Original: Early history The SED was founded on 21 April 1946 through a merger between members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ( SPD ) and the Communist Party of Germany ( KPD ) who lived in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany and the Soviet-occupied sector of Berlin .
Simplified: The SED was created in 1946 when the Soviet Union forced the Social Democratic Party of Germany ( SPD ) members and the Communist Party of Germany ( KPD ) members who lived in the Soviet-occupied parts of Germany and Berlin .