Gorbachev’s influence: the impact of perestroika and glasnost on the GDR’s…

The idea

Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms in the Soviet Union from 1985 had a profound impact on the GDR. Perestroika, meaning economic restructuring, and glasnost, meaning openness, encouraged hopes of change among some East Germans and alarmed the SED leadership, which rejected Soviet-style reform. The pressure for reform grew as citizens compared their restricted lives with the greater openness in the USSR, while the government insisted there was no need for change. Protestant opposition groups, often based in churches, provided spaces for discussion, environmental and peace activism, and later helped organise protests. As the SED refused to adapt, its authority declined, culminating in the peaceful revolution of 1989. The interaction of external reform pressure and internal opposition eroded the government's legitimacy.

What earns the marks

• Explains what perestroika and glasnost were and how they differed from the GDR's orthodox communist policies.
• Shows how Gorbachev's reforms influenced East German government thinking, including the SED's refusal to adopt them and its claim that the GDR needed no reform.
• Describes the impact on the East German people, including increased expectations, disillusionment and the growth of reform pressure.
• Analyses the role of Protestant opposition groups in providing organisation, meeting spaces and a moral voice for reform and protest.
• Assesses how the SED's declining authority resulted from its inability to respond to reform pressure and from the widening gap between state and society.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Assuming that Gorbachev forced the GDR to reform.

  Put it right: Explain that the SED rejected perestroika and glasnost, which increased tension rather than producing controlled change.

• Treating Protestant groups as a single political party.

  Put it right: Recognise their diversity and their role as protected spaces for debate and activism rather than formal opposition parties.

• Confusing glasnost with freedom of speech in the GDR.

  Put it right: Note that glasnost was a Soviet policy that influenced expectations but was not implemented by the East German government.

Exam tips

• Define perestroika and glasnost briefly and then focus on their consequences for the GDR, avoiding a narrative of Soviet history.
• Use examples of Protestant opposition activity, such as environmental or peace groups, to show how pressure for reform was organised.
• Link the declining authority of the SED to specific decisions or statements, such as its rejection of reform, to demonstrate causation.