2E.2.4 Growing crises and the collapse of communist rule in the GDR Quiz: Pearson Edexcel History, Unit 5

The 20 questions

1. What primary economic issue severely strained the East German government's finances during the 1980s?

   • Agricultural collapse
   • High unemployment
   • Growing national debt
   • Hyperinflation

2. How did the SED leadership under Honecker respond to Gorbachev's reform policies in the 1980s?

   • They dissolved Stasi
   • They rejected reforms
   • They embraced reforms
   • They left Comecon

3. What key pressure did Mikhail Gorbachev place on the SED leadership during his October 1989 visit?

   • To implement reforms
   • To merge states
   • To deploy troops
   • To close borders

4. Who replaced Erich Honecker as General Secretary of the SED in October 1989?

   • Egon Krenz
   • Walter Ulbricht
   • Hans Modrow
   • Lothar de Maizière

5. Which country opened its border with Austria in 1989, allowing East Germans to flee west?

   • Czechoslovakia
   • Hungary
   • Yugoslavia
   • Poland

6. Which iconic structure was opened on 9 November 1989, symbolising the collapse of border controls?

   • The Berlin Wall
   • Brandenburg Gate
   • The Iron Curtain
   • Checkpoint Charlie

7. On which day of the week were major peaceful reform demonstrations held in Leipzig in 1989?

   • Wednesday
   • Friday
   • Sunday
   • Monday

8. Which organisation provided crucial meeting space and protection for opposition groups in the GDR?

   • Trade unions
   • State universities
   • The Protestant Church
   • Local councils

9. Which parliament was elected in the GDR's first and only free elections in March 1990?

   • Reichstag
   • Volkskammer
   • Bundestag
   • Bundesrat

10. Which 1990 treaty between the two German states and Allied powers enabled German reunification?

    • Two Plus Four
    • Treaty of Rome
    • Basic Treaty
    • Warsaw Pact

11. Which date marks the formal reunification of East and West Germany?

    • 9 November 1989
    • 3 October 1990
    • 18 March 1990
    • 13 August 1961

12. Which West German leader pursued reunification through a ten-point plan in late 1989?

    • Willy Brandt
    • Helmut Schmidt
    • Helmut Kohl
    • Konrad Adenauer

13. Which Soviet action in 1989 severely weakened the SED government's authority?

    • Refusing military support
    • Imposing economic sanctions
    • Leaving Comecon
    • Withdrawing food aid

14. What policy did Gorbachev adopt regarding Soviet military intervention in the GDR during 1989?

    • Military invasion
    • Direct intervention
    • Non-intervention
    • Armed suppression

15. Who was removed as General Secretary of the SED in October 1989?

    • Walter Ulbricht
    • Erich Honecker
    • Egon Krenz
    • Lothar de Maizière

16. How many East German states acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990?

    • Three
    • Seven
    • Five
    • Ten

17. Which ruling party suffered a complete loss of public confidence during the GDR's 1989 crisis?

    • The SPD
    • The SED
    • The KPD
    • The CDU

18. What was the main objective of the Neues Forum movement founded in September 1989?

    • Military dictatorship
    • Democratic reform
    • Communist expansion
    • Immediate reunification

19. Which political coalition won the East German Volkskammer election in March 1990?

    • Social Democratic Party
    • Free Democratic Party
    • Green Party
    • Alliance for Germany

20. Through which country did thousands of East Germans escape to the West in summer 1989?

    • Hungary
    • Poland
    • Yugoslavia
    • Soviet Union

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