4 Robin Irwin - 2 years ago
The popular uprising of June 17, 1953 marked the first major uprising against a communist regime after the Second World War, barely four years after the founding of the DDR.
The uprising was crushed by Soviet armored tanks. During the uprising, 18 people were shot under civil law. Another 50 or so people died during the demonstrations by Soviet bullets. About 15,000 people were arrested after the uprising and sentenced to long prison terms.
By 1955, a total of over 1,800 political judgments had been made in connection with the uprising. Subsequently, the uprising and insurgents in the DDR were defamed and criminalized.
The official statement by the SED leadership was that the protests were a fascist coup organized and controlled by western saboteurs and provocateurs. Overall, the uprising became a social taboo topic.
Nevertheless, the June events of the communist leadership remained in the memory as a warning and warning until the end of the DDR.
