Protestors marching through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

The Uprising of 1953 in East Germany took place in June and July 1953. A strike by Berlin construction workers on the 16th turned into a widespread uprising against the East German government the next day. The uprising in Berlin was violently suppressed by tanks of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (ГСВГ, Группа советских войск в Германии) and the Volkspolizei. In spite of the intervention of Soviet troops, the wave of strikes and protests was not easily brought under control. There were demonstrations even after June 17 in more that 500 towns and villages. The high point of the protests was in the middle of July.

In May 1953, the Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) raised the work quotas for East German industry by ten percent. On June 15, some 60 East Berlin construction workers went on strike after their superiors announced a pay cut if they didn't meet their work quota. Their demonstration the following day caused an eruption of protests throughout East Germany. The strike led to work stoppages and protests in virtually all industrial centers and large cities in the country.