German Democratic Republic (GDR): Internal Political Situation in German Democratic Republic

A file of correspondence and reports concerning the internal situation in East Germany. The documents cover a session of the Volkskammer in which the main agenda item was a new civil code; the progress of the new civil code; and discussions at plenums and meetings of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. Other documents in the file cover meetings of the East German politburo on the economy, the 1976 economic plan, and foreign affairs; and speeches by East German politicians justifying the need for the Workers' Militia group, discussing relations with the Soviet Union, and analysing economic issues. The file also covers the deaths of the East German politicians Herbert Warnke and Otto Winzer; celebrations marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Ministry of State Security; and a review of the new "Jugendweihe" handbook, a scheme whereby fourteen-year-olds declare their allegiance to socialism.