East Germany
noun
a former country in central Europe: created in 1949 from the Soviet zone of occupied Germany established in 1945: reunited with West Germany in 1990. 41,827 sq. mi. (108,333 sq. km). Capital: East Berlin.
Official name
German Democratic Republic.
Compare
Germany.
OTHER WORDS FROM East Germany
East German, adjective, nounBritish Dictionary definitions for german democratic republic (1 of 2)
German Democratic Republic
noun
(formerly) the official name of East Germany Abbreviations: GDR, DDR
British Dictionary definitions for german democratic republic (2 of 2)
East Germany
noun
a former republic in N central Europe: established in 1949 and declared a sovereign state by the Soviet Union in 1954; Communist regime replaced by a multiparty democracy in 1989; reunited with West Germany in 1990
Official name: German Democratic Republic, (Abbreviation) DDR, (Abbreviation) GDR See also Germany
Cultural definitions for german democratic republic
East Germany
Former nation in north-central Europe, officially known as the German Democratic Republic from 1949 to 1990, when East and West Germany were reunited. Its capital and largest city was East Berlin.
notes for East Germany
Former
Eastern Bloc and
Warsaw Pact nation, established as a
republic in 1949; formed out of land in the zone of Germany occupied by the
Soviet Union after
World War II.
notes for East Germany
The
Berlin Wall (see also
Berlin Wall) was erected in 1961 to keep East Germans from defecting to the West.
notes for East Germany
Although high for a
communist nation, the East German living standard lagged far behind that of western Europe. Popular protests for
democracy forced the communist government to open the Berlin Wall in 1989 and allow its citizens to migrate to West Germany. Unable to resist the tide of reform sweeping across communist states, the East German government agreed in 1990 to the reunification of Germany under the leadership of West Germany.