TestZen · Einbürgerungstest · Practice

196. Why is the period in the autumn of 1989 in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) called 'the Wende'? During this period the GDR changed politically …

Official German wording

Warum nennt man die Zeit im Herbst 1989 in der DDR „Die Wende“? In dieser Zeit veränderte sich die DDR politisch …

  1. von einer Diktatur zur Demokratie.
  2. von einer liberalen Marktwirtschaft zum Sozialismus.
  3. von einer Monarchie zur Sozialdemokratie.
  4. von einem religiösen Staat zu einem kommunistischen Staat.

Answer options

  1. from a dictatorship to a democracy.
  2. from a liberal market economy to socialism.
  3. from a monarchy to social democracy.
  4. from a religious state to a communist state.

Correct answer

from a dictatorship to a democracy.

Explanation

The 'Wende' denotes the systemic political transformation in the GDR in autumn 1989, triggered by the Peaceful Revolution, mass protests, an exodus of citizens, and the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November. It ended SED one‑party rule and initiated a transition to a pluralist democracy under the rule of law, with free, equal and secret elections and restored civil liberties; institutionally manifested in the Central Round Table and the first free Volkskammer elections on 18 March 1990. The GDR had been a centrally planned economy, not a liberal market economy; nor was it a monarchy or a religious state, which is why the other options misstate the historical record. In constitutional terms, the process culminated in the GDR’s accession to the Federal Republic under former Article 23 of the Basic Law on 3 October 1990.

Official sources

The German questions come from the original BAMF catalog for the Einbürgerungstest and Leben in Deutschland. Translations and explanations are study aids; verify legal details in the official sources.