The Democratic Bloc of Parties and Mass Organisations () was the term used for the popular front of parties and mass organizations that, in accordance with the 1949 Constitution of the GDR and the GDR electoral laws, were entitled to submit electoral nominations for the Volkskammer as well as for the legislative bodies of municipalities, districts, and states in Soviet-occupied East Germany and the first years of the German Democratic Republic.
The "Democratic Bloc" was not a formal organization but a constitutional term for the arrangement of parties and mass organizations led by the SED. The term continued to be used even after the creation of the National Front in 1950, which was a formal organization that was explicitly included in the 1968 GDR Constitution.
History In parallel with the working staff of the CPSU European Advisory Commission commissioned in early 1944 to develop the exiled Communist Germany own political concept.Hinter den Kulissen des Nationalkomitees: Das Institut 99 in Moskau und die Deutschlandpolitik der UdSSR 1943–1946 A first draft was on 6 March 1944 on a working session of the exiled Communist Party presented by Wilhelm Florin.Die Lage und die Aufgaben in Deutschland bis zum Sturz Hitlers", vorgetragen am 6. März 1944 auf der Arbeitssitzung der Exil-KPD; Peter Erler, Horst Laude, Manfred Wilke, Peter Erler: „Nach Hitler kommen wir": Dokumente zur Programmatik der Moskauer KPD-Führung 1944/45 für Nachkriegsdeutschland, Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1994, , S. 153 The guidelines developed by the Soviet concept of the future Communist Party saw as a government. After the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht on 8 May 1945 and the Berlin Declaration of the Commander in Chief of the four victorious powers of 5 June 1945 all political activity was prohibited in all zones of occupation. After consultation by Anton Ackermann, and Walter Ulbricht Gustav Sobottka on 4 June 1945 in Moscow allowed the Order № 2 of 10 of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany in June 1945, the formation and activity of anti-fascist partiesWortlaut des Befehls Nr. 2 der SMAD in the Soviet Occupation Zone. With its call of 11 June 1945, the Communist Party came to Berlin as first advertised to the public and for cooperation:
In addition to the block at the zone level corresponding blocks were set up at the country level. In Brandenburg, the existing three members from the four-party anti-fascist came together to comprise the democratic unit block of Brandenburg on 28 November 1945.SBZ-Handbuch, Seite 88 ff. In Thuringia, the antifascist-democratic bloc of Thuringia was formed on 17 August 1945.SBZ-Handbuch, Seite 176 ff. und Seite 618 In Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt was founded on 29 August 1945.SBZ-Handbuch, Seite 618
In 1950, the National Front was founded as a formal organization for the popular front, though the term "Democratic Bloc" continued to be used to describe the arrangement.
Electoral history
Deutscher Volkskongress elections ElectionVotes%Seats+/–PositionGovernment19497,943,94966.07% 1525 1stSole legal coalition
References