Zusammenfassung der Ressource
To what extent were East German
citizens living contented lives in the GDR
in the 1970s?
- Content
- High membership numbers of socialist
organisations (FDJ and SED)
- People appeared to be supporting the
regime by joining organisations that were
supproted by the government and had
communinst/socialist values
- people seemed to be content with the
regime as they were joining its
organisations
- People joined these organisations
because it allowed them to advance
their lives, this made them happy as
they could make their lives better by
faking support for the regime
- Faked support in the regime, it was the
only way people could advance their
career/education
- Not content with the GDR becasue people did it
becuase of their situation, they did not join them
because they were happy with the regime and ready
to join organiations that supported it
- Job security and subsidised
housing
- Enjoyed a guarenteed job and
high welfare provision that
state offered
- unlike in capitalist society where
securities were few and far between, did
not want to lose them, this made them
happy they has such securities
- Not happy with the sub-standard
of living, 65% of homes had
piped water
- Equality in the work place,
women expected to work
- women enjoyed the new
freedoms under the socialist
regime, enjoyed having state
provided child care
- Had to take the lower paid/skilledjobs becuase
of their abilities and training, still made to look
after children and couild take one house day off
a week, reinforcing their old role as mothers
- Women enjoyed the ability to go
and earn their own living, this
was not to be seen in Capitalist
society until years later
- No longer soley relied on
men for their income,
greater financial
independence
- Not-content
- Fear and
repression
- People did not enjoy the presence of the stasi or
the fact their flats could be bugged and mail
checked, but they had no choice as they would
be arrested, they had no other option but the
give the illusion of being content
- Women and equality
- Not true equality, women had to perform
dual burden, of child care and paid work,
but forced to take low skilled/paid jobs
- still had to rely on a partner
for income, high rate of
marriages/ remarraiges
- 1977, 87% of women in the
field of paid work