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A Cultural Glimpse Into the German Democratic Republic Lothar Mertens. Unter dem Deckel der Diktatur: Soziale und kulturelle Aspekte des DDR-Alltags. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2003. 250 S. EUR 67.40, paper, ISBN 978-3-428-11142-8. Reviewed by Axel Fair-Schulz Published on H-German (March, 2006) Unter dem Deckel der Diktatur is a collection vanced than his or her Western counterpart, of six separate essays, exploring oft-neglected as‐ would develop all of his or her talents freely and pects of the former East German regime. The chief be engaged in life-long self improvement and cul‐ strength of these pieces is that they draw atten‐ tural refinement. Most of all, this personality type tion to the less noticeable social and cultural di‐ would engage in self-directed creative pursuits, mensions of everyday life in the German Demo‐ no longer regarding work in terms of wage labor cratic Republic (GDR) and present new and inter‐ but as humanity's true calling and chief source of esting archival fndings. Yet, as Lothar Mertens personal satisfaction. Naturally, East German fac‐ points out in his brief preface, the contributions tory conditions fell far short of these lofty goals. derive from a workshop and offer efforts of re‐ Yet while official party ideology maintained that construction and preliminary assessment--not East Germany was moving ever closer to trans‐ sustained analyses. The essays are very engaging; forming itself along these lines, many social scien‐ however, an introductory and/or concluding es‐ tists in the GDR arrived at more complex and real‐ say could have served to not only orient readers istic conclusions. Mertens summarizes a signifi‐ but to highlight overarching themes, methodolo‐ cant amount of these fndings. Beginning with a gies and theoretical issues. consideration of how the East German regime in‐ The frst essay, by Lothar Mertens, examines strumentalized the works of Karl Marx and evening and shift work in the GDR. Mertens bases Friedrich Engels for its own purposes, the author his study largely on confidential research carried alerts us to how both thinkers had opposed shift out by scholars in former East Germany. He starts and night labor as exploitative and inhumane. out by contrasting ideological Marxist-Leninist The GDR's Marxist-Leninist regime, however, was predictions about the emergence of a "communist obsessed with closing the productivity gap with personality" type among the GDR's work force. the West and thus propagated shift and night This desired "new human," qualitatively more ad‐ work as essential to the emergence of a more hu‐ mane society. Addressing an obvious contradic‐ H-Net Reviews tion, GDR thinkers asserted that shift work was East German scholars noted that men were more exploitative in capitalist societies, but in socialist outwardly success-oriented, while women placed East Germany, shift work would have different a higher value on a good working climate and and far more positive qualities, given that the their relationships with fellow workers. Shifts and means of production were now in the hands of evening work also hit women more severely than the workers themselves. A worker's willingness to men, inasmuch as they also had to balance a larg‐ accept night and shift work became a measuring er share of household and family obligations. stick for loyalty to the state as well as the Mertens observes how socio-economic ar‐ achieved level of "new consciousness." East Ger‐ rangements within East Germany in general dis‐ mans were constitutionally guaranteed the right couraged innovative thinking. Tinkerers were to work, but at the cost of significantly limiting perceived as troublemakers, and workers knew the choices of where and at what. Mertens points that their jobs were secure, regardless of individ‐ out that shift and night work was designed to fur‐ ual or company performance. The main criterion ther the reach of the regime, fulfilling three main for promotion was political and ideological loyal‐ functions: frst, to aid the GDR's economic perfor‐ ty, which thus bred incompetence and corruption. mance; second, to form loyal citizens at an educa‐ Mertens continues his line of inquiry by examin‐ tional level; and third, to discipline the workforce, ing how night and shift work affected child rear‐ making workers easier to control. These ideologi‐ ing and health as well as diet and living condi‐ cal objectives soon collided with reality, however, tions. Mertens concludes that East German society and the regime was unable to deal with the GDR's was exceedingly centered on the workplace. Forty developing complexities. to forty-two hour work weeks combined with Mertens summarizes the empirical data col‐ lengthy commutes were common place. Mertens lected by scholars from diverse institutions, rang‐ argues that a lack of Western-style amusements ing from the sociology research team of the Cen‐ and distractions placed additional stresses on the tral Research Institute for Labor at the State Sec‐ family, resulting in a high divorce rate, which fur‐ retariat for Labor and Wage Affairs to the Social‐ ther enhanced the importance of the work envi‐ ist Way of Life research unit at the Institute for ronment as a substitute family. All in all, this Scientific Communism (centered at the Academy failed to create the new Communist personality-- for Societal Sciences at the governing party's cen‐ the stresses of night and shift work added to what tral committee). These scholars found much dif‐ Mertens deems (by quoting the playwright Heiner ferentiation within East German society, along the Müller) the serf-system of the GDR. lines of education, income and gender. In general, While Merten's essay is very engaging, it is at those workers who were less trained and less- times somewhat polemic. He is certainly justified qualified were motivated less by the regime's in highlighting the regime's exploitation of East elaborate system of "idealistic stimuli" (i.e. German workers. Yet, a greater degree of nuance medals, citations in the party newspaper or other would have offered additional insights. For exam‐ forms of propaganda) than by tangible improve‐ ple, Mertens pays little attention to changes over ments in income. As technologies developed and time or to regional differentiation. Mertens could more technical expertise was required, average have situated shift work within a larger context, workers were less than enthusiastic about em‐ with comparisons with other Soviet-style societies bracing new ways of doing things--additional re‐ or Western countries. He could also have reflected sponsibilities were often unaccompanied by high‐ on the methodologies involved in those "confiden‐ er wages. The growing diversification of values tial East German dissertations" and elaborated to and norms within the GDR was gendered as well. 2 H-Net Reviews what end they were kept "confidential." How was came to accept their powerlessness in dealing the collision between party ideology and empiri‐ with management. However, this state of affairs cal fndings negotiated by the authors of those dis‐ did not translate into utter passivity, as women sertations? What in-built conflicts within the re‐ workers more successfully concentrated their ef‐ search paradigms came to light during his exami‐ forts on improving day-to-day environmental con‐ nation? ditions, such as lunch breaks. Annegret Schuele--a trained historian with a Schuele is sensitive to changes over time and strong interest in social history whose research takes complex dynamics into consideration when focus is not only in East Germany but also indus‐ examining the interaction between everyday life trial history--has contributed an excellent piece and workers' brigades. Her carefully examined on female workers in the GDR's cotton-weaving case studies illuminate what it meant for those industry. The author of a well-researched mono‐ brigades and their members to "work, learn, and graph on the experiences of female cotton-weav‐ live according to socialist principles" (ADD PAGE ing workers in Leipzig, she focuses her chapter in NUMBER). In addition, her chapter benefits from this volume on the everyday life and cultural being well versed in the scholarly literature on world of workers' brigades at the VEB Leipziger the subject matter, as her references to such ex‐ Baumwollspinnerei. Her well-structured article perts as Peter Huebner and Joerg Roesler exhibit. probes how "socialist brigades" were intended by Annette Kaminsky, an expert on the cultural the regime to be germinal to the formation of and social history of the GDR, has written an en‐ workers' identities. Schuele points out that the gaging chapter about the private donations of ruling party and most workers agreed on the cen‐ West Germans to their less prosperous East Ger‐ tral importance of workers' brigades to their self- man relatives. She succinctly chronicles the real perception. Far from being associated simply with impact as well as the perceptions regarding West labor (and thus income), workers' brigades be‐ German gift packages within GDR society, seeking came a sort of second family (a home away from to understand how and why most East Germans home), with whom participants not only worked attributed a higher value to Western products but socialized and relaxed with after hours. than their own, even when the qualitative differ‐ Schuele notes that East German party ideologues ences were at times more a matter of packaging as well as Western-trained sociologists curiously than of substance. She begins by comparing concur on how the regime supposedly succeeded American CARE packages in the West with the in achieving complete control over the workers much leaner offerings from Soviet troops in the via workers' brigades. Schuele offers a more dif‐ East after World War II. From the outset, East Ger‐ ferentiated perspective, drawing on Alf Luedtke's mans had to content themselves with basic food‐ now well-known concept of Eigensinn.
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