Regional policy of soviet military administration in Germany 1945-1949: from federalism to Unitarianism

Regional policy of Soviet occupation authorities in Germany remains an underexplored topic both in Russian and foreign historiography. Policy of Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAG) held towards administrative and territorial constitution of Soviet occupation zone of Germany (SOZ) brings an undoubted interest. The purpose of the paper is to hold a complex analysis of regional policy held by Soviet occupational authorities, and to trace its transformation from federalism towards unitary structure. The documents from SMAG, administrative office on Germany of People's com-missariat/Ministry of foreign affairs of the USSR, Foreign policy commission at the Central Committee of the Communist party of Soviet Union, and so from personal heritage of Wilhelm Pieck, Walther Ulbricht and Otto Grotewohl in the Federal Archive of Federal Republic of Germany were used. It is possible to point out four stages in process of administrative and territorial structure reforming: 1) land reorganization based on new borders of Germany in 1945-1946; 2) adopting land constitutions in December 1945-1946; 3) camouflaged transition to unitary state structure during development of the Constitution of German Democratic Republic (GDR) in December 1947 - October 1949; 4) final elimination of grounds for federal state structure in 1952-1958. Elimination of federalism and transition to unitarianism in SOZ/GDR took place due to numerous factors: 1. Soviet totalitarian state model reproduction, which was federal according to Constitution, but unitary de-facto. Stalin's political establishment did not see any purpose in constructing federal system in a country with single nation. 2. SMAG and Socialist Unity Party of Germany recognized appointing of Erhard Hubner from Liberal democratic party to position of minister-president in Saxony-Anhalt as a trade-off to bourgeois parties, which were included into National bloc, and as a major setback since the minister turned out to be too self-sufficient figure, and it took their time to substitute him with more loyal person. 3. The emergence of Cold war, people's democracies in Eastern Europe and de-facto split up of Germany made trade-offs to bourgeois parties in political and legislative aspects unnecessary. In addition to these factors, the following grounds made transition to unitary state structure into practice: elimination of federalism set Weimar Constitution of Germany in 1919 during the establishment of NSDAP state in 1933-1934, and weakening of regional identities in Soviet occupation zone due to arrival of large amounts of refugees and displaced persons.

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