The Resume

(October 7, 1949-October 3, 1990)
Formally known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR)
Formed from the Soviet occupation zone of Germany
Area: 41,748 square miles (slightly larger than Ohio)
Capital was East Berlin

Why East Germany might be annoying:

Despite its official name, it was nowhere near democratic.
A workers' uprising was suppressed by Soviet troops (June 17, 1953).
Its population steadily declined throughout its existence.
It had to put up a wall to stop people from fleeing to the West.
Its Olympic success had a lot to do with a massive state-run doping program.
Two decades after the Berlin Wall came down, eastern Germany's standard of living and per capita income remain well below the rest of Germany.

Why East Germany might not be annoying:

It was German and a republic, so the name got two out of three right.
It had one of the strongest economies among Soviet-bloc nations.
It achieved this relative success despite the Red Army shipping a third of the country's industrial equipment to Russia as war reparations.
It reunited peacefully with West Germany.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 25]
• Cold War Participants
• Compass Names
• Countries of Europe
• Countries That No Longer Exist
• I'm a Communist
• Profiles 27501-27750 (Ranked: 27529)
• Summer Olympic Medals - Won by Country [1896-2004] (Ranked: 409)
• Winter Olympic Medals - Won by Country [1924-2002] (Ranked: 110)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 16 Votes: 6.25% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 26 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 78.57% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 26 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 188 Votes: 65.43% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 36 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 19 Votes: 57.89% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 25 Votes: 68.00% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 56 Votes: 69.64% Annoying