Politics in the Soviet Zone

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  • Politics in the Soviet Zone
    • Key words: Marxist Leninist - Communist, Stalinist - Communist but very strict discipline. KPD - German communist party. SPD - Social democratic party. Ulbricht - Leader of the KPD - Russian puppet - Stalinist. SMAD - Sooviet Millitary Government (of soviet zone)
    • Timeline of events
      • April 1945 - Ulbricht and other German communists return to Germany with the advancing Red army.
      • 10th June 1945 - SMAD allows political parties in their area of control (first occupied zone to do so) KPD is made legitimate. SPD is refounded
      • April 1946 - KPD and SPD (In soviet zone only) merge to become the SED (socialist Unity Party)
      • 1948 - 1949 - Ulbricht claims that the SED is a communist party of the 'New type' (ie Stalinist - very centralised power.) It was run on the basis of democratic centralism.
        • Democratic centralism - Politics from the top down. The party represents the people. Its leaders are elected. The leadership make decisions reflecting the will of the people. The party is the spirit of the people. All party leaders must obey decissions made by the leadership which are passed down to them (Centralism)
    • Other political parties and organisations in the Soviet Zone (all dominated by the communists)
      • Puppet Parties
        • NDPD (National Democratic Party of Germany)
          • DBD - Democratic Peasants' Party of Germany. Oriented to the constituency of the peasants, who feared communism as it took their resources.
      • Anti-Fascist Bloc
        • Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
          • Christian Democratic Union
          • Parties which had been seperately set up but then signed the anti-facist bloc, so were controlled by the communists
      • Mass organisations
        • Culture
          • Women
            • Trade unionists! WHO EVER YOU VOTED FOR, YOU WERE EFFECTIVELY VOTING FOR THE COMMUNISTS
    • How did the communists (ie Russia) Dominate the soviet zone?
      • Hundreds of thousands of Russian Soldiers (Red army) KPD had head start as a party in 1945. Creation of the SED. Democratic Centralism. Anti Fascist bloc. Puppet parties. Mass organisations. Ulbricht - Soviet puppet

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