Lecture 10: The 1960s: Stagnating Socialism
in the East
Preliminary
Journals due
Proposals due in one week. Note: they must be resubmitted
with the final paper!
Film "The Promise:" discussion--What did you learn
about life in East Germany?
What did you think of the two stasi watchdogs ("Betreuer"
literally 'care-taker')?
Why did Konrad's father go along with the East German state?
Prof. Lorenz?
What is the turning point in the father's commitment to the East
German state?
What did Sophie miss in the West (besides Konrad)? Prof. Lorenz?
Harald?
Can you retrace the ups and downs of the East German state?
What distinguishes Konrad's behavior from his brother-in-law
Harald's?
What do Konrad's untied shoelaces represent?
"Freedom is always the freedom to dissent" (Rosa
Luxemburg)
"Freedom is the acceptance of the necessary" (official
East German aphorism)
EIEIO of the 1960s in East Germany (textbook pp. 202-207)
Economic growth kept pace with the West
population 1950-61: 1817 mio., then stable to 1970. [West
1950-61: 4964 mio.]
collectivization of agriculture (figures for Dec.)
1952: 3%; 1953: 12%; 1957:25%; 1959: 45%; 1960:
85% 1967: 86%
standard of living
% of households
East 1960
East 1965
East 1969
West 1969
electric washing machines
6
28
48
61
electric refrigerators
6
26
48
84
TVs
17
49
66
73
cars
5
8
14
47
International situation (Liberman in Soviet Union):
NES (July 1963): less central planning, profits as goal, wage
incentives, consumer goods
ESS (1967): recentralization
Elites (think of Konrad's father, an Prof. Lorenz vs. Konrad
himself)
bureaucrats, intellectuals: rewards=access to goods and travel