East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; , DDR), was a socialist state in Central Europe, during the Cold War period. From 1949 to 1990, it administered the region of Germany that was occupied by Soviet forces at the end of World War IIthe Soviet Occupation Zone of the Potsdam Agreement, bounded on the east by the OderNeisse line. The Soviet zone surrounded West Berlin, but did not include it; as a result, West Berlin remained outside the jurisdiction of the GDR. The German Democratic Republic was established in the Soviet Zone, while the Federal Republic was established in the three western zones. East Germany, which lies culturally in Central Germany, was a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Soviet occupation authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948, and the GDR began to function as a state on 7 October 1949. Soviet forces, however, remained in the country throughout the Cold War. Until 1989, the GDR was governed by the Socialist Unity Party (SED), though other parties nominally participated in its alliance organisation, the National Front of Democratic Germany. The SED made the teaching of Marxism-Leninism and the Russian language compulsory in schools.

The economy was centrally planned, and increasingly state-owned. Prices of basic goods and services were set by central government planners, rather than rising and falling through supply and demand. Although the GDR had to pay substantial war reparations to the USSR, it became the most successful economy in the Eastern Bloc. Nonetheless it did not match the economic growth of West Germany. Emigration to the West was a significant problem - as many of the emigrants were well-educated young people, it further weakened the state economically. The government fortified its western borders and, in 1961, built the Berlin Wall. Many people attempting to flee were killed by border guards or booby traps, such as landmines.

Answer this series of questions:

1. What's the official name of East Germany?
2. What is its German acronym?
3. What type of government did it have?
4. Which region of Europe is it in?
5. How long did it exist?
6. Who occupied its land before that?
7. At the end of which conflict?
8. Was West Berlin part of the country?
9. What did other parts of Germany become?
10. How many other zones were there?
11. Who controlled East Germany?
12. Was the Russian army stationed there?
13. For how long?
14. What was built in 1961?
15. Who built it?
16. What problems did the state have?
17. Where?
18. How did that hurt it?
19. Did they learn Russian in school?
20. Which party ran the country for most of the time?

Numbered answers:
1. German Democratic Republic
2. DDR
3. socialist
4. central
5. 1949 to 1990
6. Soviet forces
7. World War II
8. no
9. the Federal Republic
10. three
11. Soviet Union.
12. Soviet forces, however, remained in the country throughout the Cold War
13. throughout the Cold War
14. the Berlin Wall
15. The East German government
16. emigration
17. to the West
18. it weakened it economically
19. yes
20. the Socialist Unity Party