Befehl des Militärkommandanten des sowjetischen Sektors von Berlin (Order of the Military Commander of the Soviet Sector of Berlin)
Berlin: Soviet Military Commander, 1953. Original document. Loose leaf. Elephant Folio (18 1/2 x 12 5/8"). Original broadside or Soviet Commander: Order declaring State of Emergency in the Soviet Sector of Berlin on June 17, 1953, the day of the insurgence in East Berlin.
Command to reestablish public order in the Soviet Sector of Berlin:
1. As of 1 p.m. on June 17, 1953, the State of Emergency is declared.
2. All protests, gatherings, rallies and other human gathering of more the three persons are prohibited on streets and squares as well as in public buildings.
3. All foot traffic and the use of motor vehicles is prohibited between 9 p.m. and 5 am of the following day.
4. Those who infringe on this order will be punished according to Military Law.
Signed Military Commander of the Soviet Sector of Berlin, Major General Dibrowa, Berlin, June 17, 1953. Text in German. Six-fold with very light wear along edges.
When the government of the Federal Republic of German rejected Stalin's proposal to establish an independent neutral united Germany in 1952, Walter Ulbricht, in cooperation with the Soviet Union, and the Socialist Party of East Germany accelerated the conversion of East Germany to socialism. The GDR invested into heavy industry while taxing the remaining private industry heavily, turned agriculture into its network of collectives, and launched a campaign against religious institutions. West Germany on the other hand had joined the European Defense Community Treaty.
The result of the new strategy of the GDR was a rapid deterioration of the East German living standards. By the and of 1952 so-called "food riots" occurred and unrest was felt in most of the major industrial centers. In 1953 the Politburo imposed a 10% increase in work quotas at state-owned industry without adjusting the wages. It was scheduled to take effect on June 30th, Ulbricht's 60th birthday. Ulbricht's response to the growing unrest was to "tighten the country's belt" while the population diminished due to some 500,000 East Germans leaving the GDR for the West.
The new collective leadership of the Soviet Union, established after Stalin's death in March 1953, was dismayed with the statistics and criticized the GDR government, imposing measures to improve the situation in East Germany. The New Course measures were published in the party newspaper Neues Deutschland on June 11. The next day some 5,000 people demonstrated in front of a Brandenburg prison. Relative calm prevailed despite contradictory messaging by the Politburo for the next days. On June 16 demonstrations grew but dispersed towards the evening.
A flurry of political activities, news reports, and mouth-to-mouth messaging throughout the night made the situation so volatile that Soviet troops entered Berlin in the morning of June 17. By 9am some 25,000 people had gathered and the seat of government was stormed when suddenly Soviet military vehicles and tanks appeared and repelled what was deemed an imminent takeover of power. By 1pm Martial Law was declared and the Soviet troops opened fire, at times shooting directly into the crowd.
The uprising had spread to all major cities in the GDR and was quelled by June 24, 1953. Some 10,000 people were detained on June 17. The accounts of people that died during these uprisings varies from 55 and 250. Approximately 40 people were executed by the Soviet military on the night of June 17. This includes Soviet Army soldiers who had refused to obey the order to shoot into the crowd. Very Good condition. Item #53549
Price: $2,500.00