Source: Website of St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig

Recently, my family and I went back to Germany for a short vacation. Traditionally, we always take a trip to Leipzig. Leipzig has about 500,000 inhabitants and is situated in Saxony about 120 miles Southwest of Berlin.

Already in 1813, Leipzig played a prominent role in world history. In the Battle of the Nations (also known as the Battle of Leipzig), Napoleon suffered one of his greatest defeats which led to his downfall and marked an important turning point in history.

In October 1989, another memorable turning point in history was initiated in Leipzig. What begun with hundreds of people gathering for peace prayers in the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church), turned into hundreds of thousands of people by the end of October 1989. Each Monday after the church service, masses of people would then march peacefully through the city of Leipzig and chant “Wir sind das Volk” or “We are the people!”. Not only gathered people in Leipzig, but also in other East German cities to demonstrate against the socialist regime.

The protesters, especially those in Leipzig, walked on the fringe of a violent escalation. Security forces were alarmed and ready to intervene. Hospitals were prepared for the worst case stashing away blood for potential casualties. Luckily, the leaders in East Berlin did not give orders to end this movement with brute force.

The Monday demonstrations (known as “Montagsdemos”) increased the pressure on the East German government vehemently. This internal pressure ultimately led to the Fall of the Wall on November 9, 1989.

IG

“Tear down this wall!” At the time, I did not quite understand the significance of former US president Reagan’s words. In my childlike eyes, everything was going very well in East Germany. After all, we had a good life. But his speech also raised questions in my mind: Why is he asking the Soviets to open the gate? Why did we erect this wall? How would life be like without the wall?

Reagan gave that speech on June, 12 1987 in front of the Brandenburg Gate. He addressed former Soviet leader General Secretary Gorbachev with his famous words “Tear down this wall!” Whether or not to use this sentence in the speech was controversial because it bore the risk of offending the Soviets and further increase tensions between the East and the West. Reagan decided to include the sentence. And with it, his speech made history.

Some people doubt that Reagan’s speech had an actual impact on subsequent historical events. I personally believe, that his speech made a huge difference. It raised some very critical questions in the minds of the East Germans and gave hope to those opposing the totalitarian system. It brilliantly captured the zeitgeist and made America’s position and support for a unified Germany very clear. Until today, it remains an important milestone and event in the German history.

Fast forward to 1:55 min to listen to these famous words: “Tear down this wall!”:

Click here for the complete transcript of the speech. Learn more about the speech on Wikipedia.

IG

In my personal studies about Positive Psychology, I came across a very good explanation in Tal Ben-Shahar’s book “The Pursuit of PERFECT“. The key to answer the question why socialism did fail lies in an assumption about human nature. Capitalism has a constrained vision of human nature. Capitalists believe that human nature and in particular everyone’s self-interest cannot be changed. It is better to accept this fact and leverage people’s self-interest for the common good. Utopianism assumes that human nature is unconstrained and therefore can be changed. Basic human instincts can be altered and self-interest can be replaced by altruism. Eventually, one could create a society made up of superhuman beings being in control of their human nature.
Socialism was founded on a wrong assumption. People did not change their human nature. We, in East Germany, maintained our self-interest. On higher political levels this led to misappropriation of resources and in everyday life self-interest decided about the allocation of consumer goods. In the end, it was also self-interest or human nature that led to the Change. See also previous posts about the drivers for change (Freedom and Material Desire).

IG

As in every country, music played an important role in East Germany. German classics were an important part of East and West German culture. Unlike the West, however, the East also used music to help internalize the socialist body of thought from a very young age. Ideology combined with music made socialism somewhat more fun and accessible to children. Most of the melodies were quite catchy and made the ideological message even stronger, more compelling, and stick better. In this post, I want to introduce a very popular song. So popular that Erich Honecker (former head of East Germany) even wanted this song to be played at his funeral. Its name is “The Little Trumpeter” (“Der kleine Trompeter”). Everyone in primary school had to learn this song by heart. The story is about a cheerful, good, and loved man, the Trumpeter, who is shot during a peaceful event. The song is very sad and one really feels like having lost someone very dear. The Little Trumpeter is based on a real story in which a member of the “Rote Frontkaempferbund” (paramilitary organization of the KPD, the German Communist Party) is shot by a policeman during a rally of the KPD in 1925.

I found the following recording on youtube:

German

1. Von all unsern Kameraden, war keiner so lieb und gut, wie unser kleiner Trompeter, ein lustiges Rotgardistenblut.
2. Wir saßen so fröhlich beisammen, in einer so stürmischen Nacht; mit seinen Freiheitsliedern, hat er uns so glücklich gemacht.
3. Da kam eine feindliche Kugel, bei einem so fröhlichen Spiel, mit einem so seligen Lächeln, unser kleiner Trompeter, er fiel.
4. Da nahmen wir Hacke und Spaten, und gruben ihm morgens ein Grab; Und die ihn am liebsten hatten, die senkten ihn stille hinab.
5. Schlaf wohl, du kleiner Trompeter, wir waren dir alle so gut. Schlaf wohl du kleiner Trompeter, du lustiges Rotgardistenblut.

English (my own translation):

1. Of all our comrades, nobody was as nice and as good, like our Little Trumpeter, a cheerful Red Guardsman’s blood.
2. We sat so joyous together, in a so stormy night; with his songs of freedom, he made us happy.
3. There came an inimical bullet, during a joyous game, with a blessedly smile, our Little Trumpeter, he fell.
4. So we took hoe and spade, and dug him a grave in the morning; And those who loved him most lowered him silently.
5. Sleep well, you Little Trumpeter, we were all so close to you. Sleep well you Little Trumpeter, you cheerful Red Guardsman’s blood.

IG

Eastsides has its own address. Please visit www.eastsides.org!

The change affected literally every area of my life, directly or indirectly. Over night, my whole world view ceased to exist. At the same instant, a new and overall better world was created.  Socialism turned into democracy, centrally planned economy into market economy, Mark into Deutsche Mark, scarcity into abundance, grey landscapes into flourishing landscapes, constraints into new freedoms.

Eisenmoorbad Bad Schmiedeberg

Most things changed for the better but others for the worse. For example, job security turned into job uncertainty. In the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) almost everyone had a salaried job. When the wall came down, many businesses in our area shut down because they could not compete in a market economy. Unemployment skyrocketed. The day my mom lost her job was probably one of the most dramatic changes for our family during that time. She took several weeks (or even months) of training courses offered by the “Arbeitsamt” (German Employment Agency) to acquire new knowledge and skills which were essential to get back into a job. Eventually, she succeeded and was offered a job by a local spa/clinic, “Eisenmoorbad Bad Schmiedeberg” which remains one of the top employers in the region. The premises of her former company are now a parking lot for that spa. What meant the end for some businesses became the basis of growth for other businesses in our area. Other people were less lucky and had to leave their home towns to find a new job. Most of the people of my generation decided to migrate to bigger cities or abroad to find (better) opportunities.

IG

Hello my name is Joseph and I lived almost 14 years in Berlin. The first time in 1987, when the Wall was still standing. I lived in an “occupied” house (aka “squat”) in Kreuzberg, directly next to the Wall. When I looked out my bedroom window I would see the guard in the watchtower direct his binoculars at me. I must say, after a while, it became totally “normal” for me, that there be a wall dividing a city. How ideological can people get, anyway? Utterly fascinating! I can think of some funny stories, like when we moved out of one of our flats we found it easier to throw our old sofa over the Wall than to just leave it for the Staatreinigung (city sanitation). There was already enough trash in that neighborhood, so why not simply get a gang of guys together and make a statement, “Weg mit dem Scheißding” [Get rid of the f-ing thing]. I had moved to Berlin after having studied German in Munich. What a contrast between Kreuzberg and Munich! Crass!!!
About 9 months later I returned to the U.S. and moved for 4 1/2 years to California. I’ll never forget that morning when the Wall “fell”: I came into work, and there was a 9-hour time difference between California and Germany. A German colleague came to me and asked, “Did you hear about the Berlin Wall?” And I countered, “No.” My curiosity was peaked. When he told me that the border points between East and West had been opened, and that there were people literally dancing on the Wall and partying in the streets, I at first looked at him like this was some sort of joke. Only after his serious convincing did I believe him, and promptly walked into my boss’s office and immediately requested vacation. I flew that evening with a flight on BA leaving just after work, and connected to Hamburg. When I arrived in Hamburg, we were surprised because that City was filled with “Ossis” (nickname for East Germans), too. But, we were more interested in driving to Berlin. I have a picture of me sitting on top of a car in front of the Reichstag when we finally arrived in Berlin. It was like one huge street party, and whole city gone crazy with utter joy. I stayed a few days and had to go back to work. Little did I know, that just a few years later, I would move there for most of my adult life! At a certain point, I met a girl from Berlin, whose boyfriend offered me a job in my field of specialization: IT for the travel industry. One year prior to this, I had married a girl from Hamburg (we’ve been divorced since 1998). So in 1992, I sold almost everything I owned and moved to Berlin. I lived there until 2004, so 12 1/2 year this time. It was AMAZING witnessing the transition and metamorphosis of a city. I’ll be happy to relate those special times, and I’m glad to have been there first hand twice to see history in the making: first, the “Fall”, then the “Transformation” that followed the initial euphoria. Stay tuned, friends. I’ll write more soon. Thanks! Joseph

“The Lives of Others” (2006)

Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3_iLOp6IhM

About: http://www.sonyclassics.com/thelivesofothers/swf/index.html

“The Lives of Others”  tells the story of a devoted Stasi (East German Secret Police) officer who is given the job to spy on a famous playwright and collect evidence about his disloyalty to the ruling Party. Being set between 1984 and 1991, the movie provides very realistic insights into the Stasi as well as the time before and after the fall of the Wall.

I highly recommend this captivating thriller because it perfectly captures what I described in “Drivers for Change: Looking for Freedom” http://eastsides.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/drivers-for-change-looking-for-freedom/ (see “Freedom of Speech”). What happened in “The Lives of Others” on a higher level, happened everywhere in East Germany on all levels. One did not have to be a famous to fall victim to the Stasi.

IG

“I’ve been looking for freedom”, by David Hasselhoff was one of the most popular songs in 1989. The timing for this song could not have been more perfect. It captured the spirit of 1989. The following video is the best recording that I found from that night of New Year’s Eve in 1989. From talking to people in the USA, this song did not seem to be as popular in the US.

Millions of people in East Germany and other East block countries were desperately looking for freedom and for change. For me, three types of freedom stood out:

Freedom of Speech
“But don’t tell anyone at school!” said my mom. I must have been 8 years old. I saw a news cast about politics on West German TV, which we were not supposed to watch. I told my mom about it. It must have been something critical about the East. My mom did not want me to tell what I had seen at school. The Stasi, the Ministry for State Security, had its ears and eyes everywhere. The parents of my classmates could have been potentially involved with the Stasi and reported suspicious behaviors. Also, teachers could have been Stasi spies. It could have been anyone: neighbors, co-workers, wives, husbands… One could never feel safe and always had to watch what one said.

Freedom of Assembly
Stopping the formation of resistance groups or movements was one of the top priorities of the socialist regime. Even seemingly harmless church groups or peaceful movements came under scrutiny. The system was everywhere. It was powerful, strong, and very effective in maintaining an inner equilibrium. In the late 1980ies, however, the equilibrium went out of balance. The number of people longing for a change was too big. It’s very likely that the system itself lost the beliefe in Socialism.

Freedom of Travel
My uncle left East Germany before the Wall was entirely completed. He was one of our few relatives that lived in the West. Unfortunately, it was not very easy to visit him in West Germany. East Germany imposed very strict travel restrictions. One was not at liberty to decide when to go to the West and for how long. Everything was regulated. The government was aware of the drastic differences between the East and the West. They were afraid losing their people to the West. If they let someone visit West Germany for example, the government had to be sure that there were compelling reasons for people to return. Travelling to other East block countries was a little bit easier. Since 1972, one could even travel to Poland and the Czech Republic without visa.

The longing for these three basic forms of freedom was probably the most decisive driver of change. If it was not for the thousands of brave men and women who stood up against the regime, especially in 1989, the Change might have come later. But I am very certain it would have come eventually.

IG

We could have been perfectly happy from a materialistic point of view if we had not had “West TV”. We were lucky (or unlucky) to live close enough to West Berlin which broadcasted the two public West German TV stations ARD and ZDF. Both were our window to the other world. On TV, we saw how life was in the West. Watching TV made the contrast between East and West very apparent and inflamed a strong material desire. Even though, we had similar products, there were some very distinct differences between the goods available in the West and the goods available in the East.

The first difference was pricing. In the planned market economy, the federal government defined retail prices. Here are a few examples of how the federal government set the prices in East Germany. The prices are in East German Mark (M). 1 EUR = ~2 DM = ~10 M.

Price Product Name

0.05 M    Bread Rolls (Broetchen)
0.08 M    Electricity (price per kWh)
<1.00 M    Loaf of Bread
2.55 M    Gallon of Milk
2.40 M    250g butter (2 American Sticks of butter)
~5.70 M    1 gallon of gasoline (1.50 M / liter)
16.00 M    LP (music album)
70.00 M    Monthly rent for 60m² (645 square feet)

400 M   Digital watch
>1,000 M    Sony-Walkman
1,900 M    Moped (Simson S51)
~3,000 M    Washing machine
4,500-8,300M   Color TV
~10,000 M   Trabant Standard Edition, smallest and most affordable car model
~25,000 M   Wartburg 353, one step up
~35,000 M   Lada Samara
~45,000 M   Volvo 244

(More prices at http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einzelhandelsverkaufspreis and http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_(DDR))

You will notice that prices for basic need products such as food, transportation, energy, and shelter were extremely low. That is because the government heavily subsidized these products. Prices for consumer products such as TVs, washing machines, and cars were disproportionately high. However, with a monthly income between 500 and 1,000 M, not out of reach.

The second difference was availability of consumer products. In order to buy a car, for example, one either had to wait very long or had to rely on “connections”. Because of production shortages for cars, it took up to 15 year from order to delivery. In the black market, used cars often sold for more than the retail price. One closing remark regarding availability. Contrary to common belief, we really had enough to eat in the East. Food supply was not an issue.

The third difference was product innovation. Like price, product development was driven by the federal government and not by consumer needs or demand. Cars provide a very striking example for the lack of innovation in the East. I am sure our engineers would have had the ability to innovate, but the socialist system limited their freedoms. The following chart illustrates the difference of 40 years of car development between the East and the West.

40 Years of Car Innovation

Notice how little the Trabant changed in 40 years. Compare this to the innovation leap at VW from the VW Beetle to the VW Golf.

The fourth difference was product variety. Continuing with the car example, there were only a handful of car brands on the market in East Germany. The same was true for cameras, TVs, digital watches, chocolate, coffee, beer, career options, etc.. The good thing about having limited options is that it made life simpler. The bad thing is that one can not fully satisfy individual preferences and is not able to learn to make decisions in more complex situations. Consider an example from today’s world. Picking the right breakfast cereal out of 30-50 different types requires some decision-making skill. One has to know the individual preferences (strawberry flavor, crunchy texture, little sugar, whole wheat, organic, etc.) and has to stay on top of health trends. In a way, the more variety, the more responsibility for the customer to decide for right product. (More about psychological aspects of life behind and beyond the Iron Curtain in another article.)

Differences in pricing models, product availability, product innovation, and product variety led to a strong material desire for West products. Expressing and fulfilling this desire was one of the drivers for the Change that happened in 1989.

IG