Die Deutsche Demokratische Republik & Reichsmark V.S. Deutschmark

              Aaron Hodges

Die Deutsche Demokratische Republik & Reichsmark V.S. Deutschmark

            Die Deutsche Demokratische Republik was known as East Germany then was one of 4 sectors that Germany was split into after WW2.  Soviets controlled this portion of Germany.  The German Democratic Republic was established in the Soviet Zone, while the Federal Republic was established in the three western zones.   Soviet authorities administered responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948, and the GDR began to function as a state on 7 October 1949.   Soviet forces remained in the area for the remainder of the cold war because fear of U.S. Military presence.   The Stasi secret police force was established to “defend the state” against political enemies and was helped by the Soviet Army to suppress an uprising that was against Stalin in 1953.   The economy was state owned, East Germanys population declined by more then two million people.  This acts as a great indicator at how happy the citizens were with their new government.   The population decline caused East Germany to build a wall to physically keep people from emigrating to West Germany which was much more prosperous.   In 1989, a peaceful revolution in the GDR led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the general reunification of Germany although that two was a long process. 

         Reichsmark was a currency in Germany from 1924 to 1948.  After World War 2 the reichsmark continued to circulate in Germany, but with other currencies and lack of structure rendered it nearly worthless.   The Reichsmark was replaced in June 1948 by the Deutsch Markin the trizone(East Germany).   Later in the same year East Germany put the East German mark to use. 

Refrences -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsmark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germany

https://history.state.gov/countries/german-democratic-republic