What did the former European nation known as the GDR call itself in English?

What is a formal ball for debutantes called? What kind of formal public statement did Abraham Lincoln issue on January 1, 1863? What is a formal reduction in rank, status or position called? A formation known as Half Dome rises more than 4,700 feet above the valley floor in which California national park? A former foreign editor of Time magazine founded which rival news magazine in 1933? Fernando Henrique Cardoso became president of which large South American country in 1995? Which former California governor and presidential candidate was elected mayor of Oakland in 1998? Which former kingdom made up the western part of what is now the Czech Republic?