GDR was robbed and turned into a colony of Germany

Residents of the former GDR: the USSR abandoned us, and the West Germans robbed and turned into a colony

KP special correspondent Daria Aslamova visited Germany and was surprised to find that even 27 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the country remains divided ...

– Tell us later what life is like there in East Germany...

I'm sitting in a Berlin pub with my German colleagues, Peter and Kat, and I can't believe my ears:

- Are you joking?! Dresden is two hours away by car. Have you really never been to the former GDR?

My friends look at each other in embarrassment.

- Never. For some reason you don't want to. We are typical "Wessies" (Western Germans), and between " Vassey" and " ossi(by East Germans) there is always an invisible line. We are just different.

– But the Berlin Wall was destroyed more than a quarter of a century ago! I exclaim in confusion.

- She hasn't gone anywhere. As it stood, so it stands. It's just that people have poor eyesight.

This is how the ancestors of the Germans looked menacing (sculpture in Dresden)

Risen from the ashes

All my life I've been avoiding meeting Dresden. Well, I didn't want to. “There, in the ground, tons of human bones crumbled into dust” (Kurt Vonnegut "Slaughterhouse Five"). My mother-in-law, who was half German, was nine years old in 1945 and survived the night of 13/14 February when the full force of British and American air power descended on Dresden. She survived only because her grandmother managed to pull her into the cornfields.

She lay with other children, who were frozen in the grass like rabbits, and looked at the bombs falling on the city: “They seemed to us terribly beautiful and looked like Christmas trees. We called them that. And then the whole city went up in flames. And all my life I was forbidden to talk about what I saw. Just forget."

Overnight, the city collapsed 650 tons incendiary bombs and 1500 tons high-explosive. The result of such a massive bombardment was a fiery tornado that engulfed an area four times the size of the destroyed Nagasaki. The temperature in Dresden has reached 1500 degrees.

People flashed like living torches, melted along with the asphalt. It is absolutely impossible to calculate the number of deaths. The USSR insisted on 135 thousands of people, the British held on to the figure in 30 thousand. They counted only the corpses pulled out from under the destroyed buildings and cellars. But who can weigh human ashes?

One of the most luxurious and ancient cities in Europe, "Florence on the Elbe" was almost completely wiped off the face of the earth. The goal of the British (namely, they insisted on destroying the historical center of Dresden) was not only the moral destruction of the Germans, but also the desire to show the Russians what the aviation of the so-called "allies" was capable of, who were already preparing an attack on the war-exhausted USSR (Operation Unthinkable ").

After that, I heard many times how stubborn, die-hard Germans stubbornly collected ancient, charred stones, how for more than forty years they carried out unprecedented construction work and restored Dresden, but only shrugged her shoulders. I don't need props. I do not like, for example, the toy center of the restored Warsaw, similar to the Lego construction.

But Dresden shamed my unbelief. These German pedants have achieved the impossible. Dresden has again become the most beautiful of European cities. I have two conflicting feelings: admiration for the Saxon industriousness, their passionate love for their land, and ... fury at the thought of our stupid Russian generosity.

GDR: a country that disappeared from the map

We are well aware of what was BEFORE the fall of the Berlin Wall, but it is almost unknown what happened AFTER. We know nothing about the tragedy experienced by the "socialist" Germans, who broke down the wall with such enthusiasm and opened their arms to their "capitalist brothers". They could not even imagine that their country would disappear in a year, that there would be no equal unification treaty, that they would lose most of their civil rights. There will be an ordinary Anschluss: capture West Germany East and the complete absorption of the latter.

“The events of 1989 were very reminiscent of the Ukrainian Maidan,” recalls historian Brigitte Queck. – The world media broadcasted live how thousands of young Germans break the wall and applauded them. But no one asked, what does a country of 18 million people want? The inhabitants of the GDR dreamed of freedom of movement and "better socialism". They had a hard time imagining what capitalism looked like.

But there was no referendum, as, for example, you have, in the Crimea, which means that the "Anschluss" was absolutely not legitimate!

Merkel in Nazi uniform

“After the start of perestroika and Gorbachev’s coming to power, it became clear what kind of end awaits the GDR without the support of the Soviet Union, but the funeral could have been worthy,” says Dr. Wolfgang Schelike, Chairman of the German-Russian Institute of Culture. - A united Germany was born as a result of a hasty and unsuccessful birth. Helmut Kohl, Federal Chancellor of Germany, did not want to delay, fearing that Gorbachev would be removed. His slogans were: no experiments, the FRG is stronger and has proved with its history that it it is better GDR. Although the intelligentsia understood that if all West German laws were poured overnight into another country, this would cause a long-term conflict.

On October 3, 1990, the GDR ceased to exist.. The Federal Republic of Germany created a special humiliating Guardianship Authority for the former GDR, as if the East Germans were backward and unreasonable children. In essence, East Germany simply capitulated. In just one year, almost two and a half million people lost their jobs, out of a total workforce of 8.3 million.

“The first to be expelled were all government officials,” says Peter Steglich, former ambassador of the GDR to Sweden. - We, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received a letter: you are free, the GDR no longer exists. I, unemployed, was saved by my Spanish wife, who was left to work as a translator. I was a few years away from retirement, but for young diplomats who received an excellent education, this was a tragedy. They wrote applications to the German Foreign Ministry, but none of them were hired. Then they destroyed the fleet and the army, the second most powerful in the countries of the Warsaw Pact. All the officers were fired, many with miserable pensions, if not no pensions at all. They left only technical specialists who knew how to handle Soviet weapons.

Important people arrived from the West gentlemen-administrators, the purpose of which was to dismantle the old system, introduce a new one, draw up "black" lists of objectionable and suspicious people and carry out thorough cleansing. Special "qualification commissions" to identify all "ideologically" unstable workers. The "democratic" FRG decided to brutally crack down on the "totalitarian GDR". In politics only the vanquished are wrong.

Daria and a German holding a flag, half German, half Russian

On January 1, 1991, all employees of the Berlin legal services were dismissed as unfit to ensure a democratic order. On the same day at the University of Humboldt (the main university of the GDR) the historical, legal, philosophical and pedagogical faculties were liquidated and all professors and teachers were expelled without saving their seniority.

In addition, all teachers, professors, scientific, technical and administrative staff in the educational institutions of the former GDR were ordered to fill out questionnaires and provide detailed information about their political views and party affiliation. In case of refusal or concealment of information, they were subject to immediate dismissal.

School purges have begun. Old textbooks, as "ideologically harmful", were thrown into a landfill. But the Gader system of education was considered one of the best in the world. Her experience, for example, was borrowed by Finland.

“First of all, the directors, members of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany that ruled the GDR, were fired,” recalls Dr. Wolfgang Schelike. “Many humanities teachers have lost their jobs. The rest had to survive, and fear came to them. The teachers did not go underground, but they stopped discussing and expressing their point of view. But it affects the upbringing of children! Russian language teachers were also fired. English became the compulsory foreign language.

Russian, like Czech or Polish, can now be learned at will, as a third language. As a result, East Germans forgot Russian and did not learn English. The atmosphere has completely changed everywhere. I had to work with my elbows. The concepts of solidarity and mutual assistance have disappeared. You are more at work not a colleague, but a competitor. Those who have a job are working up a sweat. They have no time to go to the cinema or the theater, as was the case in the GDR. And the unemployed fell into degradation.

Many people have lost their homes. And here's an ugly reason. Many East Germans lived in private houses that were badly damaged during the war (West Germany suffered much less than East). Building materials were in great short supply. For forty years, the owners of the houses restored them, collected literally stone by stone and could now be proud of their beautiful villas.

But after the fall of the wall, beloved relatives who used to send cards for Christmas came from the West and claimed to have a share in these houses. Come on, pay! And where did the former “GDR member” get his savings from? He received a good salary, had social guarantees, but he is not a capitalist. Oh, no money? We don't care. Sell ​​your house and pay our share. These were real tragedies.

But the most important thing is there was a complete change of elites. The Germans, who were not very successful there, poured in from the West, who immediately seized all the highly paid posts in the former GDR. They were considered reliable. So far in Leipzig 70% administrations make up "vassies". Yes, there is no mercy for the powerless. In fact, all control over the former republic fell into the hands of the new colonial administration.

Russian flag and poster "Friendship with Russia" at a rally in Dresden

– The USSR abandoned the GDR just like that without even leaving any agreement between the owners of the FRG and the GDR,” says former diplomat Peter Steglich bitterly. – Clever, statesmen foresaw conflicts over property and the Anschluss of the GDR instead of uniting the two Germanys on equal terms. But there is a saying by Gorbachev: let the Germans figure it out themselves. This meant that the strong take what they want. And the West Germans were strong. The real colonization of the GDR. Having removed local patriots from power, slandering and humiliating them, the Western colonialists proceeded to the most “delicious” part of the program: full privatization state assets of the GDR. One system intended to completely devour the other.

The ability to "clean" other people's pockets

At the state level, it is necessary to rob skillfully, gracefully, in white gloves and very quickly, until the victim comes to his senses. The GDR was the most successful Warsaw Pact country. Such a fat piece had to be swallowed immediately, without hesitation.

First, it was necessary to show the future victims a gesture of generosity by setting the exchange rate of the eastern mark for the western one for the citizens of the GDR. All the West German newspapers were loudly shouting about it! In fact, it turned out that you can only exchange 4000 stamps. Above this, the exchange proceeded at the rate two eastern marks to one western. All state enterprises of the GDR and small businesses could exchange their accounts only on the basis of two to one.

Poster "We want a free Germany: without the euro, without the EU, without NATO and with true democracy"

Therefore, together they lost half of their capital! At the same time, their debts were recalculated at the rate 1:1 . You don't have to be a businessman to understand that such measures led to the complete ruin of the industry of the GDR! In the autumn of 1990, the volume of production in the GDR fell by more than half!

Here now western "brothers" could speak condescendingly about the unviability of the socialist industry and its immediate privatization "on fair and open terms."

But what the hell are fair conditions if the citizens of the GDR had no capital?! Ah, no money? Very sorry. And 85% of the entire industry of the country fell into the hands of the West Germans, who actively led it to bankruptcy. Why give your competitors a chance? 10% got to the foreigners. Only 5% were able to buy the true owners of the land, the East Germans.

- Were you robbed? - I ask the former general director of the metallurgical plant in the city of Eisenhüttenstadt, Professor Karl Döring.

- Certainly. The inhabitants of the GDR had no money, and all property fell into Western hands. And we don't forget who sold us. Gorbachev. Yes, there were demonstrations for freedom of movement and nothing more, but no one demanded that the GDR disappear from the world map. I emphasize it. For this, the corresponding position of Gorbachev, a man who did not pass the exam of history, was needed. No one can take this glory from him. What is the result? East Germans are much poorer than West Germans. Many studies show that we are second class Germans.

What was important for Western industrialists? A new market nearby, where you can dump your goods. It was a fundamental idea. They got so carried away destroying our industry that they finally found out: the unemployed cannot buy their goods! If at least the remnants of industry in the East are not preserved, people will simply flee to the West in search of work, and the lands will become empty.

That's when I managed to save at least part of our plant, thanks to the Russians. We increased our exports to Russia, sold 300-350 thousand tons of cold-rolled steel sheets in 1992-93 for your automotive industry, for agricultural machines. Then the Cherepovets Iron and Steel Works, one of the largest in Russia, wanted to buy our shares, but Western politicians did not like this idea. And she was rejected.

– Yes, it looks like “fair privatization,” I remark with irony.

Poster "Merkel must go"

– Now the remains of the plant have gone to the Indian billionaire monopoly. I'm glad the plant at least didn't die.

Professor Karl Döring is very proud of his small town of steelworkers, Eisenhüttenstadt (former Stalinstadt), which is only 60 years old. The first socialist city on ancient German soil, built from scratch with the help of Soviet specialists. A dream of justice and equal rights for all. An exemplary showcase of socialism. Creation of a new person: a worker with the face of an intellectual, reading after the labor shift of Karl Marx, Lenin and Tolstoy.

“It was a new organization of social life,” the professor tells me with slight excitement, walking along the completely deserted streets of the city. - After the factory, the theater was the first to be built! Can you imagine? After all, what was the main thing? Kindergartens, houses of culture, sculptures and fountains, cinemas, good clinics. The main thing was the man.

We walk along a wide avenue with restored houses of Stalinist architecture. The neatly trimmed lawns turn wonderfully green. But in the spacious yards, where flowers are fragrant, children's laughter is not heard. Quiet so that we can hear the sound of our own footsteps. The void is depressing for me. As if all the inhabitants were suddenly blown away by the wind of the past. Suddenly, a married couple with a dog comes out of the entrance, and in surprise I shout: “Look! People, people!”

“Yes, there aren't many people here,” Professor Dering says dryly. - Previously, 53 thousand people lived here. Almost half have left. There are no children here. Girls are stronger than boys. As soon as they grow up, they immediately pack their things and go west. Unemployment. The birth rate is low. They closed four schools and three kindergartens because there are no children. And without children, this city has no future.

Sculpture of mother and child in Eisenhüttenstadt (former Stalinstadt), in a city where there are no more children

Women had the hardest time

With Marianne, a waitress from a cafe in Dresden, we first had a fight, and then became friends. A tired woman in her fifties threw a plate with a wonderful pork knuckle onto my table with such force that the fat spilled onto the tablecloth. I was indignant at first in English, and then in Russian. Her face suddenly lit up.

- You are Russian?! Sorry,” she said in Russian with a thick accent. - I used to teach Russian at school, and now you can see for yourself what I do.

I invited her for an evening cup of coffee. She came in a smart dress, with lipstick on her lips, suddenly rejuvenated.

“It’s awfully nice to speak Russian after so many years,” Marianne told me. She smoked cigarette after cigarette, telling her story - the same as that of thousands of women from the former GDR.

- When the Vassies came, I was immediately thrown out of work as a member of the party and a Russian teacher. We were all suspected of links with the Stasi. And about the Stasi, the Wessies have now created a whole legend - they say that animals worked there. As if the CIA is better! If we had good intelligence, the GDR would still exist.

My husband was also laid off - he then worked at a mine in the town of Hoyerswerda (we used to live there). He didn't get over it. Drunk, like many. For Germans, work is everything. Prestige, status, self-respect. We divorced and he went west. I was left alone with my little daughter. I did not know that this was only the beginning of all troubles.

In the west, women hardly worked at that time. Not out of laziness. They did not have a system of kindergartens and nurseries. To get a job, you had to pay an expensive nanny, which practically ate up all your earnings. And if you sit at home with a child of five or six years, then you lose your qualifications. Who needs you after this?

Everything was fine in the GDR: it was possible to go to work six months after pregnancy. And we liked it. We are not homebodies. The children were looked after reliably and responsibly, they were engaged in their early education.

The vassies came and canceled the whole system, closed most of the kindergartens, and in the remaining ones they introduced such a fee that most could not afford it. I was rescued by my parents, who were forcibly retired. They could sit with my daughter, and I rushed about in search of work. But I was stigmatized as an "unreliable communist". With my university education, I even worked as a cleaner.

Empty Stalinist yards in the former Stalinstadt

“But didn’t you get unemployment benefits?”

– Ha! The Vassies then introduced a new rule that benefits should only be paid to women with children who have lost their jobs and who can prove they can provide day care for children. And then my parents and husband worked half-time. There was no one to sit with the child. And I never received any benefits. In general, I went to the waitress. Sorry for throwing the plate. Life just seems so hopeless sometimes. My daughter grew up and moved to the West, where she works as a nurse. I hardly see her. Lonely old age ahead. I hate those who broke the Berlin Wall! They were just fools.

Why am I not going west? I do not want. They invited all this terrorist trash to their place. One and a half million idle refugees, when Germany itself is full of unemployed! I will stay here because we are real germany. The people here are patriots. Have you seen? There are German flags on all the houses here. And you won't see them in the west. This, they say, can offend the feelings of foreigners. I go to the meeting every Monday "Pegids"- a party that opposes the Islamization of Europe.

Come and you will see real Germans.

"Putin in my heart!"

Monday. The center of Dresden, surrounded by many police cars. Musicians in folk costumes play folk songs, elderly women and men sing along with them, merrily stamping their feet. There are also many young men with a defiant expression on their faces. What I see makes me dizzy. Everywhere proudly fluttering Russian flags. One flag is just amazing: half German, half Russian.

The standard-bearer is trying to explain to me in bad Russian that his flag symbolizes the unity of Russians and Germans. A lot of guys in T-shirts with a portrait of Putin. Posters with Putin and next to Merkel with the ears of a pig. Or Merkel in a Nazi uniform with a euro sign resembling a swastika. Posters with Muslim women in burkas, crossed out crosswise. Calls for " friendship with Russia" and " war with NATO". People where am I? Is this Germany?

Many protesters are carrying plush pigs. A good, fat pig is a symbol of well-fed, Christian Germany. No halal food! " Long live Russia!' they shout around me. Some enthusiastic old woman keeps telling me: "Putin is in my heart." My head is spinning.

A protester in a Putin T-shirt

The situation is clarified by a young man named Michael.

Why do you trust Putin so much? I wonder.

“He is the only strong leader who fights against terrorism. And who to believe? This pro-American puppet Merkel, who opened the borders to outsiders? They rape our women, kill our men, eat our bread, hate our religion and want to build a caliphate in Germany.

“But here in East Germany I hardly see any foreigners.

No women in burqas!

“And we will do everything so that you do not see them.” We are not racists. But everyone who comes to this country must work and respect its laws.

I tell Michael about what I saw in January in Munich. Young hysterical fools, shouting "Munich must be colored!", "We love you refugees!". I remember how five thousand liberals rushed to beat a hundred sane people who came out with a single slogan "No to the Islamization of Germany!" Only the police saved them from massacre, clearing the way for the “fascists” with batons.

“So it’s a Wessy,” Michael says with indescribable contempt. “They believe everything their stupid newspapers say. BUT we were born in the GDR. We are different and not easy to deceive.

People carry plush pigs to the rally as a symbol of protest against halal food

Immunity to propaganda

That's how we are alike! We both agreed on this expression! Me and the deputy from the party "Alternative for Germany" Jörg Urban:

– Yes, we are distrustful, East Germans and Russians, and we hate everything that even remotely resembles propaganda. And this saves us from illusions. West Germany, as a showcase of ideal capitalism, lived without problems for 50 years. They grew up in the spirit that nothing could happen to them. "Vassie" are not realistic and are not able to reasonably look at what is happening.

The State Duma proposes to consider the unification of Germany as the annexation of the GDR

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