Germany marks 70th anniversary of uprising against Communist dictatorship

Worsening economic conditions and political repression in East Germany prompted months of protests in the Communist East that was brutally crushed by its Soviet-backed dictatorship. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks during a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the popular uprising

Germany’s Parliament on June 16 commemorated the 70th anniversary of a popular uprising in the Communist East that was brutally crushed by its Soviet-backed dictatorship. Worsening economic conditions and political repression in East Germany had prompted months of protests, starting in rural areas and culminating in a call on June 16, 1953, for a general strike.

The following day more than half a million people took to the streets across East Germany, including the capital, Berlin. About 50 people were killed and thousands were arrested by Communist Secret Police with the help of Soviet troops. Dozens of Soviet soldiers who refused to shoot protesters were executed.

Also Read | Germany to give $1.4 billion to Holocaust survivors globally in 2024

The East German regime branded the uprising a “fascist putsch” instigated by the West, a claim for which there was no evidence.

It was the first revolt against Soviet rule in eastern Europe. Others would follow in Hungary and what was then Czechoslovakia.

“The uprising of June 17 was not only directed against the increasing demand on workers, against low wages, high prices, empty shelves,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a speech to lawmakers. “It was directed against the standardisation of an entire society, against the planned rule and forced collectivisation, against state surveillance, propaganda and censorship, against the suppression of Christians, opposition members and non-conformists, against the dictatorship of a single party, which claimed that it was always right.”

Also Read | China acting ‘counter to our interests’ says Germany