ad info




CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
*  WORLD
   africa
   americas
   asia pacific
   europe
   middle east
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 SPACE
 HEALTH
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 ARTS & STYLE
 NATURE
 IN-DEPTH
 ANALYSIS
 myCNN

 Headline News brief
 news quiz
 daily almanac

  MULTIMEDIA:
 video
 video archive
 audio
 multimedia showcase
 more services

  E-MAIL:
Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists.
Enter your address:
Or:
Get a free e-mail account

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 AsiaNow
 En Español
 Em Português
 Svenska
 Norge
 Danmark
 Italian

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 TIME INC. SITES:
 CNN NETWORKS:
Networks image
 more networks
 transcripts

 SITE INFO:
 help
 contents
 search
 ad info
 jobs

 WEB SERVICES:

World - Europe

Ex-East Germans nostalgic for communism's simpler life

Lenin, Stalin look-a-likes
Lenin and Stalin look-alikes and men in dress uniform take part in Ostalgie Night, celebrating the old days of the communist German Democratic Republic  

In this story:

'It was a safe life'

The familiar objects of daily life

RELATED STORIES, SITES icon



By Berlin Bureau Chief Chris Burns

BERLIN (CNN) -- As Germany celebrates the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, some Germans have started to look back fondly to the days of the former communist-ruled East Germany.

The reunification of Germany, which came 11 months after the events of November 9, 1989, has failed to fulfill the expectations of many thousands of former citizens of the German Democratic Republic. The former East Germany may have been seen from the West as a brutal, Stalinist regime run by dictators, but it offered its citizens guaranteed employment for life; generous social programs; cheap public transit; and low-cost housing.

Those benefits look attractive to former East Germans, nicknamed "Ossies," as they struggle with unemployment that still runs about 17 percent -- twice as high as in the former West Germany.

'It was a safe life'

"Life in the GDR was not so terrible, because it was a safe life. There was hardly any crime, and I did not have to worry about my future," one former East German told CNN.

  RESOURCES
Key dates in Berlin Wall's history

CNN Special: Cold War

Destination: The Berlin Wall

 
  ALSO
 
  MESSAGE BOARD
Berlin Wall

 

Another explained the nostalgia for the former regime by saying, "We have grown up in the GDR. Of course, like anywhere in California or Texas, you lived through certain things that made up your national identity."

A recent poll indicated that while most former East Germans welcomed the greater political freedom and supported reunification, more than 40 percent said they were happier under the communist regime. A majority said they were unhappy with the economic changes.

It is those feelings that have fed a nostalgia for the former regime among some Ossies, a sentiment that has brought renewed success to the former Communist Party, which posted strong gains in recent state elections. The ex-communists took 40 percent of the vote in the former East Berlin.

The familiar objects of daily life

The sentiment also focuses on the familiar objects of daily life in the GDR, such as the blue shirt of the state youth organization and East Germany's crosswalk lamp, known as the Ampelman, which now comes in a candy version.

In Magdeburg, the capital of Sachsen-Anhalt state, a bar down the street from huge communist-era factories has been decorated with GDR memorabilia, including the Trabant car, various army uniforms and a portrait of former East German leader, Eric Honecker. The factories all have been either down-sized or closed.

Souvenirs
Vendors sell medals and other memorabilia during the festivities  

Under the former regime, people looked out for each other, explains the owner. Living under a dictatorship and standing in long food lines created a feeling of solidarity.

"You could depend on each other,"he says, "now it is money, money, money."

Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars which have been spent on infrastructure and roads since unification, the Ossies feel the high hopes of 1989 have not been met.

It has almost become a cliche, for political leaders to speak of the "reunification of the mind" -- a reunification that has yet to occur 10 years after the most visible barrier between the two Germanys came crashing down in one memorable night.



SPECIAL:
CNN 's Cold War
  • Episode 9: The Wall
  • Episode 23: The Wall Comes Down

RELATED STORIES:
Eastern German resentment lingers over Westerners' deals
November 8, 1999
CIA files stir up specter of East German secret police
November 7, 1999
Memory of Berlin Wall casualties haunts Germany
November 6, 1999
Germany marks anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall
November 9, 1997
East German leader sentenced for Berlin Wall deaths
August 25, 1997

RELATED SITES:
BerlinOnline
German Government
German Reichstag
The Berlin Wall History in Text and Pictures Frederik Ramm: Fall of the Berlin Wall The Fall of The Berlin Wall History of the Berlin Wall
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

 LATEST HEADLINES:
SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.