German Democratic Republic
Volkspolizei at the official opening of the Brandenburg Gate
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic was a state that existed from 1949 to 1990, when the eastern portion of Germany was part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.
Until 1989, the GDR, which described itself as a socialist "workers' and peasants' state", was governed by the Socialist Unity Party; the teaching of Marxism–Leninism and the Russian language were compulsory in schools. The economy was centrally planned and increasingly state-owned. Nevertheless, it became the most successful economy in the Eastern Bloc.
Due to emigration to the West of well-educated young people, the government fortified its western borders and, in 1961, built the Berlin Wall. People attempting to flee were killed by border guards or booby traps.
In 1989, social, economic and political forces led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The GDR dissolved itself, and Germany was reunified on 3 October 1990, becoming a fully sovereign state again.
Until 1989, the GDR, which described itself as a socialist "workers' and peasants' state", was governed by the Socialist Unity Party; the teaching of Marxism–Leninism and the Russian language were compulsory in schools. The economy was centrally planned and increasingly state-owned. Nevertheless, it became the most successful economy in the Eastern Bloc.
Due to emigration to the West of well-educated young people, the government fortified its western borders and, in 1961, built the Berlin Wall. People attempting to flee were killed by border guards or booby traps.
In 1989, social, economic and political forces led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The GDR dissolved itself, and Germany was reunified on 3 October 1990, becoming a fully sovereign state again.
East Germany adapted from Wikipedia and licensed by The Cultural Me under CC BY SA 3.0