Formation of the German Democratic Republic
inGermanyinHistory
printPrint
Please select which sections you would like to print:
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Germany - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- Germany - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Also known as: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Deutschland, Federal Republic of Germany
Written by
James J. Sheehan,
William H. Berentsen•All
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
News •
Germany sees Ukraine truce efforts as deadlocked, while China says the talks are encouraging• Apr. 1, 2025, 9:51 PM ET (AP)
A Jesuit priest prefers prison over a fine to draw attention to climate change• Apr. 1, 2025, 8:16 AM ET (AP)
An AI-based drone that speeds up the detection and monitoring of wildfires is presented in Germany• Mar. 28, 2025, 5:14 AM ET (AP)
Global automakers say Trump's tariffs will be painful for them and US consumers• Mar. 27, 2025, 4:46 PM ET (AP)
German authorities raid a group that allegedly aims to overthrow the Eritrean government• Mar. 26, 2025, 9:49 AM ET (AP)
When it became clear that a West German government would be established, a so-called election for a People’s Congress was held in the Soviet occupation zone in May 1949. But instead of choosing among candidates, voters were allowed only the choice of approving or rejecting—usually in less-than-secret circumstances—“unity lists” of candidates drawn from all parties, as well as representatives of mass organizations controlled by the communist-dominated SED. Two additional parties, a Democratic Farmers’ Party and a National Democratic Party, designed to attract support from farmers and from former Nazis, respectively, were added with the blessing of the SED. By ensuring that communists predominated in these unity lists, the SED determined in advance the composition of the new People’s Congress. According to the official results, about two-thirds of the voters approved the unity lists. In subsequent elections, favourable margins in excess of 99 percent were routinely announced.
In October 1949, following the formation of the Federal Republic, a constitution ratified by the People’s Congress went into effect in the Soviet zone, which became the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), commonly known as East Germany, with its capital in the Soviet sector of Berlin. The People’s Congress was renamed the People’s Chamber, and this body, together with a second chamber composed of officials of the five Länder of the Soviet zone (which were abolished in 1952 in favour of centralized authority), designated the communist Wilhelm Pieck of the SED as president of the German Democratic Republic on October 11, 1949. The next day, the People’s Chamber installed the former Social Democrat Otto Grotewohl as premier at the head of a cabinet that was nominally responsible to the chamber. Although the German Democratic Republic was constitutionally a parliamentary democracy, decisive power actually lay with the SED and its boss, the veteran communist functionary Walter Ulbricht, who held only the obscure position of deputy premier in the government. In East Germany, as in the Soviet Union, the government served merely as the agent of an all-powerful communist-controlled party, which was in turn ruled from above by a self-selecting Politburo.
