DDR is an abbreviation of Deutsche Demokratische Republik, a European state that existed between years 1949 and 1990. DDR is colloquially referred to as East Germany.

DDR came into existance in the early Cold War years after World War II, when Europe was divided between the global super powers, the United States and the Soviet Union. DDR was a party to the communist Warsaw Pact.

DDR was a very closed country, a fact that is most visibly exemplified by the Berlin Wall which marked the border between the East and the West blocs, and which represented a dark chapter in European history.

Keynotes about DDR look into East Germany and the state’s place in modern European history, its connection to the Cold War, communism, Stasi, and much more.