An excellent synopsis of events of 1953. Many of us growing up in the West knew something happened that year but details are missing in our knowledge. The subject deserves more commemoration.
My grandfather was a part of this uprising in Berlin. He was arrested. He later escaped with his family to the west. They left everything behind, even the breakfast dishes on the table so if they were apprehended, it would look like they planned to return.
This channel is a diamond in the rough! I just found this video recommended to me and after I finished I subscribed. I love Cold War history and have always been fascinated with the East in particular. Great video ❤ Cheers from St. Louis, USA
I am teaching the events and effects of the Cold War for a high school history class, with a particular focus on the events in Berlin. I was in Berlin in 1987 as an exchange student when Reagan gave his speech at the Brandenburger Tor, and was later stationed in central Germany with the army. I love using your videos in class because I believe they look at often underacknowledged events that had major repercussions across Europe and the world with a perspective that is often missing in other American or British sources. Thanks for putting this channel together!
Thank you for making these very thoughtful and well-researched videos. I'm a Canadian from German immigrants after the war and I greatly appreciate your balanced explanations of German history. Please keep up the great work.
Two things to add: Stalin dying three months prior had raised the hopes of reforms. And 17th June was the National Holiday of the FRG from 1954 to 1990 as victims of the uprising were considered martyrs for German unity. Since the Cold War was regarded as the only obstacle to reunification of the German people, celebrating that day upheld the belief in a mutual sense of belonging together for future generations. That makes it all the more surprising to me that we don't remember this day officially anymore.
"That makes it all the more surprising to me that we don't remember this days officially anymore." Dieser Tag wurde im Rahmen des beginnenden Kalten Krieges bei den Wessis zum Feiertag mit "Märtyrern" und "Gedenken" aus propagandistischen Gründen erklärt und wurde daher nach der Eingliederung der ex-DDR nicht mehr aktuell bzw. durch den Tag der deutschen Einheit ersetzt. Ein Nationalmythos hat ausgedient und wurde durch einen neuen ersetzt. So einfach is' es.
We should teach more about communism period and what it is. It’s scary how much history teaching has declined in my country America. I don’t know how it is in Germany or elsewhere but yea. I learned 95% of what I know about communism and the Soviet Union and eastern bloc and all that just as a hobby online, not school.
@@1984isnotamanualthey absolutely teach about it, the black book of communism is literally common core, quit playing a victim narrative East Germany and the rest of the communist world were totalitarian regimes, yes, but so were capitalist economies. They don’t teach communism is “inherently evil” because that would be a-historical, you just have a political motive
Bertold Brecht wrote a famous poem about the 1953 uprising. In English, it goes something like this: "After the uprising of the 17th of June The Secretary of the Writers' Union Had leaflets distributed on the Stalinallee Which stated that the people Had squandered the confidence of the government And could only win it back By redoubled work [quotas]. Would it not in that case Be simpler for the government To dissolve the people And elect another?"
Much of the time, I watch clips for a different 'take' on historic issues about which I have some knowledge. Your channel presents me with mostly previously unknown (or barely known) characters and events. Es ist höchst interessant, viele danke
Back in school (in Sweden), early 80's, we learned about the German uprising in '53, Hungary in '56 and Prague in '68.....I wonder if they teach about those historic events in school today....or if it's more or less a 5 minute mention? 🤨🤔 Still try to find the best books to read and learn more.... Excellent channel, you just popped up on my feed, watched, liked and subscribed!
Was searching information about what happened in Germany in 1953 (funny thing: watched Rammstein - Deutshland video clip and it has a lot of symbilism of German history) ended up here and have to say, what a great content.
I just subscribed to your channel. Cold War history is very interesting to me. In particular, East German history. Keep up the good work I will be watching!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Great stuff. I would make the graphics more mobile friendly without a border. You went the extra mile on this one by having an eyewitness to the events.
I found this scathing documentary to be a highly illuminating, albeit intolerably deplorable, historical event, as well as the inexplicable fact that I was wholly unaware of its very existence, not unlike so many other things that had occurred during my early youth of which I was never apprised, not even by my own parents, although I'm sure they read the daily newspapers.
Thank you for your important work. I I was reminded of the Brecht poem, ` "Die Lösung" : Wäre es da Nicht doch einfacher, die Regierung Löste das Volk auf und Wählte ein anderes?
As always, a big thank you for the detailed accounts you provide in each presentation. I only learned of this protest when first visiting the re-unified Berlin in 1998, and seeing street names and memorials commemorating that date in June 1953….
Fantastic video. I am a tour guide in Berlin, and I was wondering, was Mr. Holzapfel perhaps related to Heinz Holzapfel, who escaped over the wall from the roof of the Ministry of Ministries building (formerly the Reich Air Ministry Building) in July 1969?
I remember coming across mention of the 1953 protests in East Germany in a 1960s edition of the World Book Encyclopedia, during the 1970s. Picture of a barricade, someone lobbing something, that sort of thing.
My uncle Immo was part of the uprising. He was pulled from his home beaten by the Stasi and was taken to a Gulag Copper Mine. He spent 3 years in this Copper mine. One out of three died in this copper mine. The family farm was near Rhinow in a tiny village called Lunden. My Opa was the Bergermeister of this tiny village. After Immo came home he was involved in smuggling western magazines into the DDR. According to Immo these magazines were LOOK, LIFE and Der Spiegel. Also he would help bring in bibles to the DDR. Bibles would get you 10 years per bible. He got caught with magazines but no bibles and he went to prison again. This time for 3.5 years. But during this time word got back to my Opa that he and his family were to be arrested. Opa made the tough choice to leave the DDR. Luckily for Opa he had war time buddies who were in the Border Police. After a few bribes and one step ahead of the Stasi he escaped to the west. He left behind his son. Years later Uncle Immo and I were sitting on my deck drinking beer and smoking cigars. I asked him if it was worth it. All the jail time and constant resisting the Communist. He took a puff on his cigar, looked over at me and smiled and said. “Yes, It was. Here I am sitting with you in America drinking bad American beer and smoking cigars, Germany is one again and the communist are gone. I won.” We clinked our bottles and laughed
@@briandelaney9710 That man killed people in Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia and oversaw pogrom against Armenians in Azerbaijan... He was a sicko and not a moral figure.
I recently found your channel. In the 20th Century the German people were lead by a mix of Imperial, Fascist, Communist and Democratic leaders. I admire the German people for trying to sort out what is best for them and become one country. We have some power hungry politicians in the US who want to lead us down a dark path. I hope we can hold on to our Democracy. No empire has lasted forever. Even the Roman Empire fell. I enjoy your videos. Thanks.😎👍
One question: how is the 1953 Berlin uprising an "almost forgotten" event?! It is taught in every class I have been in that covers post-WWII history, not to mention plenty of BBC docos (& the like).
I'm British and I only heard about it via an Anthony Burgess novel the other day, so the reason I'm here. I'm in my 60s and certainly never heard of it at school or anywhere else. The Hungarian and Czech uprisings were covered endlessly, however. Interesting to hear that it is now being taught as almost nothing was known about East Germany when I was growing up.
An interesting summary, from the perspective of the FRG. GDR historical material on this period makes much of the role of the BND in the uprising; no mention of that here.
I was in the middle of this as a teenager. Russian tanks took over in my city of Halle in Saxon-Anhalt. Some got shot on Riebeck Platz. The putsch was over pretty quick.
I can’t even imagine how that must have felt, I live in Sweden. I wonder what kind of understanding Putin has as to why DDR was lost. How funny it would be had he been caught on film sneaking around trying to find disguised westerners in the crowds
1:33 1 year for stealing food can also happen in many capitalist democracies like the US. In some states you can even get a life sentence without parole if you do it too often, because of three-strikes law. So yes, it was a bit harsh, but not more so than in many "western" countries. Also the incarceration rate of 10,000 in half a year (equivalent to 20,000 in a year, which was about 0.15% of the population at that time) was still low compared to the current rate in the US. So calling this state terror might be a but exaggerated.
The DDR was trapped in a Stalinist system, the leaders of the DDR were the survivors of the purge's of the 30s where many loyal communists were re-educated. Where they had to be more Stalinist than the Soviets,. Unfortunately the DDR was always subject to influences from the Soviet Union Victor Grossman gives a good insight into the DDR The sad thing is the DDR was never given the opportunity to work due to Soviet influence and outside pressures from the cold war
interesting fact the soviets are used the same military tactics (that they learned defeating the 1953 Berlin uprising) to defeat the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
Thank you. It was interesting to see the 2 memorials. Both of which I had no idea of. Is it true this uprising led to the creation of Wandlitz? Where SED leadership lived in a gated community protected from the people?
@@tribinaaux4043 Lots of countries don’t even have any gated communities at all … and in lots of countries political leaders don’t own the political residences, those are owned by the people, those are only temporary for their time in the office and in particular for official events, those publicly owned buildings are located in the capital of the country - and they simply keep their own homes (flats/ houses)
Können Sie bitte ein Video speziell über den Studentenaufstand in Leipzig und die Folgen drehen? Wie haben die Sowjets darauf reagiert und die Studenten danach in Schach gehalten? (neu abonniert).
13:20 -> There are everywhere people with a conscience who refused to carry out heinous orders, whatever the consequences for themselves. In the early hours of June 5th 1989, sustained gunfire could be heard coming from the forbidden city in Peking according to on the spot reports by the Western news agencies. With the repression, it was quickly forgotten. In fact it was the purge by shooting of the courageous PLA officers & men who protested the orders of shooting on the students. The second to fall were the workers in the little streets leading to the central place, who tried to block the passage of the tanks and troops.
The interessting point ist the LPGs are at the ende succesfull. This "Genossenschaft" could keep there revenues or give it to the members. So at the food base level it was secured to be enough. Without the markt oeconomie element, the eastern block my be had starved to death 20 years earlier.
One thing I don't like is that an English voiceover is added so it's impossible to hear the original German. I personally much prefer subtitles. Besides that, this is a great video.
Somehow I doubt this was on a calendar of strikes and other social movements a co-worker decided to hang on the wall, last year. It had a certain ideological bent.
Is the 17 June Uprising really so "forgotten"? Compared to ... - other similar crises and upheavals in the 1950s? The independence wars in Kenya, Cyprus, French Indochina, the Belgian Congo, Malaya; the Lebanon Emegency; the Hungarian Uprising; the Suez Crisis; China's annexation of Tibet? Are these - for instance - so much better "remembered"? It seems to me that the 17 June Uprising is just as adequately, or just as poorly, documented, commemorated, written about, reflected on, as these other events of the same period. This is a fascinating video. Nothing is added by turning the 1953 uprising into an unduly "forgotten" event.
Not really forgotten. After the 1948 Czechoslovak coup and the West Berlin blockade most western illusions about USSR were long gone. And NATO became a reality. But in 1953 the war was still just eight years away. The scars had not really started to heal. I guess, that’s why Budapest 1956 is better known. When the Berlin wall was build in 1961 things had changed a bit regarding the Germans, and after Prague 1968 even most hard core communists in the West despised Moscow. Sadly, they chose madman Mao instead.
I've been to the building on the end of Goering's air ministry several times. The information boards erected after the fall of the wall and the mosaic/murals erected by the Communist DDR Government proclaiming the success of East Germany are really interesting. Great video. Thank you.
No one knows. Only one document that can be found on the internet has been declassified and by the wording of the document we can make the assumption that the CIA had no part in this .
All of the factories were located in the west, with the east being a primarily agricultural base dating from the time of the Prussian state. German theft of European wealth and the large scale destruction of livestock by German forces in Russia necissitated the reparations imposed on Germany by Russia. Given the fact that the mendacious West refused to extend the Marshall Plan to the actual victors over the Wehrmact left Russia little choice but to enforce austerity on the conquered people. Given what the German "herrenvolk" had planned, and got up to in the former USSR these Germans got off lightly.
While little positive statements can be made about the East Germany and the overall soviet regime it is certain that Germans forgot very fast their massive crimes in other countries. I
As a german who went through the german public school system i can tell you that australian painter bad, but this is the first time ive heard of this incident...
Great question! The answer depends who you ask: the Russians or Germans? The Russians suffered 20+ million casualties at the hands of Germans regardless of any politics! The Russians were unwilling to let the Germans get away with this! The Germans chose their own leadership, served it unanimously and had no problems with it until the end - when they (the Germans) lost the war! Even though the DDR leadership never did anything close to Nasi leadership, they did it against the German people and to them their own pain hurts the most!
13:44 -13:45 " seeing them ( Russians" ) as a monsters " ? The Nazi monsters started WWII and attacked Russians and treated captured Russian sodiers as "Untermenschen". And not just Russians , also Polish , isn't it true?
Yeah all this was horrible, long befor i was born. My village was ocupied in april1945 by americans, later Thüringen was traded for nothern germany i think. There was not much damaged, but 90 to 100 inhabitants (1500 total) lost there life most of them als soldiers. Some oft them where proud to figth for germany, others for example form my grandmother family don't want to go, have to and never came back. Like a wise man say, a soldier gain nothing, the best he can hope for is to return in one piece to his family.
they were lucky that they did not live in Israel, or in Iraq or in any country occupied by the US. Actually nothing happened, given the fact that the Soviets had just lost 23 million people fighting the nazis. Rising up, as a German, under such circumtances, was pretty bold. And not very clever.
Any country occupied by the USA? Part of West Germany was occupied by the USA. There is still American military stationed in West Germany as part of NATO - has been continuously since the end of WW2. Why not compare Germany with Germany, Germans with Germans? Interestingly no such uprising happened in post WW2 - West Germany… 🤔 no such problems in any of the “Western occupation zones” for some reason… in the entire history of West Germany, with all those different Western army/ military bases from all kind of countries, countries and people who suffered greatly due to the Nazis, those Western armies never needed to use any tanks to get the West German people to cooperate with them… and West German people did demonstrate, go on strike, etc. but it never required any of the Western military stationed in West Germany to do anything like this …the British, American, Dutch, etc. military didn’t have to do anything like this in West Germany during the entire Cold War… 🤔 The Americans even let the West Germans deal with left wing terrorism that directly targeted the American army bases and American soldiers in West Germany (RAF - Baader Meinhof group)… terrorism that was supported by East Germany… 🤔 still there were no American tanks on West German streets…
Excellent video. This series of important events in German history must be remembered.
Frederal Republic of Germany isn't a free State. We don't have proper freedom there.
I have NO idea why, but I love this channel.
An excellent synopsis of events of 1953. Many of us growing up in the West knew something happened that year but details are missing in our knowledge. The subject deserves more commemoration.
a note every berlin brigade soldier was taught about 1953... and it was a question on promotion boards.....we marched 17 june strassa each year
One of the most complete and best researched documentaries on this subject on YT! Kudos!
My grandfather was a part of this uprising in Berlin. He was arrested. He later escaped with his family to the west. They left everything behind, even the breakfast dishes on the table so if they were apprehended, it would look like they planned to return.
This channel is a diamond in the rough! I just found this video recommended to me and after I finished I subscribed. I love Cold War history and have always been fascinated with the East in particular. Great video ❤
Cheers from St. Louis, USA
I am teaching the events and effects of the Cold War for a high school history class, with a particular focus on the events in Berlin. I was in Berlin in 1987 as an exchange student when Reagan gave his speech at the Brandenburger Tor, and was later stationed in central Germany with the army. I love using your videos in class because I believe they look at often underacknowledged events that had major repercussions across Europe and the world with a perspective that is often missing in other American or British sources. Thanks for putting this channel together!
Vielen Dank, dass Sie diese fast vergessene, aber sehr wichtige Geschichte beleuchtet haben
Von wem vergessen? Im Vergleich zu ... ?
Thank you for making these very thoughtful and well-researched videos. I'm a Canadian from German immigrants after the war and I greatly appreciate your balanced explanations of German history. Please keep up the great work.
Two things to add: Stalin dying three months prior had raised the hopes of reforms.
And 17th June was the National Holiday of the FRG from 1954 to 1990 as victims of the uprising were considered martyrs for German unity. Since the Cold War was regarded as the only obstacle to reunification of the German people, celebrating that day upheld the belief in a mutual sense of belonging together for future generations. That makes it all the more surprising to me that we don't remember this day officially anymore.
"That makes it all the more surprising to me that we don't remember this days officially anymore."
Dieser Tag wurde im Rahmen des beginnenden Kalten Krieges bei den Wessis zum Feiertag mit "Märtyrern" und "Gedenken" aus propagandistischen Gründen erklärt und wurde daher nach der Eingliederung der ex-DDR nicht mehr aktuell bzw. durch den Tag der deutschen Einheit ersetzt. Ein Nationalmythos hat ausgedient und wurde durch einen neuen ersetzt. So einfach is' es.
This channel should be in schools to everyone that glorify East Germany
How?
Sto 😊@@Peopleunder
@@Peopleunder Too practical a question to too silly a suggestion.
We should teach more about communism period and what it is. It’s scary how much history teaching has declined in my country America. I don’t know how it is in Germany or elsewhere but yea. I learned 95% of what I know about communism and the Soviet Union and eastern bloc and all that just as a hobby online, not school.
@@1984isnotamanualthey absolutely teach about it, the black book of communism is literally common core, quit playing a victim narrative
East Germany and the rest of the communist world were totalitarian regimes, yes, but so were capitalist economies. They don’t teach communism is “inherently evil” because that would be a-historical, you just have a political motive
Bertold Brecht wrote a famous poem about the 1953 uprising. In English, it goes something like this:
"After the uprising of the 17th of June
The Secretary of the Writers' Union
Had leaflets distributed on the Stalinallee
Which stated that the people
Had squandered the confidence of the government
And could only win it back
By redoubled work [quotas]. Would it not in that case
Be simpler for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?"
When the people exist for the government instead of vice versa.
@@fazoleIst in Deutschland so üblich,leider.
Much of the time, I watch clips for a different 'take' on historic issues about which I have some knowledge. Your channel presents me with mostly previously unknown (or barely known) characters and events. Es ist höchst interessant, viele danke
An absolutely excellent video, the info you’ve given is fantastic. Many thanks
Very interesting video, thank you for taking the time to make this.
Very informative channel. Thank you for these. 🇨🇦
Embarrased to say I was totally unaware of this. Thanks a lot for your good work.
Back in school (in Sweden), early 80's, we learned about the German uprising in '53, Hungary in '56 and Prague in '68.....I wonder if they teach about those historic events in school today....or if it's more or less a 5 minute mention? 🤨🤔
Still try to find the best books to read and learn more....
Excellent channel, you just popped up on my feed, watched, liked and subscribed!
Jag kommer tyvärr inte ihåg
Here in Mexico they did very briefly when I was in middle school 10+ years ago here
Thanks for the memorials, definetly something i will keep in mind and visit some day
Such a great series of videos. Very informative and so well researched.
Thank you for your outstanding work
This was very informative, thank you.
Love your videos , thanks
danke für diese Geschichte, in der Zukunft möchte ich das Denkmal besuchen
Was searching information about what happened in Germany in 1953 (funny thing: watched Rammstein - Deutshland video clip and it has a lot of symbilism of German history) ended up here and have to say, what a great content.
Thank so much for this video! I such enjoy to watch videos and see other types of content about history and Cold War!
fantastic and moving video. thank you for the high-quality content.
Thank you!
Awesome content. Welcome to TH-cam - and may The Force be with you
I just subscribed to your channel. Cold War history is very interesting to me. In particular, East German history. Keep up the good work I will be watching!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Excellent and concise like all the videos on this channel. Keep up the good work!
Great stuff. I would make the graphics more mobile friendly without a border. You went the extra mile on this one by having an eyewitness to the events.
Thanks, also for your suggestion. I will take it into account for future videos.
I found this scathing documentary to be a highly illuminating, albeit intolerably deplorable, historical event, as well as the inexplicable fact that I was wholly unaware of its very existence, not unlike so many other things that had occurred during my early youth of which I was never apprised, not even by my own parents, although I'm sure they read the daily newspapers.
Thank you for your important work. I I was reminded of the Brecht poem,
`
"Die Lösung" : Wäre es da
Nicht doch einfacher, die Regierung
Löste das Volk auf und
Wählte ein anderes?
Thank you for your excellent work.
Fascinating story. I didn't know much about the uprising. I've subscribed to the channel and look forward to seeing more of the videos.
Amazing content.
Excellent. Very interesting. Thank you.
Thank you!!
Very good. Thanks.
Great video thanks for posting
Excellent video and info
marched up that street every year for 5 years.......in 89 walked under that gate with my late wife
I most certainly did find it very interesting!
thank you!
As always, a big thank you for the detailed accounts you provide in each presentation. I only learned of this protest when first visiting the re-unified Berlin in 1998, and seeing street names and memorials commemorating that date in June 1953….
marched down 17 june str 5 years walk under that arch in 89...... berlin bde 86 to 92
Good video !
June 17th was a federal holiday in West Germany until the unification in 1990.
13:08: Was that the same tank later moved to across the DDR border by Checkpoint Bravo?
Fantastic video. I am a tour guide in Berlin, and I was wondering, was Mr. Holzapfel perhaps related to Heinz Holzapfel, who escaped over the wall from the roof of the Ministry of Ministries building (formerly the Reich Air Ministry Building) in July 1969?
Good question. Based on what I read/am told, I am almost certain that they are not directly related.
I have been on these tours and they are very exciting and weird at the same time. Maybe you were muy guide? The escape stories are truly fascinating
Good video
I remember coming across mention of the 1953 protests in East Germany in a 1960s edition of the World Book Encyclopedia, during the 1970s. Picture of a barricade, someone lobbing something, that sort of thing.
My uncle Immo was part of the uprising. He was pulled from his home beaten by the Stasi and was taken to a Gulag Copper Mine. He spent 3 years in this Copper mine. One out of three died in this copper mine. The family farm was near Rhinow in a tiny village called Lunden. My Opa was the Bergermeister of this tiny village. After Immo came home he was involved in smuggling western magazines into the DDR. According to Immo these magazines were LOOK, LIFE and Der Spiegel. Also he would help bring in bibles to the DDR. Bibles would get you 10 years per bible. He got caught with magazines but no bibles and he went to prison again. This time for 3.5 years. But during this time word got back to my Opa that he and his family were to be arrested. Opa made the tough choice to leave the DDR. Luckily for Opa he had war time buddies who were in the Border Police. After a few bribes and one step ahead of the Stasi he escaped to the west. He left behind his son. Years later Uncle Immo and I were sitting on my deck drinking beer and smoking cigars. I asked him if it was worth it. All the jail time and constant resisting the Communist. He took a puff on his cigar, looked over at me and smiled and said. “Yes, It was. Here I am sitting with you in America drinking bad American beer and smoking cigars, Germany is one again and the communist are gone. I won.” We clinked our bottles and laughed
Good video pal. This channel deserves more subscribers! Looking forward to the next vid ☺
Heart-breaking! Europeans need to remember that this is what occupation from Moscow looks like!
Puts into perspective Gorbachev’s unwillingness to intervene in 1989
@@briandelaney9710 That man killed people in Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia and oversaw pogrom against Armenians in Azerbaijan... He was a sicko and not a moral figure.
I recently found your channel. In the 20th Century the German people were lead by a mix of Imperial, Fascist, Communist and Democratic leaders. I admire the German people for trying to sort out what is best for them and become one country. We have some power hungry politicians in the US who want to lead us down a dark path. I hope we can hold on to our Democracy. No empire has lasted forever. Even the Roman Empire fell. I enjoy your videos. Thanks.😎👍
Very touching memorial. The Soviet tank is gone, but the cross remains...
11:58, that's strange! to have a memorial site in between a major thoroughfare!
7:54 forgot it was possible for a tank to drift somehow. Wow!
I heard a similar uprising took place in the 20's in Germany.
One question: how is the 1953 Berlin uprising an "almost forgotten" event?! It is taught in every class I have been in that covers post-WWII history, not to mention plenty of BBC docos (& the like).
Unfortunately that’s not the same in Germany. It seems that the UK does a better job when it comes to history lessons.
I'm British and I only heard about it via an Anthony Burgess novel the other day, so the reason I'm here. I'm in my 60s and certainly never heard of it at school or anywhere else. The Hungarian and Czech uprisings were covered endlessly, however. Interesting to hear that it is now being taught as almost nothing was known about East Germany when I was growing up.
An interesting summary, from the perspective of the FRG. GDR historical material on this period makes much of the role of the BND in the uprising; no mention of that here.
As often, uprising erupts when the situation improves not worsens, when government showed signs of yielding to the people.
This is a great resource... DON'T GIVE UP. It would be great if you could talk about BRIXMIS and the mission in Potsdam 👍
I was in the middle of this as a teenager. Russian tanks took over in my city of Halle in Saxon-Anhalt. Some got shot on Riebeck Platz. The putsch was over pretty quick.
I can’t even imagine how that must have felt, I live in Sweden. I wonder what kind of understanding Putin has as to why DDR was lost. How funny it would be had he been caught on film sneaking around trying to find disguised westerners in the crowds
1:33 1 year for stealing food can also happen in many capitalist democracies like the US. In some states you can even get a life sentence without parole if you do it too often, because of three-strikes law. So yes, it was a bit harsh, but not more so than in many "western" countries.
Also the incarceration rate of 10,000 in half a year (equivalent to 20,000 in a year, which was about 0.15% of the population at that time) was still low compared to the current rate in the US.
So calling this state terror might be a but exaggerated.
The DDR was trapped in a Stalinist system, the leaders of the DDR were the survivors of the purge's of the 30s where many loyal communists were re-educated. Where they had to be more Stalinist than the Soviets,. Unfortunately the DDR was always subject to influences from the Soviet Union
Victor Grossman gives a good insight into the DDR
The sad thing is the DDR was never given the opportunity to work due to Soviet influence and outside pressures from the cold war
Grossman himself was a Stasi informer
interesting fact the soviets are used the same military tactics (that they learned defeating the 1953 Berlin uprising) to defeat the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
Thank you. It was interesting to see the 2 memorials. Both of which I had no idea of.
Is it true this uprising led to the creation of Wandlitz? Where SED leadership lived in a gated community protected from the people?
All leaders from all countries live in their own gated communities
@@tribinaaux4043
Lots of countries don’t even have any gated communities at all … and in lots of countries political leaders don’t own the political residences, those are owned by the people, those are only temporary for their time in the office and in particular for official events, those publicly owned buildings are located in the capital of the country - and they simply keep their own homes (flats/ houses)
@@Lorenz1973Merkel should have gone in 2018.
Können Sie bitte ein Video speziell über den Studentenaufstand in Leipzig und die Folgen drehen? Wie haben die Sowjets darauf reagiert und die Studenten danach in Schach gehalten? (neu abonniert).
13:20 ->
There are everywhere people with a conscience who refused to carry out heinous orders, whatever the consequences for themselves.
In the early hours of June 5th 1989, sustained gunfire could be heard coming from the forbidden city in Peking according to on the spot reports by the Western news agencies. With the repression,
it was quickly forgotten.
In fact it was the purge by shooting of the courageous
PLA officers & men who protested the orders of shooting on the students.
The second to fall were the workers in the little streets leading to the central place, who tried to block the passage of the tanks and troops.
The interessting point ist the LPGs are at the ende succesfull. This "Genossenschaft" could keep there revenues or give it to the members. So at the food base level it was secured to be enough. Without the markt oeconomie element, the eastern block my be had starved to death 20 years earlier.
One thing I don't like is that an English voiceover is added so it's impossible to hear the original German. I personally much prefer subtitles. Besides that, this is a great video.
Read about it in a book 4 or 5 decades ago.
Somehow I doubt this was on a calendar of strikes and other social movements a co-worker decided to hang on the wall, last year. It had a certain ideological bent.
👍
Is the 17 June Uprising really so "forgotten"? Compared to ... - other similar crises and upheavals in the 1950s? The independence wars in Kenya, Cyprus, French Indochina, the Belgian Congo, Malaya; the Lebanon Emegency; the Hungarian Uprising; the Suez Crisis; China's annexation of Tibet? Are these - for instance - so much better "remembered"? It seems to me that the 17 June Uprising is just as adequately, or just as poorly, documented, commemorated, written about, reflected on, as these other events of the same period. This is a fascinating video. Nothing is added by turning the 1953 uprising into an unduly "forgotten" event.
Not really forgotten. After the 1948 Czechoslovak coup and the West Berlin blockade most western illusions about USSR were long gone. And NATO became a reality. But in 1953 the war was still just eight years away. The scars had not really started to heal. I guess, that’s why Budapest 1956 is better known. When the Berlin wall was build in 1961 things had changed a bit regarding the Germans, and after Prague 1968 even most hard core communists in the West despised Moscow. Sadly, they chose madman Mao instead.
Stalin died the fifth of March in 1953. Wonder if the change in course in the DDR ordered from Moscow in June 1953 had anything to do with that...
Sadly, back in the 80´s this was not taught in schools in Finland.
Someone told it was taught on Sweden. Depends maybe on how old you were then
It was taught in the 80`s in Finland, I learned this at my finnish school in 1984.
Coming only 8 years after Battle of Berlin these events - involving hundreds of Soviet tanks - must have strong nationalistic flavor too.
For this reason legend of 53 Soviets who sacrificed their lives for Germans is obviously untrue
I've been to the building on the end of Goering's air ministry several times. The information boards erected after the fall of the wall and the mosaic/murals erected by the Communist DDR Government proclaiming the success of East Germany are really interesting. Great video. Thank you.
I'd be curious to hear a video on the extent of CIA involvment in this uprising.
No one knows. Only one document that can be found on the internet has been declassified and by the wording of the document we can make the assumption that the CIA had no part in this .
The soviets really were animals
The Russians still are
Germans did equal horrible stuff in Balkans, Russia and Eastern Europe in much shorter periods
If one million went on strike who said they were a proof of no support for SED? If people was so negative why didn't half of the population leave?
Leave their homes? I'll use my countey for example. Since the most Greek people hated the junta , why didn't they leave Greece?
@@shingosshojiopoulos6608 Well many did even before. We got hords of them in Sweden!
@@shingosshojiopoulos6608 I think many liked the junta.
@@Ulf-qg1vd most didn't
@@shingosshojiopoulos6608 Exactly the same in Cuba. Most people actually support the system.
The beginning of the end for the DDR was Brezhnev
All of the factories were located in the west, with the east being a primarily agricultural base dating from the time of the Prussian state. German theft of European wealth and the large scale destruction of livestock by German forces in Russia necissitated the reparations imposed on Germany by Russia. Given the fact that the mendacious West refused to extend the Marshall Plan to the actual victors over the Wehrmact left Russia little choice but to enforce austerity on the conquered people. Given what the German "herrenvolk" had planned, and got up to in the former USSR these Germans got off lightly.
The narrator in picture has something to hide.Why books in the shelves on the left side are blurred?
While little positive statements can be made about the East Germany and the overall soviet regime it is certain that Germans forgot very fast their massive crimes in other countries. I
As a german who went through the german public school system i can tell you that australian painter bad, but this is the first time ive heard of this incident...
*Oesterreichischer
Really the EU is slipping🙄
Democratice ? NJET !😮
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Demonstrations in finland were forbitten beacuse invisble of some thing.
Were this east german stalinists commies worse than the nazis? What do you think, guys?
Don't think so. But they were worse enough!
I don’t think they were worse. The Nazis were genocidal. But the Stalinists were oppressive
Great question! The answer depends who you ask: the Russians or Germans?
The Russians suffered 20+ million casualties at the hands of Germans regardless of any politics! The Russians were unwilling to let the Germans get away with this!
The Germans chose their own leadership, served it unanimously and had no problems with it until the end - when they (the Germans) lost the war! Even though the DDR leadership never did anything close to Nasi leadership, they did it against the German people and to them their own pain hurts the most!
Yes. Someone who experienced both said germans wanted food which they paid for and were polite. Stalinists were quite different, brutes
Holy crap communism sucks.
13:44 -13:45 " seeing them ( Russians" ) as a monsters " ? The Nazi monsters started WWII and attacked Russians and treated captured Russian sodiers as "Untermenschen". And not just Russians , also Polish , isn't it true?
Yeah all this was horrible, long befor i was born. My village was ocupied in april1945 by americans, later Thüringen was traded for nothern germany i think. There was not much damaged, but 90 to 100 inhabitants (1500 total) lost there life most of them als soldiers. Some oft them where proud to figth for germany, others for example form my grandmother family don't want to go, have to and never came back. Like a wise man say, a soldier gain nothing, the best he can hope for is to return in one piece to his family.
And Russians atacked other nations even before ww2 .Also atacked Poland , starved milions.
The Russians Government treated the Germans the right way and the German People deserved it
Well, the "it prevented us from" just before your words is important ... ...
Russia was a ally of the Nazis,carved up Poland and murder thousands of Polish officers
they were lucky that they did not live in Israel, or in Iraq or in any country occupied by the US. Actually nothing happened, given the fact that the Soviets had just lost 23 million people fighting the nazis. Rising up, as a German, under such circumtances, was pretty bold. And not very clever.
Any country occupied by the USA? Part of West Germany was occupied by the USA. There is still American military stationed in West Germany as part of NATO - has been continuously since the end of WW2. Why not compare Germany with Germany, Germans with Germans? Interestingly no such uprising happened in post WW2 - West Germany… 🤔 no such problems in any of the “Western occupation zones” for some reason… in the entire history of West Germany, with all those different Western army/ military bases from all kind of countries, countries and people who suffered greatly due to the Nazis, those Western armies never needed to use any tanks to get the West German people to cooperate with them… and West German people did demonstrate, go on strike, etc. but it never required any of the Western military stationed in West Germany to do anything like this …the British, American, Dutch, etc. military didn’t have to do anything like this in West Germany during the entire Cold War… 🤔 The Americans even let the West Germans deal with left wing terrorism that directly targeted the American army bases and American soldiers in West Germany (RAF - Baader Meinhof group)… terrorism that was supported by East Germany… 🤔 still there were no American tanks on West German streets…
@@Lorenz1973 Don't try to discuss with him. He is a pro Russian crack head
buUU huuu poor nazis subjected to terror oh so sad, let me cry my imaginary tears
People which were against the mismanagement of their socialistic regime are automatically nazis? Something went wrong in your head!
this is about regular people under oppression