German Democratic Republic (GDR)

The German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly known as East Germany, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet-occupied eastern part of Germany after World War II. It was governed by the Socialist Unity Party and was part of the Eastern Bloc, aligned with the Soviet Union. The GDR featured a planned economy, restricted political freedoms, and a heavily surveilled society managed by the secret police. It existed until 1990, when peaceful protests and political change led to reunification with West Germany, ending its existence and marking the end of Cold War divisions on the German Peninsula.