Life in East Germany 1949-85

What is a welfare state?

a concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens

Why was a welfare system so important in the GDR?

GDR was socialist (everything controlled by the SED, nothing privatised)

When did the SED introduce more generous reforms and when was this undermined by economic shortcomings?

- from mid 1970s
- by the end of the 1980s

What was the impact of WWII on housing?

- widespread damage in urban areas, particularly Berlin and Dresden
- 14% housing destroyed by 1945

What was the quality of housing like in the 1950s?

- over half homes had only 1 or 2 rooms (less than 1/3 had >3 rooms)
- 3% had central heating, 30% toilet, 22% bath

What was the progress in housing quality by the mid-1970s?

limited progress, 20% heating, 50% bath

Where was there need for housing?

in areas where new industries (e.g. in chemicals and electronics) were being developed → labour force located near

What is an example of a housing estate built for workers at a new chemical plant?

Halle-Neustadt (known popularly as 'Hanoi') founded in 1967

What is an example of a housing estate built for workers at a brown coal processing plant?

Hoyerswerda founded in 1955

What were 'socialist new towns' and what did they include?

- new housing for the masses, near new centres of industries
- was to be part of development of society on communist lines
- included health centres, childcare centres, community centres and sports facilities

What was the vision of the SED for housing and why did it become constrained?

- interlinking of workplaces, housing and welfare provision seen as leading to people's lives being totally influenced by official state ideology and policy
- idealistic and strained by the economy → quantity>quality, housing standard model = prefabricated and sub-standard

What was announced in 1976?

a million towns were to be built by 1990

How many houses were constructed between 1971 and 1975?

400,000

By 1980 how was the target exceeded?

rapid construction of Plattenbau (use of large, prefabricated concrete slabs) housing

What did the growth in housing include?

included refurbishing older housing in pre-war districts

How many buildings were refurbished 1971-75?

290,000

By the end of the 1980s how much had the SED spent?

200 billion East German marks

What were the few successes of housing provision?

- large increase in housing constructed - health and education centres and sports facilities in the new towns

What was the real issue with housing?

quality

Why did Plattenbau estates have a bleak and soulless appearance?

quick and easy to assemble, cheap

What are quotes from the local population about housing estates?

'stone deserts', 'lockers to keep workers in' and 'comfort cells'

What was the crime rate like in housing estates?

- high, especially in new towns
- Halle Neustadt had one 20% higher than the nearby old town of Halle

What was a factor in divorces?

young couples often had to live with their parents even after marrying

How did social inequality in housing still remain?

- members of Party in best (large villas/lakeside flats)
- old working-class slums = depressing
- elderly living in older housing and tenement blocks of flats
- principle = housing for all, reality = prioritisation

Who were prioritised for housing?

Party officials and skilled workers - better housing and moved more quick up waiting lists

Who lived in the worst conditions?

the least educated members of society

Even by 1984....

around 1/6 older flats and houses in Leipzig had no sanitary amenities expected by Westerners

What was the main cause of letters of complaint and why?

housing provision - dependent on state

What percentage of young working-class people had sanitary facilities?

49%

What was the purpose of education within the GDR?

- to develop skills required to grow the economy
- to increase creativity and initiative (facade)
- to reinforce political loyalty 
- to promote greater equality and opportunity
- to allow communism to grow
- to bind the population to the state

What was the impact of the Second World War on education?

- damaged buildings
- schools operating in bomb-damaged structures as late as the mid-1950s
- nearly 80% of existing teachers in the Soviet zone had been dismissed from posts due to association with Nazism (in the state Thuringa 97% had been Nazi members)

How was the demand for new teachers after WWII met?

a recruitment programme that deliberately selected applicants from groups who had been persecuted by the Nazis, had emigrated from former German territories in the East and were from the working class (new recruit given full time jobs after as little as 2 weeks training)

What did the 1946 Law for the Democratisation of German schools do and what were set up instead?

- did away with gymnasiums, the traditional system of grammar schools for the academically minded, which were regarded as maintaining upper and privileged social classes
- co-educational Grundschule for 6-14 year olds, after which children attended a secondary school or entered vocational training

What was the GDR's system of education designed to do?

raise academic achievements of all children, avoid disadvantaging those from peasant or working-class backgrounds

What were abolished? (GDR education)

private schools and Church schools

Why were approximately half of university student from working-class homes by the mid-1950s?

universities deliberately favoured admitting students from working-class backgrounds and those from social groups that had suffered from Nazi persecution

What did the 1950s see a move towards with education?

a comprehensive system of secondary education where pupils of all abilities followed the same general curriculum at a polytechnic school

What were pupils offered for the final two years of secondary education?

an academic route in an extended upper school (EOS) or a vocational route

Who were there specialist schools for?

children who excelled at sport, science or mathematics

When was the curriculum especially underpinned by socialist principles?

after the 1965 Law on the Unified Socialist Education System introduced by Margot Honecker (Erich's wife) who served as Minister for Education from 1963 until 1989 - ensured education was driven by the philosophy of the state and Party

What were distinct features of East German education provision?

- all pupils required to study citizenship (highlighted political ideas of the state)
- Russian was language studied - English and French discouraged
- development of links with industry and the world of work - gave older pupils opportunities to undertake work experience (some pupils disillusioned by poor conditions, some led to apprenticeships)

How did the GDR offer many chances of gaining a higher education for a wide range of the population? (more than usual in the West at this time)?

- those in polytechnic schools expected to take the academic route, but GDR careful to ensure those taking the vocational route could progress to higher education
- further education and night courses offered = provided a useful channel for those who showed ability to gain access to university

What was gradually abandoned during the early 1960s and what was the aim?

- the discrimination against university applicants from more middle-class backgrounds
- partly deliberate incentive to dissuade young people from emigrating to the FRG
- to increase student numbers studying maths, science and technology to facilitate the NES

By the 1970s why was there a need to reduce university places?

the GDR began to have an overqualified workforce for the jobs available

The fall in university places increased the need for applicants to demonstrate more political conformity. What did this mean?

- most instances it was sufficient to show passive conformity
- SED maintained control - through membership of FDJ or placing party members in senior university teaching and administration roles
- all uni students had to study Marxism-Leninism, Russia and participate in sports

Who found it more difficult to enter their preferred choice of university or course?

- those who did not participate in the Jugendweihe (coming of age ceremony for 14 year olds marking dedication to state introduced 1954)
- those who opted not to do military service introduced in 1962 - an alternative was working as 'construction soliders' on building projects, but regarded as disloyal and jeopardised later educational and career choices

What were the two fundamental problems in education?

- huge pressure for ideological conformity caused resentment among many
- workforce became overqualified (weren't enough skilled jobs)

What did one sociological survey in the 1970s suggest about workers?

70% of workers were skilled but only opportunities for 55% of them

What did other data suggest? (overqualifications)

20% of workers were doing jobs for which they were overqualified

What was to be commended with GDR education and what was the reality limited by?

- aim of making continuing opportunities available, provided opportunities to better job prospects and quality of life
- the increasing use of education as an instrument through which political loyalty could be tested and rewarded

What were the main principles for SED policy on women?

reverse demographics of ageing population and falling birth rate (only partly helped by Berlin Wall), ideological need for equality

What did the Family Code of 1966 state?

- men and women should share equally in childcare and domestic work
- liberalized the divorce law

What created a higher proportion of women to men?

WWII and emigration of younger men to the FRG

What range of new social policies were announced at the 8th SED Congress in 1971?

- 1972 abortion legal
- contraceptives = free
- maternity leave extended from 18 to 26 weeks 
- 1000 marks for every new-born infant
- mother working hours limited to 40 a week (not expected to do shift work or overtime)
- mothers of children under 18 gained a day off each month for domestic chores, also for females over 40 and single dads
- creches and school facilities expanded

By 1974 what % of infants up to 3 were placed in the creches and nursery school facilities?

60% (exceeded Western world)

What was the issue with the welfare reforms?

preserved traditional gender roles and stereotypes

By the late 1980s what was female employment like?

- one of the highest proportions (90% -> FRG = 50%)
- role in economic well-being taken seriously
- made up much higher proportion in lower-paid and unskilled jobs

Where were women majorly underepresented?

- senior politics → 1984 = 33% deputies to People's Chamber, 19% Central Committee, 2/27 Politburo members (and never reached full status)
- only female Minister - Margot Honecker and wasn't in Politburo

How was there genuine progressive change to do with sexuality?

- 1957 homosexuality legal
- 1970s common to want a sexually fulfilling relationship and many prepared to end where needs not being met, contrasted with sexual objectification in the West
- "East women have more fun, everybody knows that"

Why was health viewed as essential?

for high productivity

Describe healthcare systems.

- series of polyclinics based in every district → general healthcare and some specialised
- 1971 choice of doctor allowed
- much based on preventative medicine and early diagnosis
- care homes for elderly and disabled provided by state but many preferred to live in the family home 

Why were a series of measures announced at the 9th Party Congress in May 1976?

increasing demands for improvements in welfare provision, keep social stability, minimise attraction of West, good publicity

What increases were introduced? (9th Party Congress 1976)

minimum wage, holiday entitlement for working mothers, 20% increase in pensions

When were there real health improvements?

- 1960s and 70s → life expectancy comparable with West, highest in East
- pre- and ante-natal care success → 1959 dying in childbirth lower than FRG
- 1985 birth rate 13.7 (FRG 9.6)
- 1977 number of hospital beds comparable with FRG

How many doctors per 100,000 in 1970 and in 1989?

1970 just under 160, 1989 242

What shows even health care was quantity > quality?

early 1970s there was a lack of gloves and syringes

Why were economic resources under pressure in the late 1970s?

worsening economic situation, increasingly aged population, spiralling costs of new technology, government statements and promises resulted in higher expectations

How was care of the economically undproductive less impressive?

elderly and disabled often placed in care homes where staff had good intentions but little training and poor physical resources
→ mothers of severely disabled = extra days off

Who were prioritised with health care due to limited economic resources?

best facilities often at university hospitals, reserved for Party officials and specialised workers → Party leadership treated at Berlin-Buch hospital in relatively comfy conditions and most up-to-date technology they could afford

How much did the cost of subsidising items like food, rents and transport rise?

16.9 billion Ostmarks in 1980, 49.8 billion by 1989
→ by 1989 for every 100 Ostmarks spent on food, government subsidising it to 89

How did economists understand the government spending problem early?

1972 president of State Bank worries this level of subsidy would make the external debt problems worse - government spent on social welfare at the expense of investment

How much had public investment fell by 1979 and why?

- 1970s 24.4% national income, 1979 fallen to 20.1% (lowest in Soviet bloc)
- government simply lacked money for investment into economy - significant in 1970s but more critical in the next decade

What does pronatalist mean?

relating to the policy or practice of encouraging people to have children/encouraging an increased birth rate (GDR's welfare policy on women was undeniably pronatalistic)

What does social stratification mean?

- the process of categorizing people into groups based on socioeconomic factors
- creates a hierarchy within a society, with some groups having more status and privileges than others
(GDR's welfare system exacerbated social stratification through the institutional prioritisation)

How has the GDR suppressed its population so far?

Berlin Wall, Operation Vermin, death strip, GDR soldiers given honours for killing fleeing citizens (extra pay, honours, holidays)

How many people were successful in fleeing the GDR, how many were shot and how many were imprisoned?

5,000 successful, nearly 200 shot, almost 5,000 imprisoned

What was the purpose of the secret police?

- promote fear, socialism and its achievements
- control, conformity, defend from internal attacks
- State Security Service set up in 1950
- "the sword and shield of the party" "the firm"
- create a climate of fear
- deal with undermining of the SED

Describe the members/staff of the secret police.

- approximately 1,000 full time staff when set up 1950, within 3 years rose to 4,000
- by late 1980s had over 90,000 full time employees and using estimated 175,000 IMs (Informal Members)

What happened (secret police) after the 1953 uprising?

leader Wilhelm Zaisser removed and soon replaced by Erich Mielke (who remained in charge until collapse) - grew in scale and influence under him

Why was there a rapid increase in the size of the Stasi in the 1970s?

a direct counteract to what the SED saw as negative effects of Ostpolitik

Under Honecker what happened to Mielke?

became a member of the Politburo

What did the SED have direct authority to do?

open mail, bug homes, access bank statements, view medical records and use psychological torture

Where were film and recording equipment hidden?

ties, briefcases and cigarette boxes

Where did the Stasi work?

border crossings, passport offices, hotels and airports as well as in factories, universities, the armed forces, hospitals, schools and the Church

What was the role of the Stasi as part of Abgrenzung police in the 1970s?

counter Western influence → root out enemies of socialism in all aspects of life

What did the Stasi operate at least one of and why?

brothel to gather useful information, especially from the West

What happened to the secret police as the GDR became more acceptable on the world stage?

had to reign violence in - individuals and opposition groups targeted with series of subtle attacks to destroy reputation

Give a statistic on telephone bugging.

over 1,000 phones a day bugged in Leipzig

What else did the Stasi do?

spread false rumours, burglaries took place

Give a statistic on investigating post and what did these measures do?

Dresden → 5% post opened and read every day → broke down opposition over time = 'Operational decomposition'

What did the Stasi have to obtain secret information?

department which worked in foreign countries

Why did the Stasi collate 'mood reports'?

to ascertain public opinion - used to help determine government policy or areas to focus on for propaganda, especially at critical points (Berlin Wall)

Who did the Stasi liaise with at certain times and what did this involve?

terrorist groups around the world, such as Irish Republican Army (IRA) the Palistinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the left-wing Red Army Foundation in the FRG -> involved bringing members of these groups into the GDR for arming, training and financial support as well as sending agents out as military advisors - part of ideological war against capitalism and the USA

What did the Stasi devote resources to?

its own psychology department in Potsdam - researched ways to recruit willing individuals

What was the Stasi against?

individuals making voluntary denunciations - preferred to recruit collaborators themselves (improve quality and reliability)

Describe informer recruitment.

checks made, individuals approached by recruitment officer, some resisted and others agreed and signed an official document

What were the reasons why people agreed to cooperate with the Stasi?

- felt they were supporting GDR's path to a communist uptopia - seek out disloyal
- attracted by material rewards (promises of consumer goods cars holidays, or special school places for those in more vulnerbale position), career or education opportunities and what they felt was a higher social status
- use of coercion, blackmailing = recruiting individuals whose behaviour had not come to light (e.g. affairs, homosexuality)

Explain the role of IMs

- some full-time, others used for specific tasks like spying on fellow employees
- elite managed others, infiltrated opposition and worked to ruin tagerts' lives
- over 80% by 1988 used to report citizens' activities (1985 = 1 IM per 120)
- turnover was high (10% a year 1980s) but successfully replaced

What was the driving force behind the Stasi's level of surveillance?

core belief the danger to GDR from negative forces present at every possible section of society - paranoia = anti-socialist opinion = anti-socialist act

What was only revealed when Stasi files began to be opened up in 1990?

the extent of the depth of Stasi infiltration (gathering all info e.g shopping lists) and amount of secret collaboration