Research Paper on:
Similarities and Differences Between the German Democratic Republic and the Third Reich

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of Hitler. Yet, when this government would fold at the end of World War II for obvious reasons, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) would rule for almost half a  century until the reunification would occur. In looking at the GDR specifically, it is clear that some of its policies were continuations of the patterns of the Hitler government  and some were very different. In comparing and contrasting these governments, one can see just what those differences and similarities are. After the war, rising East-West  tensions did play a significant role in encouraging the United Kingdom, the United States and France to unify their zones and grant the new West Germany political autonomy ("Political,"  2001). Within four years of the end of the war, Germany had been divided and two new states would emerge which were the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and  the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (2001). On October 7, 1949 East Germany was officially called the German Democratic Republic and was suddenly formally inaugurated and recognized diplomatically by  the Soviet Union (2001). It was never officially a single-party state, but East Germany had been dominated by the Socialist Unity Party (SED) until 1990 (2001). In other words, throughout  this governments existence it would be dominated by one party. Other parties had been allowed but were usually infiltrated and co-opted (2001). This sounds a bit like Third Reich politics  with its Nazi party. In any event, by 1950, the communist SED was in control and in July of that same year, Walter Ulbricht would become the first secretary of  the party, and would rule until 1971 (2001). The history of East Germany in many ways seems to be a continuation of Third Reich policies. At the same time,