217. In which period did the German Democratic Republic (GDR) exist?

Answer options

1. 1. 1919 to 1927
2. 2. 1933 to 1945
3. 3. 1949 to 1990
4. 4. 1945 to 1961

Explanation

The GDR existed from 7 October 1949 to 3 October 1990 as a socialist state in the Soviet occupation zone, dominated by the SED. Its 1968/1974 constitutions entrenched the SED’s leading role and replaced justiciable fundamental rights with state-directed “citizens’ rights,” while the border regime (with the Berlin Wall from 1961) severely restricted freedom to leave. In international law, the GDR gained broad recognition especially after the 1972 Basic Treaty, without displacing the Federal Republic’s identity as the continuing German state. In 1990, the GDR’s Länder acceded to the Basic Law under former Article 23 via the Unification Treaty; the Two Plus Four Treaty simultaneously restored full sovereignty to united Germany.