Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
East Berlin
From the outset, East Germany's economic, judicial and security policy was dominated by a
single party, the SED. Among its prime objectives was the moulding of its citizens into loyal
members of a new socialist society. Children as young as six years old were folded into a
tight network of state-run mass organisations, and in the workplace the unions were in
charge of ideological control and comformity. Officially, membership in any of these groups
was voluntary, but refusing to join usually led to limits on access to higher education and ca-
reer choices. It could also incite the suspicion of the much-feared Stasi.
In East Berlin, the standard of living was higher than in the rest of East Germany, with the
Centrum Warenhaus on Alexanderplatz (today's Galeria Kaufhof) a flagship store. While ba-
sic foods (bread, milk, butter, some produce) were cheap and plentiful, fancier foods and
high-quality goods were in short supply and could often only be obtained with connections
and patience. Queues outside shops were a common sight and many items were only avail-
able as so-called
Bückware,
meaning that they were hidden from plain view and required the
sales clerk to
bücken
(bend) to retrieve them from beneath the counter. Bartering for goods
was also common practice. Western products could only be purchased in government-run
retail stores called 'Intershops', and then only by the privileged few who had access to hard
currency - the East German mark was not accepted.
After the Wall went up in 1961, East Berliners, along with other East Germans, were only
allowed to travel within the GDR and to other Eastern-bloc countries. Most holiday trips
were state subsidised and union organised but who was allowed to go where, when and for
how long depended on such factors as an individual's productivity and level of social and
political engagement. Those who could afford it could book a package holiday abroad
through the Reisebüro der DDR (GDR Travel Agency).
Women enjoyed greater equality in East Germany. An extensive government-run child-
care system made it easier to combine motherhood and employment, and nearly 90% of all
women were gainfully employed, many in such 'nontraditional' fields as engineering and
construction. However, this gender equality did not necessarily translate into the private
sphere, where women remained largely responsible for child-raising and domestic chores.
Rising through the ranks at work or in organisations was also rare for women. In fact, the
only female member of the Ministerrat (Council of Ministers) was Erich Honecker's wife,
Margot Honecker.
