Democratic Bloc (East Germany)

The Democratic Bloc of Parties and Mass Organisations (Demokratischer Block der Parteien und Massenorganisationen) was a national popular front of political parties and organizations in Soviet-occupied East Germany and the first years of the German Democratic Republic.

History
In parallel with the working staff of the CPSU European Advisory Commission commissioned in early 1944 to develop the exiled Communist Germany own political concept. A first draft was on 6 March 1944 on a working session of the exiled Communist Party presented by Wilhelm Florin. The guidelines developed by the Soviet concept of the future Communist Party saw as a government. After the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht on 8 May 1945 and the Berlin Declaration of the Commander in Chief of the four victorious powers of 5 June 1945 all political activity was prohibited in all zones of occupation. After consultation by Anton Ackermann, and Walter Ulbricht Gustav Sobottka on 4 June 1945 in Moscow allowed the Order № 2 of 10 of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany in June 1945, the formation and activity of anti-fascist parties in the Soviet Occupation Zone. With its call of 11 June 1945, the Communist Party came to Berlin as first advertised to the public and for cooperation:

"The Central Committee of Communist Party of Germany is in the opinion that the above program can be used as a basis for the creation of a bloc of anti-fascist democratic parties (the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party and others) are used. We believe that such a block can form the solid foundation in the fight for the complete liquidation of the remnants of the Hitler regime and for the establishment of a democratic regime."

In addition to the block at the zone level corresponding blocks were set up at the country level. In Brandenburg, the existing three members from the four-party anti-fascist came together to comprise the democratic unit block of Brandenburg on 28 November 1945. In Thuringia, the antifascist-democratic bloc of Thuringia was formed on 17 August 1945. In Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt was founded on 29 August 1945.

In 1950 it was succeeded by the National Front.