Berlin in the early 80’s
Historical
Throughout the 50’s and 60’s,
people continuously crossed between the border between east and west Germany to
visit family and work. However, as communism grew in the east, the government
decided to stop all people commuting by sealing off all point of entry into
west Berlin. They then built a concrete wall, refraining from any refugees
fleeing from the communist society. America was outraged by this and the west
Berlin people expected to be helped. In an
attempt to reassure the West Germans that the United States was not abandoning
them, Kennedy traveled to the Berlin Wall in June 1963, and famously declared,
“Ich bin ein Berliner!” (“I am a Berliner!”). Since the word “Berliner” was
commonly referred to as a jelly doughnut throughout most of Germany, Kennedy’s
improper use of German grammar was also translated as “I am a jelly doughnut.”
However, due to the context of his speech, Kennedy’s intended meaning that he
stood together with West Berlin in its rivalry with communist East Berlin and
the German Democratic Republic was understood by the German people.
During the
lifetime of the wall, nearly 80 people were killed trying to escape from East
to West Berlin. In late 1989, with communist governments falling throughout
Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall was finally opened and then demolished. For
many observers, this action was the signal that the Cold War was finally coming
to an end.
Economic
To reduce dependence on imported
fuels, East Germany sought to develop the capability of mining 285 to 290
million tons of lignite annually by 1985, a substantial increase over the 1980
production level of just under 260 million tons. On the consumer side, the
government sought to hold prices for the basic necessities at existing levels,
necessitating increasing subsidies from the state over time. The plan projected
an expansion in supplies of consumer goods retail trade by 20 to 23 percent and
net personal income by about the same amount. Housing construction was to
continue to receive special attention, and more than 900,000 units were to be
completed by 1985.
In the 1984-85 period, the
agricultural sector registered a particularly good performance, and record
harvests were reported. During the plan period, the state raised crop and
livestock prices, and it eliminated subsidies to the input sector (for example,
fuels, feedstuffs, and construction materials) to promote greater efficiency.
The situation of the individual consumer deteriorated somewhat during the early
years of the plan because of shortages and supply bottlenecks. In 1984 the
growth rates in private consumption customary in earlier years resumed.
Social/ cultural
“For one thing, housing was scarce and bare bones, the
search for a room – not an apartment, just a single room or temporary sublet –
way tougher than today. Everybody I knew lived in a shared flat, called a
Wohngemeinschaft or WG, which packed in the bodies – as many as seven at a
time when they would fit.
Many apartments were heated with
coal burned in free standing ceramic ovens. The dirty, dusty briquettes were
stored in heaps in the cellar. Firing up the oven was a laborious chore, and no
matter how diligently you fed it, most coal ovens didn’t heat the whole
apartment in the dead of winter (which in 1985-86, my first year in West
Berlin, spelled sub-zero temperatures for months on end.)
Since wages were relatively high
compared to accommodation – once you had a room, it was usually cheap – one
could work for a few weeks and then coast for a month or more. Part-time work
was plentiful, the city being severely depopulated and thus short on labour
power, even though it was largely deindustrialized, too.”
--------
(Music) In the early
1980s the indigenous popular music in the GDR reached a high point with bands
like The Puhdys, City,
Karat and Silly. Furthermore,
there was the possibility of a limited musical exchange between East and West
Germany. Nevertheless, the bands and musicians had to fear censorship and the
state influence.
-------
“Those regarded as oppositional or academic
children, whose parents were not members of the communist party, were not
allowed to study. It was the social engineering of the East German
dictatorship. They wanted to ensure that children who were socialised at home
to be independent thinkers and would not rise to any position.”
As the top student in her class, the seven year-old
Mia had to bring her schoolmates to attention every morning and give a military
salute to her teacher. Even then the schoolgirl was aware of the dreaded Stasi
and the dangers they posed. We were aware of the fact that we really could not
speak to anyone about certain things that were said at home.”
