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Born in the GDR: Living in the Shadow of the Wall
The changes that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 were particularly dramatic for East Germans. With the German Democratic Republic effectively taken over by West Germany in the reunification process, nothing in their lives was immune from change and upheaval: from the way they voted, the newspapers they read, to the brand of butter they bought.
But what was it really like to go from living under communism one minute, to capitalism the next? What did the East Germans make of capitalism? And how do they remember the GDR today? Are their memories dominated by fear and loathing of the Stasi state, or do they look back with a measure of fondness and regret on a world of guaranteed employment and a relatively low cost of living?
This is the story of eight citizens of the former German Democratic Republic, and how these dramatic changes affected them. All of the people in the book were born in East Germany after the Berlin Wall was put up in August 1961, so they knew nothing other than living in a socialist system when the GDR fell apart. Their stories provide a fascinating insight not only into everyday life in East Germany, but about how this now-vanished state is remembered today, a quarter of a century after the fall of the Wall.
But what was it really like to go from living under communism one minute, to capitalism the next? What did the East Germans make of capitalism? And how do they remember the GDR today? Are their memories dominated by fear and loathing of the Stasi state, or do they look back with a measure of fondness and regret on a world of guaranteed employment and a relatively low cost of living?
This is the story of eight citizens of the former German Democratic Republic, and how these dramatic changes affected them. All of the people in the book were born in East Germany after the Berlin Wall was put up in August 1961, so they knew nothing other than living in a socialist system when the GDR fell apart. Their stories provide a fascinating insight not only into everyday life in East Germany, but about how this now-vanished state is remembered today, a quarter of a century after the fall of the Wall.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
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September 13, 2014
Great....just great.
I am a Wessi, and I lived in Germany until 1990 when I was 19. So I remember the wall coming down, the masses of Ossis coming over to the west. And it never occurred to me that not everyone from the GDR wanted to become western. I was of a similar age as the people interviewed for the book.
This book changed my perspective drastically. Like everyone else, I was indoctrinated with a specific view, the one that we were right and they were wrong. I thought everyone wanted what we had and hated their life in the GDR. Of course some did, but I was surprised to read viewpoints of the people who were satisfied with their life there. It was good to have my eyes opened to the other side of the coin.
Very interesting, highly recommended. It's a must read, and I'm so glad I got to read this book.
I am a Wessi, and I lived in Germany until 1990 when I was 19. So I remember the wall coming down, the masses of Ossis coming over to the west. And it never occurred to me that not everyone from the GDR wanted to become western. I was of a similar age as the people interviewed for the book.
This book changed my perspective drastically. Like everyone else, I was indoctrinated with a specific view, the one that we were right and they were wrong. I thought everyone wanted what we had and hated their life in the GDR. Of course some did, but I was surprised to read viewpoints of the people who were satisfied with their life there. It was good to have my eyes opened to the other side of the coin.
Very interesting, highly recommended. It's a must read, and I'm so glad I got to read this book.
September 13, 2020
I read this one for research purposes. And a fascinating read it was too.
The approach is similar to Anna Funder's Stasiland in that Vaizey interviews a number of former citizens of the DDR (it's also Svetlana Alexievich's method). Born in the GDR seeks to be a corrective to Funder's book, though, to some degree, looking at the positives as well as the negatives of the vanished state. She illuminates the differing experience of DDR citizens before and after the fall of the Wall. We usually get the victors' narrative, of course - the DDR was a wicked police state that impoverished its people and was almost universally hated. This is very far from the truth.
Funder's work is more fun but Vaizey's the more scholarly. The eight case studies here are supported by anecdotes from other interviewees and the writer's own informative interjections. Vaizey does sometimes seem a little naive. For instance, she writes about the woefully low percentage of the population that got the chance to attend university in the DDR in the 1980s, apparently oblivious to the fact that the percentage wasn't much higher in the UK at the time. These reservations aside, Born in the GDR is highly recommended.
The approach is similar to Anna Funder's Stasiland in that Vaizey interviews a number of former citizens of the DDR (it's also Svetlana Alexievich's method). Born in the GDR seeks to be a corrective to Funder's book, though, to some degree, looking at the positives as well as the negatives of the vanished state. She illuminates the differing experience of DDR citizens before and after the fall of the Wall. We usually get the victors' narrative, of course - the DDR was a wicked police state that impoverished its people and was almost universally hated. This is very far from the truth.
Funder's work is more fun but Vaizey's the more scholarly. The eight case studies here are supported by anecdotes from other interviewees and the writer's own informative interjections. Vaizey does sometimes seem a little naive. For instance, she writes about the woefully low percentage of the population that got the chance to attend university in the DDR in the 1980s, apparently oblivious to the fact that the percentage wasn't much higher in the UK at the time. These reservations aside, Born in the GDR is highly recommended.
October 14, 2014
An interesting insight into “real” life in communist East Germany and more interestingly the psychological changes experienced by those citizens as a result of re-unification.
Many people who weren’t citizens of the GDR have a view of East Germany based around two parameters, the movies “Goodbye Lenin” and “The Life of Others”. This book brings a more subtle view by interviewing eight former citizens of the GDR about their personal experiences of life in communist East Germany.
What is apparent is that their view varies massively depending on how much they rubbed up against the status quo. Some, who although were not party members were happy with the feeling of safety engendered by the cradle to grave support of the state and guaranteed job, despite the frustrations of not being able to get certain goods.
These views contrast with others who didn’t conform and paid the consequences both professionally and personally. You would imagine that with the fall of the GDR those persecuted by the state would welcome the “New Germany”, but this not necessarily the case.
The area I found most fascinating was the effects of the demise of the GDR in terms of the psychological changes where everything familiar disappears such as the sense of community, shops, youth camps, etc to be replaced by a brash and loud new world of consumerism and capitalism where a whole new set of skills and knowledge need to be learned.
Hester Vaizey writes in an easy style that communicates well despite some the philosophical and psychological content and contributes new knowledge to the sadly sparse number of books in English that cover this crucial period of European and German history.
Many people who weren’t citizens of the GDR have a view of East Germany based around two parameters, the movies “Goodbye Lenin” and “The Life of Others”. This book brings a more subtle view by interviewing eight former citizens of the GDR about their personal experiences of life in communist East Germany.
What is apparent is that their view varies massively depending on how much they rubbed up against the status quo. Some, who although were not party members were happy with the feeling of safety engendered by the cradle to grave support of the state and guaranteed job, despite the frustrations of not being able to get certain goods.
These views contrast with others who didn’t conform and paid the consequences both professionally and personally. You would imagine that with the fall of the GDR those persecuted by the state would welcome the “New Germany”, but this not necessarily the case.
The area I found most fascinating was the effects of the demise of the GDR in terms of the psychological changes where everything familiar disappears such as the sense of community, shops, youth camps, etc to be replaced by a brash and loud new world of consumerism and capitalism where a whole new set of skills and knowledge need to be learned.
Hester Vaizey writes in an easy style that communicates well despite some the philosophical and psychological content and contributes new knowledge to the sadly sparse number of books in English that cover this crucial period of European and German history.
November 10, 2014
Since I can remember all stories about german reunification said that the FRG saved GDR ―an ironic name for a totalitarian system― because life there was horrible, sad and asphyxiating. It was literally one of those dystopian novel come true. I really believed that East Germany had embraced the Reunification with fanfare. But after reading this book I came to realize that I was misguided in some respects, especially about the Reunificación.
I still firmly believe that the GDR was one of the worst, most dramatic and shameful experiments that the human race has made. But the book has taught me that the reality is more nuanced than one sometimes thinks. The author describes it perfectly when she wrote:
The book contains eight interviews with people born or lived their first years behind the Wall. It tells their impressions during the fall of the Wall, their experiences after the Reunification and how they remember their lives behind the Wall.
The interviews differ widely in their impressions, from the ones who were arrested and in captivity by the Stasi to the ones who lived inside the Party's inner circle; from the ones who lived a normal life behind the Wall and still lived a normal life after the Fall, to the ones who got their lives destroyed and still fight to put it together.
Everyone is happy with the fall of the Wall, but not everyone remembers East Germany in the same way, some do it with nostalgia and others with resentment. All agree that they now have more freedom, but not everyone believes that Reunification was implemented in the best way. No one wants to return to the socialist system, however some of them feel that many good things could have been preserved. Some are comfortable and fully adapted to their new lives, but others still feel displaced, marginalized and without identity. Some say life was not all bad in the GDR and that they were happy, for others it was a martyrdom which so far haven't been unable to overcome.
As you can see this is a book about contrasts and not about a black and white reality. I totally recommend it.
I still firmly believe that the GDR was one of the worst, most dramatic and shameful experiments that the human race has made. But the book has taught me that the reality is more nuanced than one sometimes thinks. The author describes it perfectly when she wrote:
The way people recall life in the GDR is just so different that it is surprising to find that they lived in the same country
The book contains eight interviews with people born or lived their first years behind the Wall. It tells their impressions during the fall of the Wall, their experiences after the Reunification and how they remember their lives behind the Wall.
The interviews differ widely in their impressions, from the ones who were arrested and in captivity by the Stasi to the ones who lived inside the Party's inner circle; from the ones who lived a normal life behind the Wall and still lived a normal life after the Fall, to the ones who got their lives destroyed and still fight to put it together.
Everyone is happy with the fall of the Wall, but not everyone remembers East Germany in the same way, some do it with nostalgia and others with resentment. All agree that they now have more freedom, but not everyone believes that Reunification was implemented in the best way. No one wants to return to the socialist system, however some of them feel that many good things could have been preserved. Some are comfortable and fully adapted to their new lives, but others still feel displaced, marginalized and without identity. Some say life was not all bad in the GDR and that they were happy, for others it was a martyrdom which so far haven't been unable to overcome.
As you can see this is a book about contrasts and not about a black and white reality. I totally recommend it.
June 21, 2016
I've always been curious about how people adapted and are adapting after the Berlin Wall went down so when I came across Born in the GDR: Living in the Shadow of the Wall, I was happy because this would cover it: "This is the story of eight citizens of the former German Democratic Republic, and how these changes affected them."
They were born in East Germany after the Wall went up, and now it's twenty-five years later. What do they remember and how do they feel? Opinions vary. Some remember being taken care of--and they miss that--and others remember how they were treated by the Stasi. (Being imprisoned and tortured is something you don't forget.) The background is interesting, and the stories are very matter-of-fact--not dramatic. Some readers might find it a trifle dry, I suspect, but I learned what I wanted to know. There are photos, footnotes, and a bibliography.
The East Berliners streamed into West Berlin and were amazed at what they could buy without standing in line, though they came to realize that these goodies cost money that they didn't have. Some think that they don't really need all this stuff and that the Westerners are too materialistic. The change was a shock in many ways.
I wasn't surprised at the regret some feel. The differences are mind-boggling--not only the lack of support from the communist government (when it wasn't restricting or imprisoning them), but some, at least, felt that the West Germans looked down on them because they had so much to learn...
That regret and sense of loss reminded me of former American slaves--the ones who lived in a certain security. I read Bullwhip Days: The Slaves Remember: An Oral History (Avon Books: 1988). These memories were gathered in the mid-30s by the Federal Writers Project. The former slaves remember being sold, how the Master treated them ("Rosa says her white folks were good to her..."), religion, education, and living as a slave. It depends on your perspective. I'd like to see a follow-up to this book. It was interesting to see how some perspectives changed when they (the East Germans) became teenagers.
They were born in East Germany after the Wall went up, and now it's twenty-five years later. What do they remember and how do they feel? Opinions vary. Some remember being taken care of--and they miss that--and others remember how they were treated by the Stasi. (Being imprisoned and tortured is something you don't forget.) The background is interesting, and the stories are very matter-of-fact--not dramatic. Some readers might find it a trifle dry, I suspect, but I learned what I wanted to know. There are photos, footnotes, and a bibliography.
The East Berliners streamed into West Berlin and were amazed at what they could buy without standing in line, though they came to realize that these goodies cost money that they didn't have. Some think that they don't really need all this stuff and that the Westerners are too materialistic. The change was a shock in many ways.
I wasn't surprised at the regret some feel. The differences are mind-boggling--not only the lack of support from the communist government (when it wasn't restricting or imprisoning them), but some, at least, felt that the West Germans looked down on them because they had so much to learn...
That regret and sense of loss reminded me of former American slaves--the ones who lived in a certain security. I read Bullwhip Days: The Slaves Remember: An Oral History (Avon Books: 1988). These memories were gathered in the mid-30s by the Federal Writers Project. The former slaves remember being sold, how the Master treated them ("Rosa says her white folks were good to her..."), religion, education, and living as a slave. It depends on your perspective. I'd like to see a follow-up to this book. It was interesting to see how some perspectives changed when they (the East Germans) became teenagers.
December 4, 2014
I got a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. Life in Eastern Europe throughout the 20th century up to today remains a topic that fascinates me. While it's an academic book, Life in GDR is a really good and readable book about the lives of eight people who grew up in East Germany before the wall fell and who lived through all of the changes in Germany after 1989. The author picked a great selection of interviewees -- they have a range of different experiences that demonstrate that there isn't a monolithic experience or way to view life in the GDR -- which is the author's thesis. She also does a really good job of giving a historical overview at the beginning and of providing historical context and commentary as she presents each person. But none of it feels didactic and it was well balanced with the narrative and interesting. Small criticism: the chapters dedicated to each interviewee are a bit too brief -- it would have been nice to know more about each person. But that's a small criticism. As someone who usually reads fiction, this book really held my attention. Looking forward to finding more books that cover similar topics that are just as good.
January 11, 2015
It is easy to make the assumption that the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent reunification of Germany was an unalloyed blessing to all concerned. What Hester Vaizey does in this well-researched and well-written book is give a much more nuanced and non-judgemental view and show what happened to ordinary people as they had to adjust to a completely new way of life and come to terms with new attitudes and outlooks. The sudden change from Communism to Capitalism brought along its own problems and sometimes left the former East Germans feeling like poor relations. Vaizey chooses 8 former GDR residents to interview in-depth and it is through their stories that we come to a much more profound and insightful picture of the effects of such a key event in the recent history of Europe.
September 30, 2019
I scored this 5 stars because I think Dr Vaizey has selected stories without any form of political bias. Many of the GDR books, published in English, tend to skew to the authors political leaning. Not in this case.
If you want to read stories about real East Germans, those who suffered and those who were happy there then this is for you. I recently interviewed Dr Vaizey on the Radio GDR podcast and was intrigued to learn how she researched and then selected the East Germans for her book.,
A must read for anyone interested in the lives of East Germans.
If you want to read stories about real East Germans, those who suffered and those who were happy there then this is for you. I recently interviewed Dr Vaizey on the Radio GDR podcast and was intrigued to learn how she researched and then selected the East Germans for her book.,
A must read for anyone interested in the lives of East Germans.
February 8, 2022
Great read regarding the nuances of East Germany and its breakup. I think it could have included even more accounts of peoples' experiences.
September 14, 2024
Tries to be a more balanced compendium of personal experiences than Anna Funder's Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall (which can be argued only focuses on the worst part of the DDR) which the autor actually mentions as a book that got a lot of recognition.
I don't necessarily want to compare books because it feels somewhat unfair but I could not stop thinking through reading this one that while 'Stasiland' was extremely compelling both in what it told and how it told it (through interview with the author subjects), the third-person narrative of 'Born the GDR' and the matter-of-factly tone made me feel more disconnected from the person's experiences, even though there's even pictures of the people and different mementos they had.
Also, I think this may the perfect book for people than don't really know much about post-war Germany or the DDR in general apart from the usual chiclés and want to have a more balanced account.
Of, there's those who had to face the Stasi but there's also the story of a girl who could feel she wasn't socially accepted because she was religious; however, she and her community formed strong bonds with Christians from the West Germany. Or someone remembers wanting to taste a chocolate bar (or something like that, I don't remember it exactly) that wasn't available in the DDT and being so disappointed when it finally could.
There's a story about a guy that was imprisoned by the Stasi but manager to get out to the West and when the wall fell, he has anxiety because now his captors could walk around him. For him, the Wall represented security.
Some people want reforms within the GDR, not necessarily for it to disappear. Some missed it after the Reunification because they feel that the references from the childhood has disappeared.
It's a interesting book, I wish I could have like it more, I liked the idea of interviewing different subjects. But I guess there was some information I already read somewhere else.
I don't necessarily want to compare books because it feels somewhat unfair but I could not stop thinking through reading this one that while 'Stasiland' was extremely compelling both in what it told and how it told it (through interview with the author subjects), the third-person narrative of 'Born the GDR' and the matter-of-factly tone made me feel more disconnected from the person's experiences, even though there's even pictures of the people and different mementos they had.
Also, I think this may the perfect book for people than don't really know much about post-war Germany or the DDR in general apart from the usual chiclés and want to have a more balanced account.
Of, there's those who had to face the Stasi but there's also the story of a girl who could feel she wasn't socially accepted because she was religious; however, she and her community formed strong bonds with Christians from the West Germany. Or someone remembers wanting to taste a chocolate bar (or something like that, I don't remember it exactly) that wasn't available in the DDT and being so disappointed when it finally could.
There's a story about a guy that was imprisoned by the Stasi but manager to get out to the West and when the wall fell, he has anxiety because now his captors could walk around him. For him, the Wall represented security.
Some people want reforms within the GDR, not necessarily for it to disappear. Some missed it after the Reunification because they feel that the references from the childhood has disappeared.
It's a interesting book, I wish I could have like it more, I liked the idea of interviewing different subjects. But I guess there was some information I already read somewhere else.
November 11, 2014
8 stories, 8 personal trajectories before and after the Fall of the Wall, and a reflection on the reunification of Germany. None of the East Germans interviewed here have nostalgia for the regime, but for a lost way of life, an acute feeling that their identity and the reality of 40 years of their existence have been denied. Interesting, but I'd have liked more stories, broader patterns emerging and general conclusions perhaps.
October 8, 2020
Born in the GDR: Life in the Shadow of the Wall by Hester Vaizey is a study of eight former East Germans and their experience once the wall fell. Vaizey earned her BA, M. Phil., and PhD from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. She is Director of Studies in History for Prelim and Part I students along with being a lecturer in Modern German history.
As an American and Marine veteran of the Cold War, when the wall fell there was a feeling of “It’s all over.” We had one and in the military we wondered what would happen next? We were focused on the Soviet threat and the threat from their allies and supported groups; we had nothing to focus on now. We won but victory really was not that satisfying. We were left thinking what will happen to us now that there is no enemy. The scenes of the wall being torn down and later the Soviet flag being lowered for the last time and a free Russian flag being raised over the Kremlin were the signs of joyful victory. The people of Eastern Europe are free and free to enjoy prosperity under capitalism.
East Germany was probably the best developed and had the highest standard of living in the Eastern Block. I while in Germany, I purchased Praktica camera and an Original Richter compass set. They were quality products at a very cheap price. I would have expected the fall of communism in East Germany would have held to a rapid and euphoric reunification. What could be more natural than freedom and consumerism?
Vaizey interviews and examines eight people’s experiences before and after the wall came down. The ranges of experience cover the spectrum emotions and expectations. Freedom was welcomed by some, particularly if they were political prisoners. Others took a more moderate approach and viewed freedoms as good but were puzzled by mass consumerism in the West. Why do you need to take part in a rat race just to make money and acquire things you do not need? Some welcomed change but worried about losing their voice and identity as East Germans. These several people only knew life in East Germany. It was the system they were born into and raised in. Rapid reunification seemed more like an invasion by the West rather than a coming together.
Two major ideas that are brought out in this book first is the meaning and freedom. If you are raised in a system that took care of you from cradle to grave and suddenly you are told that you are free. You wonder “Free from what?” There is now starvation, unemployment, and homelessness. Second is the information used. Usually, history is researching documents and recorded materials, without the ability to question the original authors of their meaning and intent. For example, the United States Constitution is a document that the original meanings are still being debated two hundred and twenty five years later. Original source material from interviews allows you to question the person’s intentions and meanings and can lead to a more accurate recording of history. But, care must be taken with a small sample. Many people are driven by emotion. If they fared well under reunification, then it was good. If they suffered or lost something of value under reunification it was was not a good choice.
As time moves on my guess is most people will accept East German absorption into West Germany as a logical move. Human memory tends to be short and as long as the German economy does not crash, there will be very few people long for the good day of the Stasi. Last year I talked to a person I met from Russia who was in his mid twenties. I said it was nice to talk (heavy use of Google translator), because when I was your age we could never have had a conversation. He said, “Yes, no internet.” I said no because of communism and the Cold War. He laughed and said no thinks of communism anymore. For people his age, it is like it never happened.
After starting this book I thought it was really well done and interesting, but a bit dated. About half way through the book I reconsidered the dated part. There are lessons to be learned here. Not necessarily about reunification, such as the unlikely event of North and South Korea becoming a single country but of the Western, perhaps more American concept of freedom. In America we like to think of ourselves as liberators granting freedom of repressed people around the word. Afghanistan and Iraq were liberated and Libya and Egypt too. America has this belief that “liberating” nations brings happiness. Vaizey, whether intentional or not, sets the reader up to look at the world through the eyes of people who were liberated, and see what their expectations were and even if they wanted to be liberated. Freedom means different things to different people. Some people want freedom from homelessness. Some people want consumerism. Some just want reform. Some want to keep their culture. There is no standard definition. Born in the GDR is an excellent living history with plenty of contemporary world lessons to be learned. A small snapshot of East Germany made for a worldwide lesson.
Reviewer holds an MA in International Relations - Security Policy from St. Mary’s University, San Antonio.
As an American and Marine veteran of the Cold War, when the wall fell there was a feeling of “It’s all over.” We had one and in the military we wondered what would happen next? We were focused on the Soviet threat and the threat from their allies and supported groups; we had nothing to focus on now. We won but victory really was not that satisfying. We were left thinking what will happen to us now that there is no enemy. The scenes of the wall being torn down and later the Soviet flag being lowered for the last time and a free Russian flag being raised over the Kremlin were the signs of joyful victory. The people of Eastern Europe are free and free to enjoy prosperity under capitalism.
East Germany was probably the best developed and had the highest standard of living in the Eastern Block. I while in Germany, I purchased Praktica camera and an Original Richter compass set. They were quality products at a very cheap price. I would have expected the fall of communism in East Germany would have held to a rapid and euphoric reunification. What could be more natural than freedom and consumerism?
Vaizey interviews and examines eight people’s experiences before and after the wall came down. The ranges of experience cover the spectrum emotions and expectations. Freedom was welcomed by some, particularly if they were political prisoners. Others took a more moderate approach and viewed freedoms as good but were puzzled by mass consumerism in the West. Why do you need to take part in a rat race just to make money and acquire things you do not need? Some welcomed change but worried about losing their voice and identity as East Germans. These several people only knew life in East Germany. It was the system they were born into and raised in. Rapid reunification seemed more like an invasion by the West rather than a coming together.
Two major ideas that are brought out in this book first is the meaning and freedom. If you are raised in a system that took care of you from cradle to grave and suddenly you are told that you are free. You wonder “Free from what?” There is now starvation, unemployment, and homelessness. Second is the information used. Usually, history is researching documents and recorded materials, without the ability to question the original authors of their meaning and intent. For example, the United States Constitution is a document that the original meanings are still being debated two hundred and twenty five years later. Original source material from interviews allows you to question the person’s intentions and meanings and can lead to a more accurate recording of history. But, care must be taken with a small sample. Many people are driven by emotion. If they fared well under reunification, then it was good. If they suffered or lost something of value under reunification it was was not a good choice.
As time moves on my guess is most people will accept East German absorption into West Germany as a logical move. Human memory tends to be short and as long as the German economy does not crash, there will be very few people long for the good day of the Stasi. Last year I talked to a person I met from Russia who was in his mid twenties. I said it was nice to talk (heavy use of Google translator), because when I was your age we could never have had a conversation. He said, “Yes, no internet.” I said no because of communism and the Cold War. He laughed and said no thinks of communism anymore. For people his age, it is like it never happened.
After starting this book I thought it was really well done and interesting, but a bit dated. About half way through the book I reconsidered the dated part. There are lessons to be learned here. Not necessarily about reunification, such as the unlikely event of North and South Korea becoming a single country but of the Western, perhaps more American concept of freedom. In America we like to think of ourselves as liberators granting freedom of repressed people around the word. Afghanistan and Iraq were liberated and Libya and Egypt too. America has this belief that “liberating” nations brings happiness. Vaizey, whether intentional or not, sets the reader up to look at the world through the eyes of people who were liberated, and see what their expectations were and even if they wanted to be liberated. Freedom means different things to different people. Some people want freedom from homelessness. Some people want consumerism. Some just want reform. Some want to keep their culture. There is no standard definition. Born in the GDR is an excellent living history with plenty of contemporary world lessons to be learned. A small snapshot of East Germany made for a worldwide lesson.
Reviewer holds an MA in International Relations - Security Policy from St. Mary’s University, San Antonio.
January 12, 2019
Pretty anti communist, it’s a meh from me.
May 11, 2017
This book tackles a huge subject and neatly tucks it into a nutshell. While necessarily brief to fit everything into a manageable and easily digestible format the book manages to present a range of memories of those who werearound their teen years at the time of the West German takeover of the DDR. The main thing that this book managed to do is seperate the Western obsession with the "Stasi" state from the realities of day to day life in the DDR for most people. Whatever the merits of the political system in which people are stuck there is generally a daily life and culture that is shared by most people in a country which goes on irrespective of and in most cases fairly independently of politcial and direct ideological control and interference, or which is an accepted norm for those experiencing it and is acepted as such. The way this becomes a foundation and reference point is clear in many of the interviews presented in this book as is the effect of an external actor attempting to erase all trace of this from a society and instil in its people an idea that their whole existence up until that point has been entirely negative. This book helps to explain while many felt that the swallowing of the DDR was and agressive and negative act even if they felt little if any sympathy or love for the political leadership and system of the DDR and on balance felt they benefitted from the "Anschluss". A good and easily readable study that goes beyond the usual "Stasi-state" mentality and Ostalgia remit.
April 16, 2019
Esse livro é uma junção de 8 entrevistas com pessoas que eram adolescentes/jovens no dia da queda do muro de Berlim. No geral, os entrevistados tem perfis bem distintos e cada um deles mostra uma visão bem diferente da do outro em relação a o que era a DDR.
A autora é provavelmente americana ou europeia e, por isso, as vezes, as comparações que são colocadas ficam um pouco rasas na minha opinião. O livro é sobre a DDR e não sobre comunismo - óbvio. Mas as vezes parece que há uma confusão entre o que é comunista e o que é ditadura.
Além disso, em quase todos os capítulos os entrevistados falam sobre as não-possibilidades de viajar fora do "Eastern Block" e o quão limitante é isso pra eles. E ai a discussão de que, no capitalismo, o grande limitador só muda de cara e se torna a renda só é colocado no final do livro. E ai eu acho que falta um pouco de sensibilidade de contextualizar a discussão um pouco além de Alemanha Oriental x Alemanha Ocidental e talvez parar um pouco para comparar Alemanha Oriental x Mundo Capitalista Real. Uma vez que a Alemanha Ocidental claramente era e ainda é um berço bastante privilegiado do capitalismo. Mas entendo que o livro também não se propõe a isso e não tem como objetivo dar nenhuma resposta pra ninguém. Ainda assim, seria legal ver um pouco mais de questionamento e visão de alguém que, talvez, depois do fim da DDR se mudou para algum outro país fora do primeiro mundo.
No geral o livro é muito interessante e bem rapidinho de ler. Gostei e recomendo!
A autora é provavelmente americana ou europeia e, por isso, as vezes, as comparações que são colocadas ficam um pouco rasas na minha opinião. O livro é sobre a DDR e não sobre comunismo - óbvio. Mas as vezes parece que há uma confusão entre o que é comunista e o que é ditadura.
Além disso, em quase todos os capítulos os entrevistados falam sobre as não-possibilidades de viajar fora do "Eastern Block" e o quão limitante é isso pra eles. E ai a discussão de que, no capitalismo, o grande limitador só muda de cara e se torna a renda só é colocado no final do livro. E ai eu acho que falta um pouco de sensibilidade de contextualizar a discussão um pouco além de Alemanha Oriental x Alemanha Ocidental e talvez parar um pouco para comparar Alemanha Oriental x Mundo Capitalista Real. Uma vez que a Alemanha Ocidental claramente era e ainda é um berço bastante privilegiado do capitalismo. Mas entendo que o livro também não se propõe a isso e não tem como objetivo dar nenhuma resposta pra ninguém. Ainda assim, seria legal ver um pouco mais de questionamento e visão de alguém que, talvez, depois do fim da DDR se mudou para algum outro país fora do primeiro mundo.
No geral o livro é muito interessante e bem rapidinho de ler. Gostei e recomendo!
May 29, 2021
I loved reading this book because it provided an absolutely fascinating insight into the range of perspectives on life in the GDR prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. My one complaint is that perhaps at times the author repeated herself and drove the same point home a little too often for me. However, overall, I thought the book was fantastic!
Most of us assume that every aspect of life in East Germany was horrific, no doubt influenced by the tales told of the Stasi and the economic divide between East and West. To find out that some East Germans experience “Ostalgie” initially confused me, but Vaizey has provided a brilliant explanation of the reasons for and the validity of a sense of homesickness. For all that many aspects of life in the GDR were horrific, ordinary inhabitants often found that when Germany reunited, their culture was lost.
By giving voice to different experiences and opinions, the author encourages the reader to grasp the complexity of historical events, and not to over-simplify. She deals with the strength of feeling on the issue very sensitively, and explains the challenges which different recollections of the GDR present whilst also arguing that no recollection is necessarily wrong. Lived experience is something deeply personal.
I have left this book challenged to think about the very one-sided view of reunification, and upset by the disadvantages that East Germans still face in Germany today. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in German history.
Most of us assume that every aspect of life in East Germany was horrific, no doubt influenced by the tales told of the Stasi and the economic divide between East and West. To find out that some East Germans experience “Ostalgie” initially confused me, but Vaizey has provided a brilliant explanation of the reasons for and the validity of a sense of homesickness. For all that many aspects of life in the GDR were horrific, ordinary inhabitants often found that when Germany reunited, their culture was lost.
By giving voice to different experiences and opinions, the author encourages the reader to grasp the complexity of historical events, and not to over-simplify. She deals with the strength of feeling on the issue very sensitively, and explains the challenges which different recollections of the GDR present whilst also arguing that no recollection is necessarily wrong. Lived experience is something deeply personal.
I have left this book challenged to think about the very one-sided view of reunification, and upset by the disadvantages that East Germans still face in Germany today. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in German history.
February 20, 2019
Really interesting book if you want a deeper insight into life in the DDR and the changes brought about by unification. Vaizey is good at making links between the different interviewees' experiences and to the contemporary context. She is also good at exploring and acknowledging the complexity and sometimes conflicting views of her subjects, even within individuals.
My criticism would be that to begin with she seems to treat all the interviews in an objective way, reporting them almost dispassionately but then later starts to make statements of her own that betray her own negative views of the DDR. This is especially noticeable in the interview of Mario who had the hardest time of all the interviewees.
I think the book could also be improved by exploring the context and actions of the West and the impact this had on the East as it is impossible to understand the East without this knowledge.
Lastly, pedantic nerd alert: Figure 31 says it's "A Trabant outside the Brandenberg Gate, Berlin, 1984." I'm sure this can't be right as from this angle you should be able to see the Wall but instead there's an unobstructed view down Strasse des 17 Juni. What do other readers think?
You can find the picture from the book here: Trabant outside the Brandenberg Gate
This contemporary image shows how you would see the Wall through the Tor. Brandenberg Gate
My criticism would be that to begin with she seems to treat all the interviews in an objective way, reporting them almost dispassionately but then later starts to make statements of her own that betray her own negative views of the DDR. This is especially noticeable in the interview of Mario who had the hardest time of all the interviewees.
I think the book could also be improved by exploring the context and actions of the West and the impact this had on the East as it is impossible to understand the East without this knowledge.
Lastly, pedantic nerd alert: Figure 31 says it's "A Trabant outside the Brandenberg Gate, Berlin, 1984." I'm sure this can't be right as from this angle you should be able to see the Wall but instead there's an unobstructed view down Strasse des 17 Juni. What do other readers think?
You can find the picture from the book here: Trabant outside the Brandenberg Gate
This contemporary image shows how you would see the Wall through the Tor. Brandenberg Gate
August 6, 2023
An interesting selection of East German biographies, though some of them were clearly not very representative (the Bundestag member, the man arrested trying to cross the Hungarian border). Even so, the collection demonstrates that there was not a single East German experience and that the responses to unification are complex and multifaceted, defying the expectations that might arise from an individual’s biography. The author makes a compelling case for a more differentiated view of the GDR’s history and its aftermath, recognising the ways that the Stasi and the Berlin Wall harmed many citizens, but also that the GDR was extremely multifaceted such that for many citizens the Stasi played no role in their memories. Even so, the analytical parts of the book are relatively brief and the book delivers little that was new or unknown at the time of its publication, though it is an interesting read for newcomers to the field. The opening chapter in particular and some later passages are also let down by generally minor but annoying and avoidable factual errors - OUP seems to have cut corners on the proofreading.
May 29, 2017
The fall of Berlin Wall brought uncertainties for East Germans. They were deeply divided regarding their impressions of the old communist regime which ranged from a life under constant eyes of Stasi to the benevolent paternalist regime which ensured that everyone was employed, fed and sheltered. While the first one was much touted by the western media, the other one came as a surprise, especially when being compared against freedom, liberty and high consumption lifestyle lived by people of Western Germans. This book consisted of lives of eight people who witnessed that fateful event with different reactions. However, there was one similarities between them, that they were disappointed by the realities of reunification, in which the East Germans were ill-equipped to cope with. Poor souls, those Easterners.
June 12, 2020
Amidst fireworks and celebrations, East Germany slipped out of existence at midnight on 8th October 1990. Ever since, its legacy has been contested.
To its detractors, it was Stasiland, the most watched society to have ever existed, a fearful, terrible place, which eventually imploded under its own contradictions. To its defenders, it was the home of actually existing socialism, a society with no crime and equal rights, and many feel Ostalgie for it.
What was East Germany like? What was it like to witness the death of one way of life, and the birth of another? By interviewing a range of people who were young in 1989, from Protestant pastors to PhD students, those who were committed SED members, and those who suffered at the hands of the Stasi, Hester Vaizey has managed to capture the experiences of some who lived through it. The answer turns out to be more complicated than expected.
To its detractors, it was Stasiland, the most watched society to have ever existed, a fearful, terrible place, which eventually imploded under its own contradictions. To its defenders, it was the home of actually existing socialism, a society with no crime and equal rights, and many feel Ostalgie for it.
What was East Germany like? What was it like to witness the death of one way of life, and the birth of another? By interviewing a range of people who were young in 1989, from Protestant pastors to PhD students, those who were committed SED members, and those who suffered at the hands of the Stasi, Hester Vaizey has managed to capture the experiences of some who lived through it. The answer turns out to be more complicated than expected.
July 23, 2025
Sjajna knjiga. Kroz osam intervjua sa osobama koje su imale različita iskustva u GDR i nakon njenog nestanka autor pokušava i po meni uspijeva da dokaže da nije sve tako crno na istoku kako se prikazuje tokom čitavog perioda Hladnog rata. "Pošteni" kapitalisti su ubrzo tokom i nakon Wende-a pokazali svoje lice i država je jednostavno nestala a sa njom i sve ono što čini identitet jednog naroda bez obzira na istorijske faktore. Simptomatično je to što 6 od 8 osoba bez obzira na to kakav stav imaju prema GDR smatra da je ujedinjenje bilo nepravedno i da koliko god benefita je donijelo isto toliko ako ne i više je izgubljeno. Autor je pošteno zaključio knjigu iznoseći realne i relevantne podatke koji idu u prilog tezi da "zli" komunizam možda i nije tako zao kako se misli. Ne može se jedan narod i jedna drzava posmatrati isključivo kroz partiju tj njeno rukovodstvo, kako tada tako ni sada.
October 31, 2025
اولا از همه تشکر میکنم از رکسانا عباسیان عزیز که کتاب برام فرستاد و خوشحالم اولین کسی باشم که اولین برسی فارسی رو مینویسم کتاب متولد آلمان شرقی به ترجمه خانوم فاطمه عباسی از نشر سفیر به چاپ رسیده و بنده هم همین ترجمه خوندم. ترجمه مشکلی نداشت و روان بود
کتاب به برسی زندگی هشت فرد از افرادی که بعد دیوار برلین به دنیا اومدن برسی میکنه و تا بعد شکست دیوار برلین نشون میخواد بده که آیا بعد این همه سال بعد دیوار برلین آلمان های شرقی تونستن از لحاظ فرهنگی با آلمان غربی یکی بشن .
کتاب در تلاشه با نمونه های مختلف نشون بده زندگی تو آلمان شرقی واسه هر طیفی چجوری بوده یک سری چیز ها بینشون مشترک بود و یه چیز های هم تفاوت داشت کتاب آلمان شرقی رو نه سفید نشون میده نه سیاهه بلکه رو هردو ویژگی منفی و مثبتش تمرکز میکنه همچنین بعد از دیوار برلین چالش های که قهرمان های داستان داشتن برسی میکنه
کتاب به نظر من واقعا مفیده و اطلاعات خوبی و دید خوبی به آلمان شرقی و مردمش میده تمرکز کتاب رو زندگی مردم هست
کتاب به برسی زندگی هشت فرد از افرادی که بعد دیوار برلین به دنیا اومدن برسی میکنه و تا بعد شکست دیوار برلین نشون میخواد بده که آیا بعد این همه سال بعد دیوار برلین آلمان های شرقی تونستن از لحاظ فرهنگی با آلمان غربی یکی بشن .
کتاب در تلاشه با نمونه های مختلف نشون بده زندگی تو آلمان شرقی واسه هر طیفی چجوری بوده یک سری چیز ها بینشون مشترک بود و یه چیز های هم تفاوت داشت کتاب آلمان شرقی رو نه سفید نشون میده نه سیاهه بلکه رو هردو ویژگی منفی و مثبتش تمرکز میکنه همچنین بعد از دیوار برلین چالش های که قهرمان های داستان داشتن برسی میکنه
کتاب به نظر من واقعا مفیده و اطلاعات خوبی و دید خوبی به آلمان شرقی و مردمش میده تمرکز کتاب رو زندگی مردم هست
May 13, 2020
Enjoyed this book - interesting and highly valuable to the subject. I can't call it a rebuttal of Funder's Stasiland which i've recently finished but this book definitely adopts a more balanced approach in both its sources and its interpretation while still showing a sensitivity to the more extreme experiences of some GDR citizens. Certainly doesn't have the same flair as Funder and is not as explicit in its production for more popular audiences but great to build a more balanced view of the place and period. Big takeaway seems to be the perceived 'opportunity' the fall of the Wall offered East Germans in 1989, the reality of this however and the accessibility of it to them is far less clear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2022
This book is quick and easy reading for someone like me who is interested in different perspectives from people who grew up in the GDR, and were young at the time the wall came down. The author presents a wide variety of experiences, however I think the book suffers from only dealing with the lives of young people, and not the experiences of their elders. After all, the challenges of living in an authoritarian regime are different at different stages of life, and are arguably worse in adulthood. Vaizey's book needs to be looked at as a sampling of some people's lives, and not as a review of the average experience. But the narrative structure makes for very pleasant and easy reading, and I learned a lot.
October 28, 2021
Top-tier book! Definitely among the best books I've read this year.
Vaizey offers an unbiased, unskewed book which highlights accounts of different perspectives of life in the GDR, ranging from those who were in favour of the regime, to those who were fiercely opposed to it.
Chapters:
1. Petra ~ Shaping the Change
2. Carola ~ Seeing the Contradictions
3. Lisa ~ Accepting the Circumstances
4. Mario ~ Feeling the Regime's Watch
5. Katharina ~ Believing in God under Pressure
6. Mirko ~ Rejecting the Party Line
7. Peggy ~ Feeling Safe and Secure
8. Interpreting the End of East Germany
Vaizey offers an unbiased, unskewed book which highlights accounts of different perspectives of life in the GDR, ranging from those who were in favour of the regime, to those who were fiercely opposed to it.
Chapters:
1. Petra ~ Shaping the Change
2. Carola ~ Seeing the Contradictions
3. Lisa ~ Accepting the Circumstances
4. Mario ~ Feeling the Regime's Watch
5. Katharina ~ Believing in God under Pressure
6. Mirko ~ Rejecting the Party Line
7. Peggy ~ Feeling Safe and Secure
8. Interpreting the End of East Germany
June 25, 2024
I read Stasiland as well but thought this one provided more context and was better researched. A fascinating look at real life stories of how eight East Germans responded to life under Communism and how they managed subsequently to adjust to life under Capitalism.
How the East Germans in general viewed their western counterparts and vice versa was so illuminating and their differences quite striking.
“Different mentalities continued to divide East and West Germans to the point that Germans on both sides could be said to be still living with Die Mauer im Kopf (the Wall in their heads) years after reunification.”
How the East Germans in general viewed their western counterparts and vice versa was so illuminating and their differences quite striking.
“Different mentalities continued to divide East and West Germans to the point that Germans on both sides could be said to be still living with Die Mauer im Kopf (the Wall in their heads) years after reunification.”
May 17, 2017
8 core stories supplemented by other first hand experiences of what it is like for a fromer east German in today's Germany.
Written without judgement or bias, the novel weaves through 8 lives telling each individuals experiences and memories of being born and raised after the creation of East Germany.
Unfortunately, the authors own book ending of introduction and conculsion of the novel was not totally to my taste due to the nature of her persoanl conculsions and opinions drawn in excess of the 8 individual experiences, however for the body of the novel an interesting read.
Written without judgement or bias, the novel weaves through 8 lives telling each individuals experiences and memories of being born and raised after the creation of East Germany.
Unfortunately, the authors own book ending of introduction and conculsion of the novel was not totally to my taste due to the nature of her persoanl conculsions and opinions drawn in excess of the 8 individual experiences, however for the body of the novel an interesting read.
December 9, 2024
A far too short book of interviews of GDR residents (in the style of Secondhand Time) showing a pretty balanced view of the positives and negatives of the system. What is zero unemployment or homelessness worth vs lots more consumer goods and freer allowed speech? This book's answer is correct: it depends on who you are and your circumstances.
Rawls has a concept known as the veil of ignorance—the idea that society should be designed as if one does not know whether one will be born privileged or born homeless. In my opinion the GDR may be the closest to this Rawlsian state
Rawls has a concept known as the veil of ignorance—the idea that society should be designed as if one does not know whether one will be born privileged or born homeless. In my opinion the GDR may be the closest to this Rawlsian state
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December 1, 2017My most interesting recent book of general interest is: Hester Vaizey, Born in the GDR (Oxford Press 2014). It traces the lives and the reactions of a sample of East Germans to the coming down of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany. Particularly interesting because the author has some sympathy with the GDR. In her view, there was both gain and loss from this dramatic event and its aftermath. —R.H. Helmholz
March 26, 2019
I did really enjoy this and found the people's descriptions of their experiences interesting. However, I didn't find it went deep enough and it all felt a bit anecdotal. I was curious to find out more about what happened afterwards to, for example, the ex Stasi employees, the teachers, the new unemployed. Better books I felt were After the Wall and The People's State which both gave a far more in depth analysis.
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