Chapter 3 History notes (It must look democratic but we ...
Chapter 3 History notes (It must look democratic but we must have everything in our hands): Who was Walter Ulbricht and what did he does in May 1945? • A leader of the KPD who had been in the USSR for 12 years • He was exiled back to Germany and obeyed every bizarre twist and turn of Stalin’s policies. • Spent years traveling on Comintern business • After Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 he turned to political work with German troops captured by the Red Army on the E. front trying to persuade POWs to turn against Hitler and support a communist future for post war Germany. • In 1945 he ranked second in the exiled German Communist hierarchy. • Ulbricht told his 9 other German exile comrades that it was their task to build a German self-gov’t in Berlin. • He had a fantasy illusion in his mind of liberation and did not admit to be aware of the horrific reality of the atmosphere in Berlin. • Ulbricht and his band were tools of the occupiers and took orders from the corrupt General Ivan Serov reporting directly to Stalin. • Founded the new mayor for Berlin with a hardcore communist deputy on May 12 + communist directors of education and personnel. What did Berlin look like during the first weeks of occupation? • Hitler had killed himself 24 hours previously and fighting was still going on. • Previously it had 4 and a quarter million citizens but after the war the population was almost half. • 40% of the buildings had been destroyed • Berlin had no power, sewerage system, or functioning public transport • Murder, looting and vengeful sexual violence sweeping through Berlin in the wake of the Red Army’s advance. • Communist Russians forced Berliners to keep silent but they still knew what they knew. • Two million abortions a year in the occupied immediate post war period, mostly in the Soviet Zone and 150 000- 200 000 “Russian babies” born as result of rape. • Veneral disease • Surprisingly few Berliners actually starved. How and when did this situation begin to improve? • May 15: first stretch of subway reopened. • May 17: Museums opened in temporary quarters • May 19: city gov’t in Berlin reinstituted, citizens were told to “vote” for by the Soviets. • May 26: first post-war concert • Soviets dragooned thousands of Berliners into labor gangs and cleared the streets.
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Soviet propaganda newspaper started
What did Stalin order General Ivan Serov to do in East Germany? • Dismantle areas of industry and shit it to the S.U as part of the reparations Moscow was determined to extract. • Seize any wealth or valuables that could be viewed as compensation. What was Stalin’s initial policy in Berlin and why? • Encouraged democratic democracy • Either because he wanted to keep good relations with the West or genuinely believed that German people could be seduced to the Soviet side. • “Regime of deputies”: Figurehead would be non-communist but the deputies must be Ulbricht’s men. • Communists also in charge of police and the hotline to the true power, the Soviet Military Administration (SMA). • “It has to look democratic but we have to hold everything in our hands”-Ulbricht. • Western allies faced an admin fronted by democratic figures but with shadowy soviet controlled groups in the background. What were some problems with the division of Berlin reflecting the areas controlled by the allies in Germany as a whole for the allied unity? • 3 power government increased to 4 when France demanded to be given a bit of Germany and Berlin. This gave any ally a veto over the gov’t of Berlin. • No formal written arrangements were set down concerning the W. allies’ access to Berlin even though it lay 150km inside the Soviet Zone. What happened at the Potsdam conference? • Truman, Churchill and Stalin met to decide the final shape of post-war Europe. • Churchill was voted out of office a few days into the proceedings and Roosevelt died in April, making Stalin seem more powerful than ever. • Fine words were said about: demilitarization, de-Nazification, de-industrialization, decentralization and democracy. • Nothing was done about Poland or the fates of other C, E. Europe where the Red Army was enforcing Stalin’s will. • The borders of Germany were moved hundreds of miles to the West and 5 million Germans in Polish territories were expelled with great brutality and 8 million refugees flowed into Berlin. What problems did the German refugees from Poland cause for the W. allies? • Allies had had enough trouble feeding 1.5 mill Berliners. • Refugees came to Berlin in hope and found it in ruins • Soviets had control over transportation and could increase the pain for the allies at any time. • The economy turned to trading drinks, food, cigarettes, sex, nylons. Black market spread.
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Gangs of orphan children roamed the streets and thieves. There was never enough coal for heating. 12 000 Berliners died during that first post war year of illness, starvation, malnutrition.
What was the culture like in West Berlin aside from starvation? • Newspapers, theatres, night clubs, cabarets and film studios were opened. • They could say, write or do what they wanted. • “golden hunger years”. • The movie cabaret. What was the difference in attitude towards Berliners harsh lifestyle among the allies? • Britain/ US realized that they would have to take concrete steps to ensure genuine democracy would return to Berlin • France wanted to keep Germans as weak and disunited as possible and at first discouraged German self-government. Unprepared to join Anglo- Americans in standing up for rights of Berliners. • Some westerners still viewed Germans as enemies. Why and how did the KPD and SPD merge? • Stalin told Ulbricht that it must be achieved at all costs ( ?) • Easterners were banned from speaking, dismissed or arrested on spurious charges by Soviet commanders • Attempts to organize a free Berlin wide ballot were foiled by soviet authorities sometimes at gun point. • Polling stations that managed to stay open in the West showed majority against merging. • KPD and SPD merged= SED with 50/50 seats divided btw. Social democrats and Communists. • Real power in soviet zone with creation of SED rested with Ulbricht. What did the Communists do in the Eastern bloc to establish more control in 1946/7? • Although they did their best to persuade/intimidate electorate to vote for SED, SPD won most votes in 1946 Berlin elections. Soviets were outraged. • Wave of arrests of real/imagined Nazis and “subversives”/ • 1946 Set up SVdI made up entirely of trusted Communists which would control a German police soon dubbed the “People’s police”. • Also set up “special camps” (some were Nazi camps converted) and 150 000 Germans disappeared into these camps between 45’ and 49’. Whether these were death camps is controversial, but brutal and deaths did occur in great numbers. Claimed that they were Nazis but most were not.
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Soviet propaganda newspaper started
What did Stalin order General Ivan Serov to do in East Germany? • Dismantle areas of industry and shit it to the S.U as part of the reparations Moscow was determined to extract. • Seize any wealth or valuables that could be viewed as compensation. What was Stalin’s initial policy in Berlin and why? • Encouraged democratic democracy • Either because he wanted to keep good relations with the West or genuinely believed that German people could be seduced to the Soviet side. • “Regime of deputies”: Figurehead would be non-communist but the deputies must be Ulbricht’s men. • Communists also in charge of police and the hotline to the true power, the Soviet Military Administration (SMA). • “It has to look democratic but we have to hold everything in our hands”-Ulbricht. • Western allies faced an admin fronted by democratic figures but with shadowy soviet controlled groups in the background. What were some problems with the division of Berlin reflecting the areas controlled by the allies in Germany as a whole for the allied unity? • 3 power government increased to 4 when France demanded to be given a bit of Germany and Berlin. This gave any ally a veto over the gov’t of Berlin. • No formal written arrangements were set down concerning the W. allies’ access to Berlin even though it lay 150km inside the Soviet Zone. What happened at the Potsdam conference? • Truman, Churchill and Stalin met to decide the final shape of post-war Europe. • Churchill was voted out of office a few days into the proceedings and Roosevelt died in April, making Stalin seem more powerful than ever. • Fine words were said about: demilitarization, de-Nazification, de-industrialization, decentralization and democracy. • Nothing was done about Poland or the fates of other C, E. Europe where the Red Army was enforcing Stalin’s will. • The borders of Germany were moved hundreds of miles to the West and 5 million Germans in Polish territories were expelled with great brutality and 8 million refugees flowed into Berlin. What problems did the German refugees from Poland cause for the W. allies? • Allies had had enough trouble feeding 1.5 mill Berliners. • Refugees came to Berlin in hope and found it in ruins • Soviets had control over transportation and could increase the pain for the allies at any time. • The economy turned to trading drinks, food, cigarettes, sex, nylons. Black market spread.
• • •
Gangs of orphan children roamed the streets and thieves. There was never enough coal for heating. 12 000 Berliners died during that first post war year of illness, starvation, malnutrition.
What was the culture like in West Berlin aside from starvation? • Newspapers, theatres, night clubs, cabarets and film studios were opened. • They could say, write or do what they wanted. • “golden hunger years”. • The movie cabaret. What was the difference in attitude towards Berliners harsh lifestyle among the allies? • Britain/ US realized that they would have to take concrete steps to ensure genuine democracy would return to Berlin • France wanted to keep Germans as weak and disunited as possible and at first discouraged German self-government. Unprepared to join Anglo- Americans in standing up for rights of Berliners. • Some westerners still viewed Germans as enemies. Why and how did the KPD and SPD merge? • Stalin told Ulbricht that it must be achieved at all costs ( ?) • Easterners were banned from speaking, dismissed or arrested on spurious charges by Soviet commanders • Attempts to organize a free Berlin wide ballot were foiled by soviet authorities sometimes at gun point. • Polling stations that managed to stay open in the West showed majority against merging. • KPD and SPD merged= SED with 50/50 seats divided btw. Social democrats and Communists. • Real power in soviet zone with creation of SED rested with Ulbricht. What did the Communists do in the Eastern bloc to establish more control in 1946/7? • Although they did their best to persuade/intimidate electorate to vote for SED, SPD won most votes in 1946 Berlin elections. Soviets were outraged. • Wave of arrests of real/imagined Nazis and “subversives”/ • 1946 Set up SVdI made up entirely of trusted Communists which would control a German police soon dubbed the “People’s police”. • Also set up “special camps” (some were Nazi camps converted) and 150 000 Germans disappeared into these camps between 45’ and 49’. Whether these were death camps is controversial, but brutal and deaths did occur in great numbers. Claimed that they were Nazis but most were not.
