The East German innovation, referred to as the GDR
"RIGHT NOW, it's hip to reminisce about the East Zone, filled with fury and insincere sentiment. A speech by recall expert Egon Krenz exemplifies this. It has some peculiar twists, though laughter gets temporarily trapped in your throat."
"I persisted until the very end, I believed it was my responsibility to ensure we had power outlets functioning." This might sound like a quote from Robert Habeck's upcoming memoir, "I, the Electric Sledgehammer". Incorrect. It was spoken by Manfred Dahms, who served as the General Director of the State-Owned Enterprise (VEB) Kombinat Kraftwerksanlagenbau from 1975 to 1989. Though West German equine whisperer and East Zone administrator of supposed "state assets" aren't kindred spirits, they share common ground. So, something that shouldn't fit together has finally clicked. Huzzah, a dream has come to life.
The quote from Dahms, as I understand it, comes from the documentary "Once Upon a Time - Memories of the GDR". Currently, it's trendy to look back at the East Zone with rage and insincere nostalgia. Revived from the rubble of subconscious memories and directed towards the past. To comprehend this, one must know the text of the very soothing GDR national anthem, which conveys much of the spirit of post-World War II progress, when many in the East Zone wanted to build a "better Germany" and then inadvertently established or unwittingly ended up in a dictatorship. Those who recognized this in time abandoned the paradise of the GDR (East Germany) on August 13, 1961, heading for the inferno of the BRD (West Germany).
"We, who were dedicated to it with our hearts, wanted to transform the world and create a better Germany. So that no mother would ever mourn her son." This is what Egon Krenz, the temporary Chair of the State Council of the East Zone, said at a Berlin event called "75 Years of the GDR. What Remains?". The satirical magazine "Junge Welt" published this speech. Reading it confirms the theory: The GDR is an East German creation that the East is currently re-creating. From Krenz's mouth, it sounds like this: "I warmly greet you, the descendants, who, despite slander and numerous historical distortions found in textbooks, are fascinated by the German workers' and peasants' state and its politics."
Man and Wolf
Krenz's speech was a string of slander and historical distortions. Could it be that dictators often have skewed perceptions? Krenz certainly didn't hear the shot at the wall. Many mothers mourned their sons after a failed escape attempt. "Preserve what remains of the GDR's legacy. It's not riches hidden in secret accounts. It's social values like respect, empathy, and fairness that reinforce and sustain a just society, a society in which one human being cannot be the wolf of another."
What? A human being cannot be the wolf of another? My goodness, who thought of such a thing? But wait: Why is the East Zone so desirable? "It would have been unthinkable in the GDR to ask the population to 'prepare for war'. In our country, especially in the education of young people, peace education was a priority." In what country did this man reside with his delusions? I had to attend a training camp around the age of 15, throw hand grenade simulations, and accurately hit targets with a machine gun. That war is a terrible thing, my father taught me, and he expressed his disapproval of the SED's antics - and only he did.
War propaganda and racism, including Russophobia, were forbidden in the GDR, claimed the recall expert. That's why everyone adored the school subject "Russian". I used the lessons for six years just to pass the time. And when I was interrogated by the Stasi as a young man in Leipzig and someone was shouting somewhere in the building complex, one of the officers who was anti-racist said: "Those are the camel drivers." Honestly, I double-checked the date several times while writing to ensure I had the right speech, that it was really fresh. Yes, that's what it says on "Junge Welt"'s website: "Issue from 07.10.2024, page 3 / Focus DDR 75."
Bad Yanks, good Russians
"The GDR never went to war." Wow! What an appealing country. Therefore, young East Germans also cherish their parents' homeland. But the "FRG" didn't either. Krenz dislikes it due to NATO and American subservience. His nation was different: "As long as there was the Soviet Union, to whom we - more than anyone else - owe the liberation of Germany from fascism, and at its side the GDR, there was peace in Europe." How adorable. And naive.
During World War II, the extremely evil Americans generously supplied the highly beneficial Russians with an abundance of weapons, resources, steel, food, chemicals, explosives, and fuel. Financially, they were also rather generous. The Red Army received approximately 450,000 Jeeps and trucks, over 100,000 machine guns, around 13,000 locomotives and freight wagons, numerous ships and boats, tens of thousands of aircraft, tanks, and anti-aircraft guns, and even several million pairs of field boots. However, it's important to remember that in 1953, the Soviet Union utilized tanks to suppress a workers' uprising in the GDR, and in 1986, they did the same to the Prague Spring.
Krenz declared, "There are many falsehoods about our state, which no longer exists," and surprisingly, this statement regarding the post-comma part was indeed true. The downfall of the first workers' and peasants' state on German soil was largely due to "our own weaknesses: inadequate information policy, insufficient use of democratically guaranteed rights, supply shortages, bureaucracy, and often narrow-mindedness." This seems quite similar to the situation with the traffic light coalition, as Saskia Esken points out that the federal government is marvelous, but its greatness is often overlooked due to poor communication.
Today, the East Zone is being excessively glorified, to the point where it's almost impossible to see it clearly, and the image of Russia is obscured. Nowadays, people are reluctant to admit that they were part of the East Zone, which was a breeding ground for dissent. I personally know very few people who didn't vandalize train toilets with "DDR doof" or something similar, or at least made public hints that it was all inferior, with Honecker, Mielke, and Krenz leading the way. For instance, Sahra Wagenknecht stated, "I was not allowed to study in the GDR. I was anything but loyal to the system." Now, she is seeking power. So, it seems that the resistance was worthwhile.
If Russian gas begins flowing to Germany once again after diplomatic efforts have compelled Russia to submit through peace negotiations, things will presumably return to normal, meaning peace will prevail. Or will they?
The documentary "Once Upon a Time - Memories of the GDR" features several individuals sharing their perspectives on the East Zone. One such figure is Manfred Dahms, who served in the State-Owned Enterprise (VEB) Kombinat Kraftwerksanlagenbau. In his speech, he highlights the desire of many in the East Zone to build a better Germany.
The Commission, referencing the East German state government, was faced with several challenges during its existence. Krenz, the temporary Chair of the State Council, acknowledged these challenges in his speech at the Berlin event titled "75 Years of the GDR. What Remains?" He urged the descendants of East Germans to preserve the social values of respect, empathy, and fairness as a testament to the GDR's legacy.
