German noun

der staat

the state

die planwirtschaft

the planned economy

der genosse / die genossin

comrade

der sozialismus

socialism

die mauer

wall

die grenze

border

der trabant

east German car / trabi

die fdj

free German youth

der plattenbau

prefavricated building / apartment

die volksarmee

people’s army / east German army

die bundeswehr

federal German army / west German army

die datsche

summer house / garden house

der klassenfeind

class enemy

staatssicherheit / stasi

state security service / secret police in the ddr

parteimitglied

party member of the underground party committee

ossis

colloquial term for east german

wessis

colloquial term for west german

eiserner vorhang

iron curtain

das all

outerspace

kosmonaut

russian/east German astronaut

rettungsdienst

ambulance / rescue service

berliner luftbrücke

berlin airlift

bundeswehr

german armed forces west germany

nato

north atlantic treaty

ddr / gdr

east germany

ostalgie

nostalgia for the ddr times

brain drain

educated people fled the ddr

der

wiedervereinigung

reunification

mauerfall

fall of the wall

todesstrifen

death strip

fluchthefler

escape helper

übergang

border crossing

checkpoint charlie

crossing point between east and west berlin

republikflucht

escape from the republic / attempt to flee east germany

grenztruppen

border troops

antifaschistische schutzwall

anti- fascist protective barrier