I had to stand in line for half an hour to get into the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) museum, which portrays life in East Germany. Making fun of your past interactively is no doubt more appealing than being horrified by Nazi atrocities. Apparently, inculcation in the communist lifestyle began with potty training. Kindergarteners were expected to shit at the same time and use the same roll of toilet paper.
At home, conditions improved slightly.
Still most "dachas" (vacation homes) likely had outhouses. Nothing like kicking back in your lounge chair with a samovar!
Visitors couldn't wait to get behind the wheel of a Trabbi. I peeked inside the trunk instead.
Good little communists wore spiffy uniforms.
The East Germans awarded more merit badges than the Boy Scouts.
Adults, on the other hand, used nudity to rebel against the state, turning volley ball into a political act.
Less subtle kinds of protest landed you in prison. These German kids piled into a cell to test the mattress.
Information about life in the West was pretty "foggy."
Have you ever seen such a handsome, happy farmer? He earned less than $500 a year in 1988! Wasn't that around the time in the West when Linda Evangelista said she didn't get out of bed for less than $10,000?
No wonder so many people turned to the black market. Blue jeans, in particular, epitomized the difference between life in the "West" and "East." Every body coveted Levi's.
Because East German knock-offs sucked.
Remember green stamps? East Germans had them, too, but they traded them for necessities, not luxuries.
Not that party members had to worry about necessities. Just like politicians everywhere, their standard of living (if not their taste) was much higher.
East German politicians adopted the uniforms of their presumed constituencies. Is that Hitler with a monocle?
Erich Honecker, who "led" East Germany until the Wall fell, used this phone to check in with Moscow. Gorbachev stopped picking up.
What would Lenin make of all this?
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