Changes

===1953 uprising===

===1953 uprising===

One of the first major upheavals in the Eastern bloc occurred in East Germany. After the SED regime announced an unreasonable increase in production norms for workers, strikes and demonstrations erupted in East Berlin and other industrial centers around East Germany. The disturbances, known as the East German Uprising, began on June 17, 1953, as a spontaneous outburst of discontent, and quickly spread to more than 400 locations around the country. Coming so soon after Stalin's death in March 1953, the Uprising left the SED leadership reeling.  Gradually the workers' protest turned more explicitly political, with chants of "Down with communism!" and "Long live Eisenhower!" The response from Moscow was swift repression, with Soviet tanks and troops crushing the protests and killing at least 125 people. The East German Uprising and its brutal suppression caused international disgrace to the Soviet Union. Because the border between East and West Berlin was fairly open at the time, a number of Western observers knew of the events and spread the news around the world. Nonetheless, East Germany's geopolitical and strategic importance to the Soviet Union made the Kremlin more willing to tolerate world condemnation in keeping the GDR on a short leash. Indeed, the Soviet response to the East German Uprising set a pattern followed in Soviet-led interventions against the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the Prague Spring of 1968, and the overthrow of a Communist regime in Afghanistan in 1979.<ref>http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB50/</ref>

One of the first major upheavals in the Eastern bloc occurred in East Germany. After the SED regime announced an unreasonable increase in production norms for workers, strikes and demonstrations erupted in East Berlin and other industrial centers around East Germany. The disturbances, known as the East German Uprising, began on June 17, 1953, as a spontaneous outburst of discontent, and quickly spread to more than 400 locations around the country. Coming so soon after Stalin's death in March 1953, the Uprising left the SED leadership reeling.  Gradually the workers' protest turned more explicitly political, with chants of "Down with communism!" and "Long live Eisenhower!" The response from Moscow was swift repression, with Soviet tanks and troops crushing the protests and killing at least 125 people. The East German Uprising and its brutal suppression caused international disgrace to the Soviet Union. Because the border between East and West Berlin was fairly open at the time, a number of Western observers knew of the events and spread the news around the world. Nonetheless, East Germany's geopolitical and strategic importance to the Soviet Union made the Kremlin more willing to tolerate world condemnation in keeping the GDR on a short leash. Indeed, the Soviet response to the East German Uprising set a pattern followed in Soviet-led interventions against the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]], the Prague Spring of 1968, and the overthrow of a Communist regime in Afghanistan in 1979.<ref>http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB50/</ref>

The even large uprising in [[Hungary]] in 1956 led to political crisis throughout Eastern Europe and seriously threatened the position of Ulbricht. He was able to remain in power and to prevent an uprising because Soviet dictator [[Nikita Khrushchev]] needed a strong ally in East Germany. In addition, German intellectuals were unorganized, and citizens feared a world war as their radios blared warnings of an American invasion. Soviet support was in all likelihood the key element in Ulbricht's political survival.<ref>Johanna Granville, "Ulbricht in October 1956: Survival of the 'Spitzbart' During Destalinization," ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 2006 41(3): 477-502,</ref>

The even large uprising in [[Hungary]] in 1956 led to political crisis throughout Eastern Europe and seriously threatened the position of Ulbricht. He was able to remain in power and to prevent an uprising because Soviet dictator [[Nikita Khrushchev]] needed a strong ally in East Germany. In addition, German intellectuals were unorganized, and citizens feared a world war as their radios blared warnings of an American invasion. Soviet support was in all likelihood the key element in Ulbricht's political survival.<ref>Johanna Granville, "Ulbricht in October 1956: Survival of the 'Spitzbart' During Destalinization," ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 2006 41(3): 477-502,</ref>