#gdr

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

75 years ago, on October 7, 1949, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was formed -- the first socialist state on German soil.

Via Communist World

[stillnaomi]

if anyone wants good intro reading on the GDR

*in tears* p-please please give her back *sobbing* I can't live without her ;________;

[nitramar]

Children on a playground in Berlin-Marzahn, 1990, GDR. From the series Berlin 1990, photo by Sibylle Bergemann.

[shihlun]

Sibylle Bergemann

- Das Denkmal

1975 – 1986

Sculptor: Ludwig Engelhardt

[thererisesaredstar]

GDR Gymnasts perform at the 1987 Gymnastics & Sports Festival

[read-marx-and-lenin]

It's a good pamphlet and clearly the DDR needed to defend itself. But it doesn't explain why they had to shoot civilians trying to leave the East

I'm not going to say I support the "shoot to kill" orders. I don't. I think they were the wrong move on the part of the GDR and led to unnecessary and tragic deaths. But I also think you have to look at it objectively and in the context of the wall itself.

In 1959, the GDR announced the discovery of classified NATO documents outlining a potential invasion of East Germany using West Berlin as a staging ground, dubbed "Operation DECO II". Neither NATO nor the FRG have ever confirmed or denied the authenticity of these documents, but they align with Western refusal to agree to any plans for reunification that did not involve a NATO-aligned Germany.

In 1960, the Sino-Soviet Split occurs, France becomes a nuclear power, and NATO deploys nuclear missiles in Italy. In June 1961, two months before construction of the Wall, NATO deploys nuclear missiles in Turkey. In October 1961, the USSR detonates the largest nuclear bomb ever created. In 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis occurs. And in 1963, Kennedy makes his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, proclaiming his opposition to communism and the defensive actions of the GDR.

From 1957 to 1961, the head of the West German military was Adolf Heusinger, a former high-ranking Wehrmacht general who helped to plan the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. From 1961 to 1964, Heusinger was Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. After Konrad Adenauer had ended denazification in West Germany early, many such instances of former Nazis and Nazi collaborators coming to power and prominence within West Germany had occurred, which is part of the reason why the GDR dubbed the Wall the "Anti-Fascist Protection Wall".

This period marked the highest point in tensions between East and West during the Cold War. Around the world, revolutionary movements were growing, and the capitalists and imperialists were becoming more belligerent in turn. The GDR was dealing with saboteurs and spies and Western agents bribing skilled workers to encourage defection. It is no surprise then that according to a 2011 study into the 136 deaths attributed by the authors to the Wall (and not all of these deaths were of civilians), more than half occurred from 1961 to 1966. However, over 50,000 arrests were made due to border crossing attempts that did not result in death, and by the 1980s there were millions of legal crossings from East to West Berlin approved by the GDR, the vast majority of which later returned to the GDR.

Every death that happened due to the Wall is a death that should not have happened. But the Wall is not some totalitarian construct the evil communists created to trap people and prevent their escape. It was a means of defense against the aggression of the capitalist world towards a vulnerable socialist state forced to host a capitalist enclave. In a just world, West Berlin would never have existed in the first place. In a just world, NATO would have accepted the Soviet proposal for a neutral and unified Germany and Germany would not have been separated for decades. The Anti-Fascist Protection Wall served its purpose and prevented what could have been a major escalation in the Cold War.

When the Wall fell and capitalism was forced upon East Germany, immediately there were major increases in poverty, unemployment, and homelessness, something that occurred across Eastern Europe during the period of neoliberal "shock therapy" as labor protections and welfare systems were removed and state enterprises were privatized. To this day, East Germany remains poorer than West Germany despite over thirty years of glorious free market capitalism to mend the divide. I do not have any concrete numbers, but I would not be surprised if the total number of deaths relating to post-reunification poverty exceeded the number of deaths attributed to the Wall.

Recommended reading:

What You Should Know About the Wall (1962 GDR pamphlet regarding the Wall) Behind the Berlin Wall - Challenge Magazine A Marxist-Leninist Approach to the Berlin Wall - /r/communism The Triumph of Evil - Austin Murphy Stasi State or Workers’ Paradise - Bruni de la Motte & John Green

[fuckyeahplattenbau]

GDR toys: construction kit of a plattenbau (plastic)

[cominternagent]

Under The Banner Of Karl Marx For Peace And Social Progress!

[waiting-for-autumn]

Anahira has some thoughts about Cazador...

Coming out from hiatus (sorry, life got busy) for a very quick and not polished artwork.

I've recently been relistening to the songs for Galavant and some work really well with BG3!!!

If your OC is a bard it makes perfect sense!

Let me know what Galavant songs you think work the best for your playthrough!

PLEASE DO NOT EDIT/CROP/REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION

[yuria-the-witch]

Whenever you see the German "left" saying some zionist shit think about this image and how the DDR government at the very end of the country's existence was forced to apologize to Israel for having a pro-Palestinian stance during its existence

[marionbulot]

A little veena player made for the new edition of the roleplaying game "On The Way To Chrysopoeia" from Morgane Reynier :) ⭐ now available in english and italian version : https://nessundove.it/en/shopping/crisopea/

[marimayscarlett]

"Bootsmann auf der Scholle" by Benno Pludra | first published in 1959 in the GDR 📖

It may seem like "just" a cute children's book, and yet it holds a tiny little piece of Rammstein history (in a broader sense) ☺️

[pasparal]

Venceremos—Solidarität mit dem Volk Chiles GDR stamp commemorating Chilean president Salvador Allende (1908–1973)

[thererisesaredstar]

Posters for Berlin's Tierpark Zoo, released between 1963-1975

[germanpostwarmodern]

Glashaus (1974-78) in Jena, Germany, by Friedhelm Schubring

[sweetfreyja]

One of the most delicate and emotional moments of the third season, it was worth waiting until this episode and enjoying the splendid fight that precedes it (F in chat for the circus tent, but it's not our heroes' fault). I can't wait to see how the rest of this season will develop, in the meantime let's review the previous ones.