Stabilisation and Control: The GDR, 1962-87 » Propaganda, Censorship, Support and Opposition

Propaganda: telling people what to think

The GDR was a one-party state run by the SED, the Socialist Unity Party. The SED wanted people to believe in socialism and to accept its rule, so it controlled the messages people heard.

Key terms:

• Propaganda: information, often one-sided or misleading, used to persuade people to think or act in a certain way.
• Censorship: the control of what can be printed, said, broadcast or performed, banning anything the state does not like.
• Conformity: going along with the rules and expectations of the state, whatever you privately think.
• Dissident: a person who openly disagrees with their government.

GDR propaganda had a few main themes:

• The GDR was the better Germany. It was shown as a peaceful, fair country with jobs, homes and welfare for all.
• The West was the enemy. West Germany was described as a home of fascists and greedy capitalists. The Berlin Wall was officially called the "anti-fascist protection rampart", as if it kept the West out rather than keeping East Germans in.
• Friendship with the Soviet Union. The USSR was presented as a loyal friend and protector.

Propaganda was everywhere. Almost all newspapers belonged to the SED or to organisations it controlled, and they printed the Party line. Factories, schools and streets carried banners and slogans. On 1 May, Labour Day, workers were expected to join huge parades to show support for the state.

Censorship: stopping other views

Propaganda said what the state wanted people to hear. Censorship stopped them hearing anything else. In the GDR:

Two famous cases show how it worked:

• Wolf Biermann, a songwriter and poet who supported socialism but criticised the SED, was banned from performing in the GDR. In November 1976 he was allowed to tour West Germany, and the GDR then stripped him of his citizenship so he could not return. Many writers and artists protested, and some were punished for it.
• Rudolf Bahro, an SED member, wrote a book criticising the Party. It was published in West Germany in 1977. He was arrested that year, sentenced to eight years in prison in 1978, and sent to the West in 1979.

Another critic, the scientist Robert Havemann, was placed under house arrest from 1976. Censorship did not stop all criticism, but it made it risky and kept it away from most ordinary people.

How much support did the GDR have?

It is hard to measure, because people who disagreed were careful about what they said. The signs point to a mixed picture.

Most people practised conformity. They went to the parades, joined the organisations, and kept their opinions to themselves. Many focused on family, friends, allotments and weekend cottages. Some historians call this a "niche society", where people lived private lives away from politics. Conformity is not the same as support. It can simply mean people had learned that it was safer to go along with the state.

Opposition before 1987

After the 1953 rising was crushed and the Wall was built, open protest was rare and dangerous. Opposition took quieter forms:

• Grumbling. Many people complained about shortages, queues and the Party in private, and told political jokes among trusted friends. This was widespread but not organised, and it rarely changed anything.
• Dissidents. A small number of writers, scientists and church activists spoke out openly, such as Biermann, Bahro and Havemann. They risked arrest, loss of work or expulsion.
• Applying to leave. The GDR signed the Helsinki Accords in 1975, which promised human rights. Many East Germans used this to apply for permission to leave for the West. Applicants often lost their jobs or were treated as traitors, but the number of applications grew through the 1980s.

So opposition existed, but before 1987 it was small, divided and watched closely, so it did not threaten the state itself.

Exam-style question

This is a Paper 2 Section A (a) question. It tests whether you can describe features with accurate detail.

Describe TWO features of EITHER censorship in the GDR OR the economic problems of the GDR in the 1980s. [6 marks]

Recap

• Propaganda presented the GDR as the better Germany and the West as the enemy.
• Censorship controlled books, newspapers and the arts, and critics such as Biermann and Bahro were punished.
• Most people conformed, which shows control rather than real support.
• Opposition before 1987 was grumbling, a few dissidents, and growing numbers applying to leave.