> Calling the former GDR a "developing country"
> is a bit of a stretch. Actually, in 1939 it was probably
> slightly ahead of the West in per capita income and
> in its level of industrialization.
Do you have a source for this?
Furthermore I am not sure whether it make sense to compare the 1939 figures (if there are any usefull at all, administrative divisions in 1939 were different from the 1945 zonal divisons). In the early years of the war a lot of investment took place, whats about its regional distribution? How was it effected by allied arial bombings?
The economic problems faced by the Soviet zone and later the GDR were manifold, reparations to be paid to the SU are only one aspect. BTW reparations to a state that was devasted by the Nazi aggression.
Others problems were the almost compelete absence of heavy industry on the territory of the GDR. After the war it was cut off from the coal areas at the Ruhr and Silesia.
Another problem was the traffic infrastructure. All major roads, rails and waterways went from East to west and not from north to south.
When comapring the East and West German economy one has to keep in mind that the West was much bigger than the East (e.g. a population of 60 Mio vs. 17 Mio.). West German economy was almost immediately integrated into a growing world market, while the East was cut off.
Johannes