KEYWORDS
GDR
History
Economy
Society
Construction
Sozialism
Soviet Occupation Zone
East Germany
Introduction
RISEN FROM THE RUINS
Introduction to the history and economy of the GDR
The first issue of “Studies on the DDR” follows the foundation of the GDR after World War II and traces its development from an anti-fascist democratic state to a socialist one. Central to this process is the economic starting point, which was a particularly difficult one after the war due to the reparations payments, and which determined economic life.
The text focuses on the economic efficiency of the GDR, its achievements and its contradictions. In addition, it provides information on central characteristics of socialist society and labor: international solidarity, collective organization in state-owned enterprises, planned economy. In the following issues, the “Studies” will be devoted to these and other topics in greater depth.