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East Germany was formally and formerly known as the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), or in English:  the German Democratic Republic (GDR).  East Germany consisted of the post-World War II Soviet Occupation Zone (Sowjetische Besatzungszone), which in turn consisted of the middle portion of pre-World War II Germany.  "West Germany," by contrast, consisted of the former American, British, and French occupation zones, and was known formally as the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland; BRD).  In addition, the Soviet occupied portion of Berlin served as the capital of East Germany, and hence came to be known as "East Berlin"; the American, British and French sectors were referred to as "West Berlin."   

East Germany was a client state of the former Soviet Union and followed a strict version of socialist law, particularly with regard to criminal penalties and the surveillance of civilians. In this regard East Germany was more like the former Czechoslovakia than Poland and Hungary, the latter two being much more lenient, particularly toward the end of Soviet domination.

East Germany began fortifying its inner German border in the late 1940s.  The Berlin Wall (which actually surrounded all of West Berlin) was built in 1961.  East Germany opened its borders again on November 9, 1989.  Throughout the following year various reunification steps were taken, including a monetary union during the summer of 1990.  East Germany used a West German constitutional mechanism by which East Germany dissolved itself into constituent states that then individually acceded to the BRD and to the latter's constitution, the Grundgesetz ("Basic Law").  Germany officially re-unified on October 3, 1990.

This research guide outlines the many English and German language East German legal materials that distinguish the University of Iowa Law Library among US academic institutions. 

Chad Graham, a student at the University of Iowa College of Law, authored this Research Guide as part of the course requirements for the fall 2013 Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Advanced Legal Research course.  

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