East Germany: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:51, 2 December 2002

Revision as of 20:33, 2 December 2002

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After [[World War II]], at the [[Potsdam Conference]] in [[1945]], the victorious countries [[France]], the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United States]] and the Soviet Union decided to divide [[Germany]] into four parts. Each country controlled a part of former Germany.

The so-called East Germany was situated in the center of territory that for some time in history belonged to Germany, the place was known historically as ''Mitteldeutschland'' (Middle Germany). The mostretreating easternNazi partarmies ofgave Germanyup waseastern inpart 1945of militarilythe overtaken[[Third byReich]] the theto Soviet Union, which in turn gave parts of it intoand Polish administrationarmies. This actual East GermanyIt was thendecided byat the Allied[[Yalta Powers,Conference]] whichthat occupiedpost-war Germanyborders forof 50Poland years,will convenientlybe 'forgotten'moved westwards. and Middle Germany since then became the new East Germany or the GDR (DDR) GDRin German).

When in 1949 the three sectors controlled by the United States, England and France united and formed the Federal Republic of Germany ("[[West Germany]]") the Soviet part was made its own country, the German Democratic Republic, or "East Germany". East Germany was heavily under the influence of the [[Soviet Union]], becoming a totalitarian state-socialistic country, and part of the [[Warsaw Pact]]. The first leader of the new state was [[Walter Ulbricht]].

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*Area: 108.333 sq. kilometres (41,757 sq. miles)

*Population: 17 million (1989) -- ca. 154 per km²^2.

*Capital: [[Berlin]]

*Regions (named after the largest city): Rostock; Schwerin; Neubrandenburg; Magdeburg; Potsdam; Berlin; Frankfurt (Oder); Cottbus; Halle; Erfurt; Leipzig; Dresden; Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz); Gera; Suhl