Question 57
What happened on June 17, 1953 in the GDR?
German original: Was ereignete sich am 17. Juni 1953 in der DDR?. In the test, all questions are asked in German.
Answer options
- the ceremonial accession to the Warsaw Pact
- nationwide strikes and a popular uprising — Correct answer
- the 1st SED party congress
- the first visit of Fidel Castro
Explanation
On 17 June 1953, strikes and a popular uprising broke out across East Germany, triggered by increases in work quotas. Soviet troops suppressed the uprising. In West Germany, 17 June was a national public holiday until 1990.
Key terms in this question
- June — June is the sixth month of the year and has 30 days. It falls in the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.
- himself / herself / itself / themselves / oneself — A reflexive pronoun used when the subject and object of a verb refer to the same person or thing (e.g., 'Er wäscht sich' = 'He washes himself'). It is used with reflexive verbs in German.