East And West Germany Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is East And West Germany?
East and West Germany had a tumultuous history leading up to the country’s eventual unification in 1990. The two halves of Germany became divided after World War II, with East Germany coming under the control of the Soviet Union and West Germany under the control of Western powers. Although both sides were part of one country, they developed very different political, economic and social systems. The differences between them led to a divide that lasted for 45 years until their eventual reunification.The most obvious difference between East and West Germany was their political systems. East Germany was a communist dictatorship ruled by the Socialist Unity Party (SED) while West Germany was a federal democracy guided by its liberal constitution called the Basic Law. This meant that citizens living in East Germany had no real say in their government while those living in West German had considerable rights including freedom of speech and assembly as well as other civil liberties such as healthcare and education. Another significant difference between East and West Germany was their respective economies. While both countries experienced rapid economic growth during this period, it was more pronounced in West Germany due to its adoption of free-market capitalism which encouraged investment from foreign companies as well as domestic entrepreneurs. In contrast, East German authorities pursued an inefficient centrally planned economy that stifled innovation and entrepreneurship resulting in lower standards of living for its citizens relative to those living in West German cities such as Berlin or Munich. Finally, there were also marked cultural differences between East and West Germans during this time period thanks to restrictions imposed by each side’s respective governments on what culture could be practiced within their borders – with East Germans having less access to international culture than those living in the west side of the country due to censorship laws imposed by SED authorities while westerners enjoyed greater access through media outlets such as television or newspapers which exposed them to western culture more frequently than their eastern counterparts did at this time period. These differences between East and West Germany are indicative not only of how much these two sides have changed over time but also how important it is for countries around the world today to work together towards unity instead of division if peace is ever going be achieved amongst nations worldwide – something we can all learn from our past experiences with divided states like these two former halves from pre-unified days gone by .