East German Administrative Reform of 1952

The administrative reform of 1952 was a measure of the German Democratic Republic for the further centralization of the national administration.

By the law over the further democratization of the structure and the function of the national organs into countries in the German Democratic Republic from 23 July 1952 to the countries one imposed upon to arrange in its area the circles again and to combine several circles into districts. Subsequently, the federal state governments should transfer their tasks to the new districts. This law was the basis for the actual dissolution of the countries in the GDR, although they remained first formally still existing and only were relieved of their management functions. The statutes were converted in the countries by appropriate laws from 25 July 1952. From 132 circles became 217. They were summarized in 14 districts. The members the Landerkammer became according to their domicile members of the new district days. They met however again 1954 arranged to countries for common meetings, in order to select the members of the Landerkammer of the GDR.

In the public, the responsible persons justified the administrative reform with the fact that an arrangement does not correspond to the requirements of the new tasks of the state in independent countries and large circles any longer and an approximation of the administration to the population will follow.