Agriculture in East Germany
This article describes the development of agriculture in the Soviet Zone and GDR during 1945 and 1990.
History of agriculture in the Soviet occupation zone and the GDR
Agriculture in the German Democratic Republic can be divided into three stages of development. In a first phase, a large land reform was enforced forcibly. The second phase is characterized by large-scale collectivization measures and the third phase of intensive industrialization efforts.
Phase 1: 1945-1949
In the years 1945-1949 there was a land reform, during which large landowners whose operating more than 100 ha covered area, and owners who have been classified as a war criminal, Nazi party members and enemies of communism, were expropriated. The areas east of the Elbe were characterized by high proportion of agricultural land in the possession of a few (usually aristocratic ) families ( Junker ). So were 1882 in Brandenburg 36.3 % of the area to companies with more than 100 hectares. This ownership structure changed only slightly until 1945.
However, farms of less than 100 hectares were expropriated to a significant extent. In many cases, farmers were denounced as Nazis or war criminals who were not involved in the crimes of the Nazi regime. Opposition to the land reform, especially of the CDU, whose Zone Board in 1945 clearly spoke out against the expropriations and the rule of law approach called. The chairman of the East CDU, Andreas Hermes was then deposited on the SMAD command as a board.
The operation expropriated land was awarded poorer or landless peasants, partly refugees and displaced persons. These new farmers were each given an area of about five acres, sufficient for a family. In five percent of the space state-owned model farms were established.
Phase 2: 1952-1960
The years 1952 to 1960 were associated with a state-organized association of private companies to large enterprises co-operative so-called agricultural production cooperatives ( LPG). Official goal was to increase the productivity and effectiveness. The merger was partly voluntarily, partly but also economic and political pressure was applied to force a merger. The period 1952-1960 is called the " collectivization " phase. In the so-called " Socialist Spring" March-May 1960, the last 400,000 farmers were forced to join in LPGs. See also collectivization.
Phase 3: 1968-1989
A industrialization of the agricultural sector took place in the years 1968 to 1989. The aim of this industrialization was a final disposition of the backwardness of the village opposite the city as well as an equation of living and working conditions of urban and rural population. They sought a highly specialized structure to effect: There was a reorganization of the plant and animal holdings, ie the LPGs specialized either to the animal breeding or plant production. With the increased use of fertilizers and plant agents wanted to ensure the independence of bad weather conditions. By introducing controlled working and holiday periods and the inclusion of women in the production service functions were transferred to the agriculture.
After the turn
After the turn was a fundamental restructuring of the agricultural sector. The LPGs were often converted into limited liability companies or cooperatives registered under the Cooperative Act. These were due to debts and the investment backlog in many cases soon face economic problems. The restitution of the expropriated land and the sale of LPG country was the basis for re- judge.
Today, agriculture in the new Länder is characterized by operational variables that far exceed that of the West. This make them far more competitive than the small -scale agriculture in the old federal states.
Agricultural Engineering
The Combine progress agricultural machinery was the main supplier of agricultural machinery in the GDR. Since the production of agricultural machinery needs could not cover, self-made tractors were used in large quantities. From the 1960s Universal equipment carrier were developed, which were manufactured in Germany since the 1950s. These mass-produced compact tractors should serve diverse due to modular construction purposes and were therefore more economical than conventional tractors. Since the 1980s, however, heavy tractors were preferred. The mechanization of agriculture has been made a priority by the large companies. In order to enable small farmers to access the machine, after the land reform machine rental station or machine-tractor stations were established. For the low-loss storage and drying of the grain harvest specialized farms were established in each county. In the field of animal production normalized housing systems were developed as Typbauten. For the development of brownfield sites ( for example, in the Oder ) specialized farms were established for Meliorationsbau. The constant expansion of irrigation and drainage of fields and meadows, and the most uncontrolled over-fertilization with manure soon had damage to the environment.
Agricultural workers
Also in the GDR (as in other industrialized countries ) a tertiary sector, ie a shift of employment figures from agriculture to industry and from there into the service occupations took place. For agriculture, this meant a continuous decline in the number of employees and the share of agricultural products in the value of national income. This process was a result of the progressive industrialization of agriculture and technical progress. However, this development was substantially lower than the same time in the Federal Republic.
In the GDR, the proportion of people employed in agriculture fell from 27.9 % in 1950 to 10.8% in 1989. In the Federal Republic, the share in the same period had dropped to 3.9%. Thus, the agriculture of the GDR had in 1989 reached the level of productivity that had been achieved in the West in 1965. Inversely, the proportion of employees increased in the service sector in the GDR only to 39.1 % while in the West 55.4 % were achieved.
The cause for the lower productivity especially the destruction of the layer of the peasant family is called. Not least because of the land reform in 1950 were 25 % of the working population of the GDR self-employed or unpaid family workers. 1989, there were just 2.1% again. In agriculture, collectivization had made autonomous entrepreneurs salaried employees.
Organizations
As a political organization of the country 's population was established in November 1945, the Association of Peasant Mutual Help than mass organization. In the state elections in 1946, the Soviet Zone VdgB reached only 2.9 % of the vote. Like the other parties and the VdgB was immediately connected and integrated into the National Front.
Supreme agricultural authority was the Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and food industry of the GDR. Ministers Ernst gold tree, Paul Scholz, Georg Ewald, Heinz Kuhrig, Bruno Lietz, Hans Watzek and Peter Pollack.
The Agra was an important agricultural exhibition of the GDR.
Agriculture in ideology and propaganda
Agriculture has played a major role in the way the GDR. The GDR saw itself as a workers 'and peasants' state, Agriculture therefore also was central to the propaganda of the SED and the GDR. The peasantry was understood as a class, who had the power together with the working class. In the state emblem of the GDR, the sickle symbolized the garland of corn, in the flag of the Soviet Union, the Big Brother of the GDR, hammer and sickle, the class of farmers. After the founding of the Democratic Peasants' Party of Germany ( DBD) in April 1948, this block party soon reached 80,000 members. The DBD was editor of the daily newspaper Bauer echo. Especially at harvest time, the GDR population experienced an enormous propaganda in the media. To minimize the annual harvest losses were formed republic far special brigades with harvest workers. Great attention was given to the agricultural engineering at the fair reporting, GDR agricultural machinery was delivered, for example, in Asian and African countries, but also Western countries such as France and the FRG as a compensation of raw materials and food goods. GDR agricultural experts were employed as construction workers, for example, in Nicaragua and Ethiopia.