Growing Up in the Soviet G.D.R. (Communist East Germany) | Interviews With Locals
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2020
- Cycling across the world, interviewing locals along the way! Note: views expressed are not my own.
Have you ever wondered what life was like in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin wall?
Petra grew up behind the iron curtain in the communist G.D.R. (German Democratic Republic), a Soviet satellite state formed after WWII. I met her in Rauen, a small village some 60km East of Berlin, where she sat down with me to talk about her experience living in a country that no longer exists, including her run-in with East Germany's stasi (secret service), and the West's misconceptions about the nation she once called home.
She lived close to the East German border, which enabled her to have some level of exposure to West Germany, since they received West German radio and TV signal, even though tuning into anything other than the East German TV and radio signals was a punishable offence. But she had very little experience of the outside world before West and East Germany reunification.
The cold war meant there was a lot of hostility between places like the GDR and the West. We're often taught that everything in the Soviet Union and its satellite states was awful. But was East Germany bad? What was East Germany like? How was everyday life in the GDR for people like Petra? Have a watch of an interview on East Germany, and life in the GDR.
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BACKGROUND:
For the last 1.5 years, I've been on a cycle tour from Tromsø in Northern Norway to Baku, Azerbaijan, while interviewing locals along the way for my blog. Cycle touring for beginners like me can be intimidating; I'd ridden a bike 4 times in the previous 10 years before this journey, but I decided to jump in at the deep end and learn about bikepacking and touring while I was on the road. After watching a few videos on "how to cycle tour", I set off, and covered 11 countries by bike (and took detours to another 2).
Travel blogs and vlogs tend to focus on the traveller; what they did, where they ate, etc. I figured there are enough of those out there, so this one aims to be a little different. Who really cares what I think? Instead of providing another Brit’s opinion on the world around them, why not get the perspectives of the people that live in some of the places I find myself in?
So, I’ve been interviewing people in the places I visit on my 6,000km cycle tour to understand life according to locals around the world. I’m exploring perceptions, values, politics and delicacies as I travel throughout Eurasia and further afield, using a specially tailored interview format that will demonstrate how these change as I move from region to region. Most of them are written articles on my website, but I've decided to compile the best audio from those interviews and combine it with videos from the adventure.
Long distance cycle touring alone was always going to be a challenge, but I got used to it after a month, and eventually started to truly appreciate it. I didn't have much cycling gear or expertise, and I resorted to using an old Trek mountain bike that I got for free, which was frustrating at times, but I found motivation in the locals I met along the way, and the far-flung places I reached off the beaten track.
The adventure by bike introduced me to a new side of travel. I'd never interacted so much with local people and my surroundings, when I'd been abroad or been so exposed to the kindness of strangers. Travelling so slowly as I pedalled made me feel immersed in the countries and cultures I cycled through, and it forced me to stop in some of the more obscure places the world has to offer. All in all, cycling the world shows you a side of some countries that most travellers never get to appreciate.
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TLDR: for the past 1.5 years, I've been cycling from Northern Norway to Azerbaijan while interviewing locals along the way. Find out more at the links below!
Facebook Page: / tieranfreedman.co.uk
Instagram: / tieranfreedman
Website: www.placepersonplate.com
![[Vowel]물고기는 물에서 살아야 해🐟🤣Fish have to live in the water #funny](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3G9MH063Cx4/mqdefault.jpg)
My grandad was an Irish diplomat based in Bonn in the late 70s and early 80s - and would occasionally attend events in (East) Berlin with representatives of other neutral European countries.
Although the GDR was far from perfect, he always said that it was admirable how they managed to house their entire population whilst simultaneously having to repay the USSR for the actions of the Nazis. The people he met were always very hospitable too.
Much more than the West Germans
That was my experience. I traveled through the DDR in '90, before they officially reunited with W. Germany, and I found the people to be extremely friendly, even the border guards!
In Socialism self criticism is important, because without it, the Socialist system will never evolve, and when we stop class struggle and self criticism, its no longer Socialism, its revisionism, and this is what killed the Socialist system in the end.
Socialism goes against human nature. The entire system from marxism to stalism to maoism to reformed socialism all fail. Sadly greed is what gives people insensitive to work and invent. There's always a ridiculous amount of curruption in commy countries and always will be dictators like Stalin and Mao. It's a failure in everyway. U'd have to be an idiot to actually believe in communism. Cambodia is a good example of an average commy society.... A quarter of the population murdered in just a few years.
and than the good Christians, the glorious Muslim's and so on............Stop good ideas ! Start good doings ! Start very slowly with YOURSELF not with the society
@@51tomtomtom people: born in a third world country, corrupted by mega corporations, got bombed by NATO, got couped by CIA countless times
Capitalism bootlickers: wOrk oN YoUrsElf bROO
Yeah, but also the Leninist preoccupation with the past has made us unable to evolve as well
socialist systems never worked, ... you never noticed? And in communist countries, don't dear to criticise the system. In Cuba, people were condamned to prison, last year. They deared to organise a demonstration!
"soviet GDR" is like saying "american west germany"
The more literal analogy would be "state east germany", since "United States" and "Soviet Union" are almost identical in their meaning (i.e. a union of councils/states)
It's " Soviet Communist Germany " .
Yeah
@@Valyssi communism is straight up garbage 🗑
@@markhall6306 your brain is straight up garbage 🗑
What an insightful and well produced video. We often think in such a black and white way. No one can deny the failures of East Germany, but nor should they deny its successes. I did my dissertation on this subject. And repeatedly people would say similar things -- there was repression, and there was a denial of human rights, but there were also many things they missed -- such as full employment, the provision of housing and the lack of a consumer economy. But it's fascinating to hear from witnesses - people who lived through it and can give an account of what it was really was like - 'I'm a witness, and I was there' - these accounts are truly valuable. Thank you for sharing.
Hey man, glad you enjoyed it! As someone who rarely had a chance to hear about the nuances of the Soviet Union, I found it really eye-opening to interview people who lived in the former Soviet and communist countries. A good summary I heard from another interviewee was: "in communism, people didn't have much but at least they had something. In capitalism, a few people have a lot, but a lot of people have nothing". A lot of people I spoke to acknowledged the shortcomings and human rights issues of the Soviet Union, but they missed the stability. Many considered themselves worse off now, especially the older generations further East in countries like Ukraine and Moldova. It's a shame we aren't taught this more, and that it's so often oversimplified and painted as all bad.
Thanks for the lovely feedback! It's especially good to hear that from someone who's studied it :)
@@TieranFreedman Thank you for this. I spent most of my childhood in the GDR, my parents were very critical of the system and we even attempted to escape in the summer of 1989. When the wall fell, we stayed and, excited at first, also witnessed how the new system did not only not benefit a lot of the people but caused a major drop in their quality of life. I think people who grew up in the former socialist countries and then experienced the capitalist system are - assuming they are able to take a broader look beyond their own story of failure or success - in a fairly unique position to see through the propaganda from both sides and be critical of both.
@@eleanorrigby9556 Hi Eleanor. Apologies for the late reply, I've been off CZcams for a while focusing on some other projects that will be coming out on here soon :)
Thank you for sharing your story, I can't even begin to imagine what that experience must have been like. May I ask how old you were when that happened, and which region of the GDR you were from?
That's a really good point. A lot of people I interviewed in former Soviet countries had views that surprised me based on what I'd seen and read before. I'd only ever heard people talk about the USSR in a black and white way before, so it was fascinating to explore the nuance behind it all. A lot of them were critical of some aspects of it, but told me they missed others. It made me think how strange it is that its often people from Western capitalist countries who never lived in the USSR that dictate whether it was good or bad, when actually speaking to those who lived in it one of it's satellites shows you a whole different side to it.
The GDR wasn’t Soviet Germany, they were their own country.
@@TieranFreedman I feel like if it were stable though, it wouldn't have completely collapsed in on itself.
I remember being on holiday in Bulgaria in 1985 and a waiter in a restaurant told me they all aspired to go to work in East Germany because life was better there for them.
I knew a person who grew up in East Germany, he told me something that has stuck with me: "You didn't starve...but you never felt Full either." He didn't have to say it but he meant Body and Soul.
That's a great way to put it. When referencing why some people missed the Soviet Union, one other person I interviewed (if I remember right, he was from Moldova) said something like "under communism, people didn't have a lot, but at least they had something. Now, very few people have a lot, and a lot have nothing." He personally saw improvements to his life after the collapse of the USSR, since it gave him an opportunity to start his own business, but he empathised with those who didn't.
P.S. Apologies for the late response, been keeping away from CZcams for a while focusing on some other projects that will be coming out soon :)
do you have to feel full? can you be full? in capitalism we always strive for more and more because we are chasing that feeling of full, but when we reach it, we feel empty again. chasing this never ending cycle is unsustainable and toxic.
especcially horendous since giving some the abilitity to participate in that cycle causes others to die
@@redlorax5380 imagine romanticizing food rationing. Communists live in a parallel universe
@@eduuuEMC I'm not talking about food rationing. I'm talking about billionaires going to space because they don't know what to do with their money. Whilst at the same time people starve to death because they are over exploited by those same billionaires
@@redlorax5380 and the people suffering and dying from other milionaire "leaders" who have everything and still let their people die
look now whats happening in cuba
what happend a couple of years ago in venuzuela
same thing in africa
corrupt leaders letting their people starve
yes the money from milionaires could be used diffrently
but do you know how much goes to charity?
and how much actually ends up at the people's doors?
going to space was limited to chosen people (by the government)
they wasted a lot of money on that while there where poor people
so lets say
you got bilions on your account
which you made and payed all your taxes from
would you think its fair that you end up having just enough to feed yourself and your family
and the rest would be spend on people that don't even like you?
life is about taking risks
how many people tried to get to that point and failed miserably?
yes life is not fair
nothing is fair
hell, you could be born with no legs
money doesn't make you happy
be proud more people are getting into space
even normal jackoffs like you and me could go to space one day
thats called progress ....
lets drag in another example
you know what happend in rwanda?
there where white farmers there
that got killed and driven away by government rebels
farms got taken over
the folks didn't know how to farm
eventually even more people died of hunger
just because of greed and hate
My father served for 2 years in the army of URRS in Eastern Berlin.
He even saw the fall of the Berlin Wall.I love him he told me a lot of stories from there.❤
Based
so he was member of the occupying force ... did the Germans like him?
*U.S.S.R.
East Germany in soviet era had given immense support to Poor countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in Technology.
Naturally beautiful country rather than West Germany.
As an East German, i'm so happy for reunification.
Thank God, i don't have to grow up in a Communist dicatorship.
You do know that most of those tech were stolen by the stasi from West Germany?
Are you drunk ? Or drugged ?
what exactly did they sent? Kalashnikovs? Trabants?
East Germany was a tyrannical shithole like the rest of the eastern block.
Beautifully shot, testimonies like this are fascinating and so important. So important.
This is fascinating, I knew from some people I met that the GDR wasn’t as bad as the media shows.
Like a lot of people here say it’s not black and white and I know that every story is unique and individual and I believe the GDR was one of the most stable places behind the iron curtain.
Keep up your hard work and I hope this Chanel grows.
Thank you! I plan to make many more videos in the coming year 😊
I'd only heard bad things about the GDR before this interview, so it was refreshing to hear a totally different perspective. As Pit said, there were bad and good things, and it's important to recognise the things that were done well, whilst also acknowledging the lack of freedom of expression, for example, rather than paint the whole thing with one brush and say it was all terrible.
@@kittycatwithinternetaccess2356 millions? Well I can't expect much from a person having "🇺🇦" in their name
@@kittycatwithinternetaccess2356 makes me wonder which country openly uses Nazis symbols on it's military uniform and voted against the UN resolution to prevent the glorification of Nazism
@@kittycatwithinternetaccess2356 lol here comes the "muh uKrAiNe NoT nAzIs CaUsE jEwS rULe It". It was literally under his leadership that this once a beautiful nation voted against to not glorify Nazis in the UN along with the USA. Stop running from facts European
@@kittycatwithinternetaccess2356 Ukrainian volunteers? It was an entire organization which was responsible for genocide of Poles, Jews and Russians in WW2. And also since 2014 Pro Nazi slogans like "Heil Hitler" and "Glory to the Hitler youth SS" had become more common (these are infact reported by the Western media outlets between 2015-2021
Those citizens that speak english are usually the most critical of socialism as they were part of the intelligencia. Those who's life improved the most with socialism was the rural world. Testifying from rural Bulgaria
This can be seen online. Comments from English speakers and diasporas (especially on places like Reddit which attract middle-class pseudo-intelectuals) usually shit on past/present socialist states but the ones in other languages are more positive.
When you consider how Hitler left them and how they were a conquered people. They literally were risen from ruins. You must try to understand this. And how you would have coped in such a situation.
It was not all bad and cruel. No, out of the ashes new hope sprouted.
Thats what the german flag represents. Black for ashes/darkness/death, red for war and gold for prosperous new times.
Even though they were communist, they were also Germans, an industrious and conscientious group of ppl. That helps
Capitalistic block in the firsts years after end of the war were about to destroy Germans as nation and make all germans slaves (figuratively) who will live in their own land but with nothing in there forever until theres no such thing as german nation, but when they understand socialist block were not into their plan they were forced to refuse of this plan and make everything in opposite - invest lots of capital and efforts in lands near socialist block, including west Germany, so people of socialist block were dissatisfied with socialism because of this sight and slowly collapse regime from the inside. Of course it was only one of reasons of socialist block fail, but still people should remember that that "monster" Stalin literally saved the nations from shameful rotten scenario
And the thing i was talking about called "the Morgenthau plan" and its subsequent versions, anyone can read about it
It's called the Marshall plan.. Germany was rebuilt with capitalist money.. fuck the DDR
That's because they didn't have to pay for all the destruction they caused in WWII.
Soviet Union absorbed most of the death and destruction of WWII
and thereafter supported the rebuilding of these countries
at great cost to itself.
Not that Stalin gave a damn about his own Soviet people though.........
Great video and music. Very interesting and looking forward to more! 👍🏼
Thank you for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Great content, hope you make more like this, i *really* enjoyed it.
Small thing bothering me, the title says "interviews with locals", but only one person (i think) spoke, this might be a recurring title in your videos, i am new here so i wouldn't know, found this channel by looking up the life of people under the GDR, was hoping to hear more people.
But don't let what i said bother you, as i firstly said, this is great content :).
Edit: grammar.
Thanks Oshri! Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the feedback :) I will definitely be making more of them, the next one will be about Polish nationalism, so keep an eye out!
I called it "Interviews with Locals" because it's a series. Each video is just one interview with one (sometimes two) local people in different parts of the world on a different topic. There will be quite a few of them so I made it plural (though I've only published two so far). I can see why that would be unclear though, so I hope that clears things up; maybe I can think of a better title!
GDR set a blueprint, let's fix the bad and make it even better.
Yeah I've heard many others say similar things! It's a shame I didn't get an accurate understanding of the GDR before I started researching it more. I was just told that "EVERYTHING in the GDR was bad".
@@TieranFreedman Exactly. Propaganda. Of course there was bad, but when u get beyond that, people ultimately had security. Check out Victor Grossman and his books. An American who fled the US occupation zone in the early 50s and expresses his opinion about his time there. Amazing insight.
@@mathewarellano4087 Thanks for the reccomendation, I'll check him out! Yeah it's really crazy how biased the representation of Soviet Union and its satellite states is. The number of people I spoke to across the ex-USSR who said they missed it really surprised me. One of my favourite responses was "back then, people didn't have much but at least everyone had something. Now a few people have a lot and the rest have nothing." And yeah I think people miss the stability and security of everything most of all.
@@TieranFreedman weird that people you said encountered did not miss the labor camps, gulags, secret soviet police, KGB, the miserable clothing, miserable housing, and miserable lifestyle even if they are 100% employment. And GDR, which had nothing of democracy in it, was the best in GDP and life style among the soviet satellite. Besides what stability are you talking about? The Soviet Union brainwashed its population into fear of nuclear extintion nd war with the capitalist pigs of the West.
@@marcosmelendez09 I don't think anybody would deny that they thought those were bad, including Pit in this video. But so many people that I spoke to in several different former-USSR countries said they missed the job stability, and the fact that even though people didn't have a lot, they at least had something. When the Soviet Union collapsed people lost everything; their jobs, their savings, their livelihoods. One of my friends' fathers lost his job as a highly skilled engineer, and ended up spending the rest of his working days trying to sell clothes at the Ukrainian border. The sad fact is that some of these countries have not recovered, and many people are worse off today, economically speaking, than they were in the USSR.
Nobody denied the negative aspects, but a lot of people I spoke to, given the choice, would revert back to life in the USSR. But as Pit said, "There were bad things, there were good things. Let's keep the good things in this new world".
The east German people never appreciated Socialism...
Until they saw capitalism
So true for all of the east
Great interview! Kinda how I imagined it would be.
Thanks Andy, glad you enjoyed it! :)
My grandfather and 3 of his friends got work visas and rode their motorbikes to West Germany in the 50s to flee the GDR, he only told his youngest sister that he didn't plan on returning, and never saw his family again. He found his father, and worked in Cologne for several years before immigrating to Australia and meeting my grandmother. Thank you for sharing your stories, they are similar to what my pop told me, although he doesn't remember many of the details now.
If you lowered the background music it would be far easier to hear what the woman is saying.
Hey, thanks for the feedback! Yeah others have said that, too. This was only the second video like this I ever made, so hopefully my sound mixing is a bit better in the ones I'm editing nowadays :)
2:40 When your can recognize people from the Secret Service (STASI) by their clothing then it's actually not a secret service anymore!
What is the area you are cycling in this video. what is the path along the river
Hey I really like this video and I love hearing first hand accounts like this, but I have one small criticism about the audio mixing. At times, the music becomes a tad bit too loud and since the woman is soft spoken it can be hard to hear what she is saying sometimes. Other than that I really enjoyed this video, and the river in the video is so beautiful!
Hey Adrian, thanks for the feedback! Yeah it's a good point. This was one of my earlier videos, and I hadn't managed to get the sound mixing quite right yet. I have a series coming out late in the summer and hope to have improved it a lot by then!
Cycling along the Elbe was stunning. I think it's the most sparsely populated region in Germany. It was a slightly difficult period psychologically, as I was at the beginning of over a year of solo cycling to Azerbaijan, and was finding the prospect of all that solitude ahead very daunting. But the tranquility of the countryside along the banks of the Elbe was very therapeutic, especially when it diverged and I found myself cycling between two channels.
Glad you enjoyed the video (or at least the parts of it you could hear 😂)
@@TieranFreedman I also enjoyed the video, but the subtitles were almost comical! A weird mix of German and English. The Stasi saga continues to unfold. That the whole fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and later reunification could take place without bloodshed is a true wonder, an act of divine grace, thanks to the sound judgement of the people at the time.
the music is way too loud
Hey man, thanks for the feedback! Yeah someone else said that, too. This was only the second video like this I ever made, so hopefully my sound mixing will be better in future ones.
P.S. Apologies for the late reply, been off CZcams for a while focusing on some other projects that will be coming out on here soon :)
But it was very common to watch western television in the east? It wasn't banned or anything, it was just frowned upon because it was used as targeted propaganda to easterners. You wouldn't be punished for it.
Hey, thanks for the comment! :)
Happy to be corrected, but I was under the impression that Western TV was officially banned in East Germany from 1973, though most people weren't punished for watching it and it was unofficially tolerated.
@E Interesting, so it wasn't a tolerance of the ideas espoused in Western media, but more of a sense of "this doesn't matter and isn't worth our trouble" kind of thing?
@E They were afraid that Western Propaganda would make them change their minds
Thats how the society works my man
@@TieranFreedman actually it was at the start banned but so many people still watched western TV so that this went obsolete and wasn't punished.
What is the name of a music track playing in the background?
awesome video but do you have any sources that there were no unemployed?
unemployment was prohibited in east germany ... you had to work ... the only way to avoid that was by being physically and mentally unable to work .
Your content is very interesting.
Go on like this. 👍
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This can be so much more enjoyable to watch if the background music wasn't louder than the narration audio
its an interesting trend that as each eastern block country wens capitalist that is when there was a resurgence in socialist popularity that had to be put down, that popularity has stayed strong for the people who lived in the GDR
My car was built in the DDR in a town called Zwickau! 👍
We MUST re~examine the GOOD in the D.D.R. and embrace its strengths! Good stuff here :-))))
Thanks Michael! Agreed, it is a shame that there's not much to be found on the benefits of the USSR. Most material tends to paint it as all bad. I'm not at all denying it's flaws, of which there were many, but we should look back on it and acknowledge the good things as well as the bad.
P.S. Apologies for the late reply, been off CZcams for a while focusing on some other projects that will be coming out on here soon :)
@@TieranFreedman 🌟☝️😎✌️THANKSSS for the reply, “P.P.P.”!! Even if delayed ;-))) , great to get your shout~out!!
@@michaelfabian3036 😊 Thanks for your comment!! Also, once those projects are out my channel name will change. Exciting times but it means I won't be "PPP" for much longer! :) 🙂
The DDR sucked in almost everything.
No Freedom of speach, no real elections, restricted media and culture even music styles were forbidden. Harsh sentences for breaking harmless laws or practising freedom of speech.
Hardline police state that spys on everything you do (and people criticise the CIA LOL, justified but not even close to the same extent)
Murdering people who try to flee the state, faking all crime statistics, heavy indoctrination in School with countless lies.
No good suply of commodities, with 10 year waiting lists for a car. People had to trade stuff like car parts around because it wasn't available otherwise. Owning a (tapped) phone was a luxury.
A lot of products didn't even exist, and needed stuff like good computers got sold to the west to desperately try to keep the economy afloat which went down the shitter, the biggest reason for the collapse of the sowjet union. So much was the DDR behind that the east is still economically far behind the west in Germany even after reunification. Reunification had and has a lot of mistakes in them but the biggest reason the task is so difficult is that the DDR was economicly mismanaged for 40 years. If you want improvement to your system look in other places, even if you only want to take small parts, it's way more beneficial and you have a way lower risk in missing something or tripping up. Take a social democratic capitalist system which deals better with hunger and homelessnes and ask yourself why.
@@ghosty0612 Of course a lot of problems were related to bad management, but bear in mind that most of the industry was and still is in the West of Germeny
Very interesting to hear.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! :)
Prison is better the randomly getting killed in the US by police if u have to choose which is worse.
Interesting thought. Things do seem to be getting a little out of hand over there these days. Are you from the US?
Ja. Unfortunately.
That is a gross misrepresentation of the true nature and scope of the problem here.
@@TieranFreedman yes
@@tim72184 in Germany or Amerika?
It would be better if you loose the music, it spoils the interview.
I appreciate the comments.
Why has all this been hidden
One of the biggest political transitions in World history. Surely it deserves exposure
I wonder that too sometimes. It is very strange how little attention it gets. So many people in Europe grew up in a different world to today. But I think maybe it's easier for people to say "the USSR was bad and everything's good now that it's gone" than to actually examine the nuance behind it all.
P.S. Apologies for the late reply, been off CZcams for a while focusing on some other projects that will be coming out on here soon :)
The USA has been dedicated to an ongoing Cold War it’s mainly waged against its own citizens just in case some one thinks having zero homeless, guaranteed housing, education and medicine is a good thing.
for what ? If you would know just 10% of what really happened there you wouldn't write such romantic bullshit
@@51tomtomtomanother ignorant fool crying in the comment section
Sehr interessant. Schade nur, dass die mMusik überlappt. Ich werde es nie verstehen, warum man Videos, bei denen es ums Zuhören geht, mit Musik unterlegt.
Like it’s good commentary but to me it kinda seems like it’s skewed anti-Soviet on purpose and just lightly demonizing them. And not be a blind apologist, the ussr had its problems, but imo there’s was as much or more good than bad. It was a brilliantly successful experiment and step in the right direction and… idk if this is really helping. If we want a world worth living in we need to rationally and logically look at the past movements and realize their mistakes but also the things they got right. And idk if this video is doing a fair job of that. If a centrist or a kid that doesn't know anything about politics watches this what’s going to be their takeaway? Like will it be that the Soviet Union was a flawed but ultimately good attempt at achieving something different than the shitty system we have now or is it that the soviets were bad and the secret service boogeymen will come get you in the night. And it’s not blatantly anti-soviet but it’s not great.
The music is fine. Why so many complaints?
I am very hopeful that there seems to be a much more nuanced view of countries like the GDR coming to light in the public consciousness. Instead of overtly ideologically motivated demonization or glorification.
Yeah reading some of these comments has actually been refreshing, as many seem to recognise that not everything is black and white, despite how things are often portrayed.
@@TieranFreedman Yeah if there's anything I've learned over a decade and a half of following the goings on in the world is that everything tends to be quite quantum in nature.
I was once in Berlin eating dinner with a west German east German couple and another American. And I and the two Germans started talking about propaganda, and we all shared stories about US propaganda, West German propaganda, and East German propaganda.
Suddenly my American friend got upset and said, “America doesn’t have propaganda, at least I never noticed it!”
I actually would like the Cold War to end already and have honest discussions so society as whole can do better than both. But part of the issue is the US citizen is far more propagandized than the Europeans.
That said, my East German friend’s main complaint of the era was a neurotic fixation as to why he was not chosen to be a pioneer, he was still very upset after 15 years.
You can't demonize the country enough over the thousands shot trying to flee. The unknown numbers put in prison for daring to disagree with their government. The danger of "nuanced" views is that they often end up being romanticized. Look at the Stalin apologists - in spite of him killing millions. Look at how Mao is still idolized when he killed millions with his great leap forward.
Enjoyed this. Thank you. Not everything is black and white
Unbelievable!
A pity that the specious and unnecessary music detracts from the video and reduces audibility.
Very interesting video that I would like to hear better. Your audio background is waaaay too loud for me to hear the interviews. Please correct this problem and republish.
Very interesting and nuanced take. There was a large secret police but homelessness and unemployment was a thing of the past.
Thanks so much, glad you found it interesting! Yeah that was fascinating to hear, and made it easier to understand why so many people in the former soviet union or its satellite states actually miss the days of the USSR. Much more financial stability and job security, and a more even quality of life, with the trade off being a reduction in personal freedoms.
@@TieranFreedman @Tiernan The things you mentioned (stability and quality of life) are among the most-quoted reasons why people in western countries tend to join intentional communities (formerly called "communes").
Over 40 years had been separated from normal(?) life then ecomodtating to this comment would! it takes enormously time to get western life style...or before to enter this new life style could face to another very very new life style...perhaps better! NEW! COMPLETELY NEW AS FOR WHOLE WORLD.
WELCOME TO GEORGE SORROWS WORLD!
THANK YOU ANGELA MERKEL.
Stalinist East Germany showed us what is possible if you have a none-capitalist economy. However the country was deformed by birth, due to the absence of democratic control from the working class. In 1989, the Stalinist regime was overthrown, yet there was no workers party. This allowed pro-capitalist forces to win the election and the GDR was annexed by the FRG (West-Germany) in October 1990. In just a few years all that was build in East Germany was destroyed. 90% of all jobs lost, many ended up in poverty due to their inability to work inside a brutal market system build on competition and greed. Even after 35 years, the divide is still visible. Capitalism has not created massive wealth for the majority East German workers. Despite all the anti-GDR rhetoric from the ruling class, many remember that there were good things that capitalism does not provide in the Free Democratic Order of Germany.
Hi tieran, how u doin
All good over here mate, missing Norway a bit though!
Why did people want to watch advertisement on TV?
Hey! My understanding is that it gave them insight into the Western world. Remember, in communist East Germany there were very few private businesses, and there was no advertising at all until shortly before the reunification of East and West Germany. So, imagine if you lived in a world without advertising, where almost all business was publicly owned, but you had access to a TV or radio channel where you could see all these strange adverts made by private companies to sell their products. It would be a glimpse into a totally different, capitalistic culture to yours.
@@TieranFreedman yeah, in former Soviet republics ads were one of the most captivating things on TV in 1990s.
I Wonder to this day if the GDR had followed in Tito's footsteps and allowed it's people to travel without walls wether today many might have chosen the GDR over the FRG.
Definately from experience wether human or Animal locking something in simply builds the desire to want to break free.
Wether once outside the person likes what they find is another thing but nature itself says....... Don't walk on the grass and someone thinks......i'm going to one day walk on the grass.
Interesting point. But I suppose they sensed that no limits on the movement of people would have threatened the union and cause a serious "brain drain" as so many skilled workers would end up leaving to cross to the West. But you're right, I'm sure the desire to leave was probably increased by the decision to prevent people doing so.
P.S. Apologies for the late reply, I've been off CZcams for a while focusing on some other projects that will be coming out on here soon :)
@@TieranFreedman this is why socialism is inherently flawed. To not be able to walk “on the grass” is the definition of a lack of freedom. If people had that ultimate freedom and chose to wonder away from their home country, the socialist economy implodes. It is however interesting to see the social culture of these societies though. Always remember that in communist countries, the big wigs were living like the most supreme crony capitalists you can imagine.. Honneker was not living like an average ost Berliner, no, he was living a lavish lifestyle. An extreme example is Kim jong eun, where many are starving and he is living a life of gluttony. I’m still fascinated by the way people adapt and live in these situations though. I agree it must have not been all bad. But the premise fails before it starts. I wonder why , for the most part, you never hear about people who run into communist countries… you only hear about them fighting for their lives to get out. It’s because freedom is worth that fight.
Sry I meant that response to David hoy
@@wjs010ify freedom there is no such thing under capitalism, the people fleeing were skilled workers who wanted more money and knew the West was Willing to pay them more, also leaders of communist countrys dont live in extreme wealth that is capitalist propaganda to try to convice you that if "they do that than its ok for us to do so" communist countrys are more free and democratic than The West ever was or will ever be
@@wjs010ify not being able to travel isn’t a socialist policy. The Chinese, Yugoslav, Cuban and Vietnamese people have the ability to travel around the world. In fact Yugoslavia at one point had one of the strongest if not the strongest passports in the world.
North Korea is a bit different. North Koreans are allowed to travel into china but must return after a certain time. So they have limited freedom of movement but as I understand it it’s because North Korea is terrified cause human trafficking is an issue for North Korean citizens. Many North Korean citizens who venture outside of china find themselves abducted and sent to South Korea where they receive South Korean citizenship and become “defectors”. There’s a large population of these people who can’t go home to North Korea to their families.
The soviets tho really had no excuse for not allowing its citizens to leave on holiday or for any other reason. Many countries were offering citizenship to “defectors” much like South Korea does for North Koreans or America does for Cubans but apart from that there isn’t a valid case to block freedom of movement between the western world and the east. Maybe they thought that the USSR’s territories were so large and citizens were allowed to go on quite a lot of holiday destinations within the USSR they thought it was unnecessary I don’t know.
Also socialism doesn’t mean “everyone gets paid the same”. It doesn’t work like that. Socialism means workers are paid over the value and quality of their work. A doctor in the USSR would have earned more than a bin man. So many workers lived decent lifestyles as well. As for the leadership, yes there is a proper problem within many socialist countries leadership as many take more money than they should. But a system like in Cuba demonstrates a better, true example of how socialist politicians should be. They are normal workers who can run for political office and be democratically voted in. These politicians don’t get paid to do this extra work and must continue their normal jobs alongside their new political responsibilities. That way there is no disconnect between politicians and the workers as they are also workers.
I can give adequate sources for what I’m talking about if you have any inquiries.
Usa really sided with the wrong enemy
Loved this. Please make more DDR historical videos. Less background music please. 🖤💔💛
The background music is too loud makes difficult understanding what is being said
Hey, thanks for the feedback, fair point! This was only the second video I made in this style, so hopefully my sound-mixing will be a bit better in later ones :)
While I'm very grateful for the reunification, I think, in hindsight, it might have been better if the actually democratic GDR took its time to recover on its own after the wall fell and not fall prey to our western ways.
It was a shame to see east Germany die. Guaranteed jobs, guaranteed housing, free health care
Lol. And zero ambition. Soul death.
guaranteed prison if you deared to protest.
Guaranteed to be spied upon by the Stasi.
God bless you for all your videos . I don’t know if you are religious. If you are not religious please forgive me . I wish you the best
Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying them 😊
Damn talk about overkill with the background music.
growing up in PEACE and Trust.
The disturbing background music ruined it!
Interesting movie, but the music is disturbing.
Music is so loud
Why the loud background music? No need for this, It drowns out the commentary.
This is a very old video of mine, I like to think my sound mixing has improved a bit since then haha
This is very interesting, of course, but the lady's voice is really faint
Hey, thanks for the feedback! Have to confess that sound mixing isn't my forte, and I didn't have much experience using my mic back when I interviewed her. Hoping my newer audio for stuff I'll be releasing this year is clearer! :)
INTRESTING
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
I am a Socialist in Liverpool England, I recognise what this woman is saying ... She liked State Provision yet she had no Democracy, Human Rights, or a consumer economy!
I want a society with Socialist Values ... State and local Authority provision witin a market economy, human rights and democracy many northern and western countrys use that system, its called Social Democracy!.
You aren't a socialist. You live in a capitalist country with certain socialist tendencies. You should thank God you aren't in Venezuela or Cuba, "comrade".
@@GUITARTIME2024 If you read what I have said "PROPERLY" you should recognize that a Socialist World will not happen as people want consumer choice, capitalists do that States do not. Therefor I am a pragmatic Socialist in a Capitalist World ... I recognize that The Proletariat want choices along with human rights union representation and state provision.
@merseydave1 socialist leaning countries have a hard time stopping themselves. It's called mission creep. Also, as writer Thomas Sowell says, there's a cost (financial, societally) to everything government does. Also, those northern and western europe countries are taxed heavily and they are having less kids. These are knockbon effects that could destroy these countries. (I'm American and I've lived in western europe).
@@GUITARTIME2024 Ever hared of our state funded National Health Service (the N.H.S.) state funded comprehensive Health Provision set in 1948 by the Labour Government
known as The Envy of The World
If we ignore the good things the soviet world brought, we wont escape the bad things either, because we will be doomed to repeat history.
I believe a world without poverty and war is something worth doing. We do need dreamers like that in our world, or we will lose ourselves in a human made society that is totally inhospitable to humanity and (human) nature.
Agreed, it's a shame that it's so often painted as all awful without any nuance. Of course it had many flaws, but a lot of people actually miss it now that it's gone, particularly the older generations in ex-Soviet countries as they have seen poverty increase dramatically since the fall of the USSR. So there are definitely some things that were actually better under Soviet rule than they are now. As Pit said: "there were bad things, there were good things; let's keep the good things in this new world".
P.S. Apologies for the late reply, been off CZcams for a while focusing on some other projects that will be coming out on here soon :)
This is a perfectly true story and I hope an interesting one, so please try to read it all.
What is perhaps not so well known is that not just fascists existed in East Germany but very real Nazis. You know, the whole 10 yards. There were groups of young Nazis in every East German college including the very top ones in Berlin. I know because I met with around 20 of them shortly after the wall fell in 1994-95. They were extremely polite and welcoming and could all speak perfect English, but avoided doing so if at all possible. I met them through an X girlfriend of their top leader who was a concert pianist in the Berlin Youth Orchestra and his X girlfriend was a clarinetist in the same. I lost contact with them shortly afterward, for reasons that will become self-evident.
When I first met them they were playing what they called party games. These were like intellectual circle jerks, where they all strived to outdo each other with their mathematical or knowledge-based prowess. Not something that was ever done at English Universities, not to my knowledge anyway, we were all far too stoned for that sort of thing. After this and they all having a great laugh at my massively inadequate German, all of the guys earnestly gathered around a large oak table in the center of the apartment.
A large detailed map was rolled out and they began planning something using markers. It took me some time to work out exactly what they were doing while I sat in the corner sipping my flat East German lemonade with the incredibly attractive blond girls. Eventually, I got the gist of what they were doing. This was because "Töte die türkischen Schweinehunde," I could understand even with my highly limited command of the German language.
They were meticulously planning attacks on Turkish immigrant workers during a visit from the Turkish head of state. This was just before the announcement of the venue for the next Olympic games, which went to Sydney. The Brandenberg gate area was all set up to celebrate Berlin getting them, so it was all a bit of an anticlimax that weekend. I don't personally go in for beating people up so politely decided not to participate, not that any of them seriously expected me to, I am sure. These were just the leaders, none of them personally got up to any violence themselves to my knowledge, they left that sort of grubby thing to others as these kinds always do.
She took me to some other very strange places that weekend that still existed in many parts of East Berlin at that time. I still have a video of my few days there. Many of the streets were still cobbled and many of the buildings were still covered in bullet holes. She took me to Potsdamer and several large bomb sites that looked very dystopian indeed. These were decorated with very weird satanic-looking graffiti and artistic constructions made from pieces of scrap metal and parts of Russian or German military equipment. One of them even had a bar, and was clearly where many East German youth liked to spend a romantic evening with friends. I could go into some of this young lady's sexual preferences, but it is best, I don't do so. I imagine that she wanted to show me these kinds of places as she had no doubt that they were soon going to be demolished by those 'nasty' West Germans.
She did take the time to explain to me that he had dumped her because she was not so keen on some of his political leanings. However, to me, there was still a Nazi in there somewhere and this Germanic archetype combined with a communist atheist indoctrination had done none of them any good.
She seemed to have little understanding of how Western minds thought by then. She could not understand that the vast majority of Westerners had long since forgotten and forgiven the Germans and moved on, even British Jews were all but over it by then. She and her friends reminded me that we may have gotten over it, but they had not, as East German youth had not been allowed to forget it or forgive themselves.
It was very clear to me that even 4 years after the wall had fallen much of East Germany had not changed at all, very much including many East Germans. None of these particular young Germans were at all happy about the fall of the Wall, quite the contrary they were pissed right off. They seemed worried about their future prospects having once been part of the elite of East German youth.
I reassured them that they had nothing to worry about and would likely end up becoming ministers or even Chancellors one day with such a work ethic, smart dress sense, high intelligence, socialist leanings, obvious talent, and self-discipline.
I met up with this girl 20 years later when she visited London. I still don't understand what she saw in me especially as I was 15 years older than her and Jewish, but what can I say she must have liked something about me?
She had gone on to become a music teacher like her mother. Not surprisingly her X boyfriend went on to become an MP for the German Green Party in 2002. You can't keep a 'good' Nazi down, it seems.
The music was too loud.
Other than that, is a good video.
I was born and raised in the GDR and I miss it it was better than germany or America today
This audio is seriously unpleasant
Music too much...hard to hear lady speak..😢
The first thing she says, Western Germany. The second thing, Western Germany. Errrrr - yep. If you really want to know, go watch Katja Hoyer.
"Tuning into anything other than the East German TV and radio signals was a punishable offence". Sorry, but that's nonsense and should be changed. There WAS a campaign to discourage people from watching Western TV in the 1960s. Certainly they didn't talk about it too loudly to others, but of course most watched it. Indeed like your interviewee, some rural areas near the border could only receive Western programmes.
Actually it was NOT communist at all. It was a mixture of Socialism and private business, much more private business than today: Restaurants, pubs, bakers, butchers, cartwrights, workshops, glaciers - and lots of many others. A paradise of smaller business people. They never became rich, but they all could live properly.
I wonder how much polish land her family owned before socialism was established!
she must feel shes living in the gdr again...
And now they live happily ever after!
Actually no there is still a great devide of east and west alot east German wants the wall back it really depends who you ask
Fake orchestral music added nothing to what the woman was saying. Let her speak.
Being born behind the Iron Curtain, the Communist Bloc has been a source of unending study, because it was correctly not so black and white, but rather many shades of grey. We know the bad traits but no one mentions the high suicide rates , the complete anesthesia of ambition ( "i get paid to work but I don't get paid to do it well" mentality), the endless political involvement in every day decisions (must teach Marxism during chemistry class) and of course , the fact that the party members lived a very very good life compared to the vast majority . It was also a boring world, where uniformity, while perhaps comfortable, just battered the soul constantly as there was only one narrative. I went to visit Hungary many times from 1966 to 1974 as a young teenager in particular and actually saw the moon landing in a Pioneer camp. The students there envied my long hair , my freaky clothes , my freedom to travel alone anywhere without ' supervision" as well as being able to sing Beatles songs at the campfire.
The word I am looking for is resignation or the "best under the circumstances" as Communist Hungary was way freer than the other Warsaw Pact countries, I met tons of Polish girls (very pretty) as well as from GDR and Bulgaria who all complained about the Hungarians having so much food, quantity as well as variety. The things they asked me to send them by mail was an eye opener.
Hey Thomas, thanks for sharing your thoughts! May I ask where behind the iron curtain were you born? It's interesting to consider variation of experiences from region to region; I am also guilty of assuming it would have been the same everywhere.
I can't imagine leaving in a society with such uniformity. Later in this interview (not included in the audio), Pit described the what it was like to see the GDR integrate with West Germany, and explained that "suddenly there was colour everywhere!" It must have been such a dramatic change to witness.
And yes, I have read a lot about the political approval needed for so many different decisions, and that many people received important positions not because of their skill, but their loyalty and commitment to the ideology. I could be mistaken, but I did hear that there were high suicide rates after the collapse of the Soviet Union as well, since people lost jobs, financial security, etc. Do you know if that's the case?
Were you a member of the Young Pioneers? Or just visiting the camp? I interviewed someone in Ukraine and he touched on his time as a member of the Oktyabryata, the stage before the Pioneers. It sounded like a different universe to me!
He also discussed how the adjustment after the fall of the USSR was very difficult for his family, since his father was an engineer who lost his job and had to start selling clothes at the flea market. It seemed that a lot of the older generation (the grandparents of today) missed the USSR more than other demographics. From your experience, does that sound accurate?
P.S. Apologies for the late reply!
@@TieranFreedman No problem. In fact, I may have been a bit unclear. My preceding comments were as a Canadian citizen in Hungary. We all left Communist Hungary in 1957 (I was one year-old) and after 6 months waiting in Austria , we were permitted to come to Canada as asylum seekers. But I was raised as a Hungarian (my homeland) as well as a Canadian ( my home). I speak 7 languages fluently as well , so I am by no means a dogmatic nationalist, or a staunch socialist. There is good and bad everywhere. But my years of research has shown that East Germany especially was a surreal place , where my "hoch deutsch" german accent scared the daylight out of both sides (LOL) . Now it must be said that Germans are a warrior nation , which means that there is a distinct pecking order (rank, if you like ) that makes social obedience far easier (BTW, the Japanese and the Slavs are also very rank oriented). Obviously , there were many silent , mind-your-won-business people for whom the authoritarian regime was fine. The problem is that the vast (read: educated) majority yearned for the right to debate, to argue, to discuss and to express themselves. Unless you belonged to the Party, life was tough. For example, quitting your job was forbidden , especially if you claimed you did not enjoy your work. Now , remember that the very first sparks of Eastern Bloc revolt actually began in the DDR with the 1953 riots. These were bleak times, when workers and students (the 2 pillars of the Socialist paradise) were the igniters! I saw this rebellious attitude in the Young Pioneers camp (as a Canadian) . That brought on strife in Poland 1956, Hungary"s Revolution the same year and the Prague Spring in 1968. Those who miss the"good old days" are entitled to their nostalgia but chances are they were the marginalized, "happy with what we have: mindset citizenry. I will stop now, another 7000 pages to go.
Wow I didn't know Communist Hungry had more freedom than some other communist countries......I'm American and we thought all Communist countries follow the same restrictions...
finally someone speaks clear words here !!!!!
Wow, for once not insane propaganda
I wanted to like this but the music
Jesus loves you too comrade
It's sure great there now, with all the non European migrants - wonderful.
This has been a party political broadcast for the GDR communist party. Thank you for watching.
Haha so I take it you disagree with what she said. Always open to hearing different opinions, what's your take on it? :)
@@TieranFreedman he has no take on it he just doesn't want to believe that the so evil socialist east wasn't such an evil shithole after all.
im not german nor lived in gdr, but why did the people were running away and from other bloc countries jumping the wall, and going to prison, people from the west didnt jump into the ussr side, they didnt even cared about what was going on there, fact is that gdr was coming apart by end 80s, economy was stagnated and people didnt suffer hunger but they had to be in lines waiting for that ration, today there is not 1 big decent company from east germany in the dax 30, not one, the destruction communism creates lasts decades, sometimes it never goes away, russia, romania, etc they are all still suffering from communism.
You say it - you didn't live in the GDR. Why would you tell stories like ''...but they had to be in lines waiting for that ration''?
All I ever had to wait in lines for was bananas, because they were available only 3-4 times a year in the countryside where I lived (my aunt's family lived in East Berlin, they had bananas all over the year).
Apart from that everybody just went to the grocery store and bought food like we do today. Basic food like bread, meat, vegetables etc. even was very cheap and at least in my little hometown it always came fresh, so we didn't even have to eat processed muck.
I couldn't have asked for a better childhood actually.
@@endless-nimu how old are you? in your 50s? childhood is always good, once you grow up you start seeing things like they are.
In the battle of history, social democracy won.
Capitalist democracy with socialist undertones won.
Ddr*
FIRST
Haha you win! How are you doing Thomas? I hope you and your family are well in Norway :)
We’re doing good
I was standing at a checkpoint in some alley in 1970 something. A while group scaled the fence and grabbed the guards rifle and overpowered the guard, a girl I was standing by all of a sudden turned to me and stabbed me in the brain with an icepick. East Germans were scary to me. Glad the wall fell.
Can barely hear her over the stupid music.
Lol noted
This is BS.
@@The_Gambler10y parents grew up in ex east Germany and lived there, everybody had to work and they told me it was easy to find work everywere and everyone worked, unless u had a pension or u had a medical reason as to why u cant. It was also part of their culture to work and something that was seen as normal. They had good things, but a coin has 2 sides. For example one classmate of my mother did end up in a working camp, because she did not want to work and was a rebellious teen. In germany usally schooltime ends after the 10th grade unless u do your a Level. With 10 years of school education u can learn many different professions. So a lot of people start to learn a job at the age of 16 and sometimes they are only 15. That was also the case for young people in east Germany, except u were lucky enough to go to a university.