1953 Uprising in the GDR

65 years ago, on June 17, 1953, a spontaneous uprising of workers against the communist dictatorship began in East Germany. It was caused by a sharp drop in the standard of living due to the nationalization of enterprises, restrictions on private trade and small-scale handicraft production, an increase in production rates at factories and factories and food prices.

A general strike began in Berlin. In the capital of the GDR and in other cities, about a million people took to the streets. People freed prisoners from prisons, seized the buildings of party committees and departments of the Ministry of State Security.

Soviet troops with tanks were sent to suppress the uprising. According to various estimates, from 55 to 75 people were killed. 1526 participants in the uprising were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, and two people were sentenced to death, later commuted to 15 years in prison.