frequently referred to as East Germany) was officially founded in the East German part of Berlin. Under the rule of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), the GDR’s ruling party, East Berlin was one of a number of one party states.
This is the Ideology of East Berlin Communism
Marxism-Leninism influenced heavily the ideology of East Berlin communism. The SED’s goal was to make a classless society and meant that the means of production was in the hands of the state. The adjective they emphasized were a distribution of wealth and resources equally, collectivization of the farms, and nationalization in of key industries.
Daily Life in East Berlin
But living conditions in East Berlin were vastly different to living conditions in the West. Life was controlled by the state, in a sense — the state controlled housing, healthcare, and education. There were free healthcare and education systems, but people didn’t have much personal freedom or even much to say and were strictly limited in travel and expression.
4.
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was one of those symbols that defined East Berlin communism. The wall physically ran through the city, dividing East and West Berlin in 1961. The purpose was to keep the citizens from escaping west and to express the ideological difference between communism and capitalism.
East Berlin: The Fall of Communism
At the end of the 1980s a wave of protests and political changes swept Eastern Europe until people brought down the Berlin Wall in 1988. In 1990 the East Berlin communist regime ended with the reunification of Germany.
Conclusion
The study of East Berlin communism teaches us about the theory and history that surround the Cold War. Exploring a history and legacy of Berlin’s struggles and changes gives us a better understanding of the struggles and changes that shaped one unique period in this city’s history.
We hope that our guide has been helpful in presenting East Berlin communism in an open manner. Take time to share what you’ve learned with those you know and keep on discovering the heritage of our world!
