ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by sunnoficarus

One thing you do have to hand to the GDR, they were far, decades, ahead of the West in connecting up everyone and getting them 'online'.

Alas, the only thing they were connected to was the local STASI eavesdropping office.

There's almost certainly more surveillance in the UK today than in 1980s DDR.

Originally Posted by Brotherton Lad

There's almost certainly more surveillance in the UK today than in 1980s DDR.

Yes, an interesting point. Yet most of us are completely oblivious to the amount of surveillance we are subjected to. I once went into Hull's CCTV Control Centre and was astounded by the number of official cameras, let alone the number of private 'security' cameras there are about.

Yet you put one single minicam in the girls' changing rooms...........................

Originally Posted by Markintime

Yet you put one single minicam in the girls' changing rooms...........................

How on earth do you know about that? It's meant to be a secret.

Originally Posted by The_Seagull

If it was such a workers paradise why did they have to build huge fences to keep them in? It was a shit country and shit system of government.

You provided the answer to your own question with what I've emboldened. Although I'd beg to differ on the "shit country" generalisation unless you mean specifics. However, in spite of the shite system of gobment, everyone in the GDR had the minimum to live on, a roof over their head, affordable food, public transport and utilities, including water. Furthermore, everyone was entitled to a job, free health-care and free education in one of the finest education systems ever devised. In fact, it was a derivation of the GDR education system that was introduced in Finland and won the international SATs test for them. There were no beggars or destitute in East Germany, hardly any crime and a profound sense of social peace and harmony. So while there were undeniably many things wrong with the GDR, there were also many things right for normal working folks like us - which even a cursory comparison will confirm.

MsG

Originally Posted by sunnoficarus

One thing you do have to hand to the GDR, they were far, decades, ahead of the West in connecting up everyone and getting them 'online'.

Alas, the only thing they were connected to was the local STASI eavesdropping office.

Around 13 percent of the population had phones when the Berlin Wall fell. But in the spirit of equality, we're now ALL (well, apart from the politicians) connected to the Septic, Brit and European eavesdropping systems. That's what you call progress!

MsG

Originally Posted by BugzDaMick

You provided the answer to your own question with what I've emboldened. Although I'd beg to differ on the "shit country" generalisation unless you mean specifics. However, in spite of the shite system of gobment, everyone in the GDR had the minimum to live on, a roof over their head, affordable food, public transport and utilities, including water. Furthermore, everyone was entitled to a job, free health-care and free education in one of the finest education systems ever devised. In fact, it was a derivation of the GDR education system that was introduced in Finland and won the international SATs test for them. There were no beggars or destitute in East Germany, hardly any crime and a profound sense of social peace and harmony. So while there were undeniably many things wrong with the GDR, there were also many things right for normal working folks like us - which even a cursory comparison will confirm.

But it still took a huge secret police, a fifteen foot wall, minefields and machine gun posts to stop everyone doing one to the west at the earliest opportunity...

Originally Posted by jimmys_best_mate

But it still took a huge secret police, a fifteen foot wall, minefields and machine gun posts to stop everyone doing one to the west at the earliest opportunity...

In bugsyworld the wall was there to keep the west out. Otherwise the eastern block would have been swamped by millions of people demanding the chance to live in a concrete flat with sweating walls, work in a factory producing shoddy goods whilst wearing poorly made clothes. And, oh, for the opportunity to go to the cinema and see the latest Polish animated film. And 3rd Shock Army was just there to stop us invading.

Originally Posted by jimmys_best_mate

But it still took a huge secret police, a fifteen foot wall, minefields and machine gun posts to stop everyone doing one to the west at the earliest opportunity...

Therein lies the paradox. Many craved the freedom but loved the lifestyle whilst others craved the consumerism of the West but drew comfort from the regimented lifestyle of the East.