Youth culture in the GDR

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The youth culture in the GDR was - like other youth cultures - shaped by the social and political conditions in the area. In the years after the founding of the German Democratic Republic on October 7, 1949, socialist ideology was decisive. The Free German Youth (FDJ), which was still oriented towards the Bundische youth movement and the political youth organizations of the 1920s to the early 1930s, followed on from the formative youth experiences of the GDR leadership. The education system of the GDR and the intensive selection of talented people in sport in the GDR were an expression of an intensely formed society with high expectations of young people and their behavior in accordance with the system.

In addition to the organization of youth culture in accordance with the SED ideology, with strong regulations and the involvement of young people in the construction of socialism, there was always a widespread subcultural youth culture in the GDR based on international and Western models.

In the course of the de-Stalinization in the GDR, the new and western beat music also became popular and mostly broadcast as in-house productions on radio and television until around mid-1965. The following Ice Age lasted until Honecker came to power in 1971. After that, politics opened again, albeit cautiously, to Western influences. Some prominent representatives of the GDR youth and music culture, such as the band Karat , also established themselves internationally, as did individual institutional figureheads of GDR youth culture, such as the youth radio DT64 , which survived the end of the GDR until 1991 on VHF . Despite its enormous popularity, DT64 was switched off and is continued - in a very different form - as MDR Sputnik . The slogan is similar to other stations Simply the best music. And zero advertising.

Political influence on youth culture in the context of the East-West conflict

Youth consecration in Berlin-Lichtenberg in 1989

The youth policy of the GDR was initially shaped by the historical experiences of the ruling class and the expansion of the party's youth work and its rituals to include society as a whole. A GDR-specific appearance were youth properties and youth brigades , which enabled young people to distinguish themselves in domestic operations as well as in international deployments (including the Druzhba-Trasse natural gas pipeline ) and from which additional commitment and work was hoped for within the scope of fulfilling the plan . Expectations of young people and their upbringing and training were laid down in the Youth Act of the GDR in 1974 . The strict involvement in the preparations for the “protection of socialism” became clear from the introduction of military education in the GDR schools at the end of the 1970s.

The direct presence of the West German public via the media and direct contacts posed a major challenge. “It must be taken into account that the socialist upbringing of young people under the conditions of the existence of the West German state monopoly system and the hostile forces in West Berlin and West Germany as well as individuals are negative and hostile people in the GDR area. "

Corresponding "suitable educational measures" to introduce socialist ideals were only partially successful. "The development of young people [...] does not take place without conflicts and difficulties." For the SED leadership it was clear who caused these difficulties: the Bonn state apparatus, the Western secret services, agent centers and centers of political and ideological diversion , film and star clubs, church institutions, radio, press and television.

Upheavals in youth policy in the GDR can be seen after the Wall was built in 1961 up to the youth riots in 1965 in the context of a Rolling Stones concert on the border with West Berlin and Walter Ulbricht's replacement by former FDJ chairman Erich Honecker in 1971. The closure of the border to the outside initially led to an opening inwards.

Research into youth culture

In terms of research policy, there was initially no parallel to the Federal Republic of Germany Shell Youth Study , which has been regularly carried out in the West since 1953. Only after the establishment of the German Youth Institute in Munich in 1963 was the long-standing tradition of youth research at Leipzig University resumed in 1965 with the establishment of the Central Institute for Youth Research . Some of the results were kept under wraps.

Dealing with music and dance culture in Walter Ulbricht's time

Before the emergence of “ beat music ” in the GDR, attempts were made to establish modern, but not too western-sounding dance music. In the early 1960s a number of instrumental music records were made in the GDR with danceable music, but less “wild” music in comparison to Western music. Music in English had been rejected by the GDR cultural bureaucracy; most musicians found the German language unsuitable. The radio dance orchestras and " amateur dance bands " played a major role here . In 1959, the Lipsi, a dance of its own, was created, which was supposed to stand up to western dances (e.g. rock 'n' roll and twist ), but was only moderately successful, similar to the Orion fashion dance in the early 1960s. Erich Honecker, then FDJ chairman, made a name for himself in connection with the youth meeting in Germany . On September 21, 1963, the SED Politburo passed a so-called youth communiqué. According to this, the relationship with young people should be free of "nudging, pointing fingers and administrating". In 1964 the GDR youth radio DT64 was founded, which also found supporters in the West. In addition, a so-called “Germany Meeting of Music” took place, where GDR beat groups such as the Sputniks , the Butlers and the Diana Show Quartet performed . In 1965 the first productions with the Michael Fritzen Quartet and the Theo Schumann Combo were added. For the GDR youth culture, among other things, films and associated film music such as The Legend of Paul and Paula and Hot Summer . The singing movement based on the songwriters of the alternative movement in the West became important.

After riots following a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin's Waldbühne in September 1965 and the Leipzig beat demo that followed on October 31, 1965 - the largest non-registered demonstration between 1953 and the peaceful revolution in 1989 - the GDR leadership saw the beat movement increasing as problematic. Became known Walter Ulbricht's statement on the XI. Plenary session of the Central Committee of the SED : Is it really the case that we just have to copy every filth that comes from the West? I think, comrades, with the monotony of je-je-je , and whatever it is called, yes, we should put an end to it. As a result, Western beat music was practically banned for a few years. If at all, only orchestral songs played on the radio.

Change after 1971

After Erich Honecker replaced Ulbricht in 1971, the intellectual, cultural and political situation in the GDR relaxed again for a time. The new political orientation promised a certain liberalization. One example of this is the Jena Literature and Poetry Working Group . There was increasing freedom in the music scene and education for groups oriented towards western pop music such as the Puhdys , Karat and Pankow . The performance options and the music program, for example in student clubs, were still heavily regulated. Conversely, the West German singer Udo Lindenberg was able to gain a broad fan base in the GDR. In the context of events organized by left-wing youth organizations in the Federal Republic of Germany, such as the “ Festival of Youth ” in Dortmund , an intensive interaction with the West developed.

The socially critical novel by Ulrich Plenzdorf, The New Sorrows of Young W. , published in 1972, subsequently became a document of the GDR youth language as well as a GDR-specific outsider or counterculture , which is now referred to as the "blueser or customer scene". Initially a sensational success in the GDR and FRG, the prose, which was also staged as a theater play, could later only be performed in the West, similar to the film Spur der Steine . On November 5, 1976, the film adaptation of the play The new sorrows of young W. was broadcast as a first broadcast on ARD. A major breach was Wolf Biermann's expatriation on November 16, 1976.

The youth novel by Joachim Walther "I'm not a yogi" , published in 1975, also contributed to the attitude towards life of the other youths, which - socio-politically late - was filmed in 1980 as a "light version" under " And next year at Balaton " .

Specific youth culture subcultures or countercultures

Adolescents' behavior in fashion, music and habitus geared towards western youth culture was subject to constant repression. Nonconformist young people became increasingly involved in church youth work because here, in the sense of the “niche society” (a term used by Günter Gaus ), one could express oneself more freely and find an interested audience.

The blueser or customer scene

From the 1970s to the mid-1980s, the blues or customer scene was a significant movement in the GDR. Their politically undesirable ideas of “being different” were made public through their common understanding of music and their specific appearance, which demonstrated the will to freedom. A “blueser” was a synthesis of blues or rock fan and flower child . The maladjusted youths were a thorn in the side of the state. Because of their attitude had to suffer a lot of repression at this time, such as the issuance of a temporary identity card (PM-12) - which amounted to a travel ban, constant "questioning" with long arrests by the police or during political protests, such as wearing the badge " Swords to Plowshares ” in the early 1980s, e.g. B. with de-registration , non-admission to the Abitur, punitive transfer from companies, etc., which was often found later in the Stasi files.

In addition to " resistance " and passive resistance, there were often spontaneous protests with violent clashes with the People's Police .

On October 7, 1977 on the anniversary of the Republic's birthday, the largest youth protest in the GDR spontaneously ignited on Berlin's Alexanderplatz and above all in front of the television tower . Out of the general political dissatisfaction that was directed against the restrictive policies of the SED government (such as the Biermann expatriation and the subsequent exodus of many prominent sympathizers or the house arrest of Robert Havemann ), there was one since after an accident at a rock concert the 17 June 1953 has not been known in this size very brutal police action in consultation with the riot police of MdI from Basdorf .
The adolescents, most of whom were not informed about the accident, were suddenly confronted with massive police violence and initially began only with chants like u. a. “Down with the GDR!” , “Honecker out - Biermann in” or “Give Peace a Chance” . Only in retrospect did the very young “bluesers” counter-violence . Of the estimated 20,000 present, many hundreds were beaten and "brought in" and 468 (source: Hauptabteilung IX, MfS investigative body ) were finally arrested and sentenced. There were innumerable badly injured teenagers. In contrast, the rumor of three police officers killed has not yet been confirmed. From today's perspective, the arrested adolescents had to accept disproportionately harsh sentences for their rebellion (between six weeks in prison with proven participation in the speaking choirs and up to three years for throwing stones, etc.) and were mostly criminalized according to the rubber paragraph § 215 StGB (hooliganism). The majority of those convicted were between 16 and 18 years old.

The blues in the GDR became a synonym and later gave its name to this movement. The blues masses in various churches in East Berlin, with up to 7,000 participants (June 24, 1983), played a part in this.

The blueser or customer scene was the longest-lived and at the same time the most lively youth culture in the GDR and, as a movement, represented a counterculture to the predetermined everyday life in the GDR.

Punks and Goths

For punk bands in the GDR and their audiences, churches e.g. B. at the late blues masses often the only place to appear - besides privately organized concerts. As with the LP " DDR von unten " (1983), record releases were only possible through the West. They were only occasionally present in the public media towards the end of the GDR, for example in the Parocktikum program on DT64 , which was moderated by Lutz Schramm . In 1988 the documentary “whispering & shouting” was released as a novelty , by the director Dieter Schumann for DEFA . Bands like Feeling B and Sandow , who originally came from the punk environment, were portrayed here.

Around 1985 the Goth movement penetrated via Berlin and West Germany into parts of the German Democratic Republic. The age of the scene members ranged between 14 and 23 years. Dieter Baacke , in his book Youth and Youth Cultures - Representation and Interpretation (1999), gave the GDR scene a heyday that can be dated to the years 1988/1989.

From the mid-1980s, the other bands set out in parallel to establish a music and youth culture between punk, new wave , indie rock and metal independent of state control.

Skinheads and right-wing extremism

Before the Wall was built in 1961, right-wing extremists were largely able to evade criminal prosecution in the GDR by moving to the Federal Republic. Already in the 1960s, right-wing youth groups were in the GDR noticed the swastika committed -Schmierereien, propaganda and even weapons were collected. At the beginning of the 80s, skinhead groups also emerged, which, as in the West, were differentiated into right-wing extremist, apolitical and SHARP skinheads, initially in East Berlin, Rostock and Leipzig, often around football fan groups . In the mid-1980s there were skinhead groups in all major cities in East Germany. At that time, the GDR criminal police knew 1,500 right-wing extremist youths.

On October 17, 1987, an attack by skinheads on visitors to a punk concert in East Berlin's Zionskirche caused an international stir. The police on standby “watched” what was happening.

students

The establishment of student associations in the GDR was a late occurrence .

See also

literature

  • Wolfgang Büscher: For some, the West shines more dimly. Attitudes of critical GDR youth towards the West using the example of the magazine " Temperamente ". In: Edition Deutschlandarchiv (Hrsg.): Living conditions in the GDR. Seventeenth conference on the status of GDR research in the Federal Republic of Germany, June 12-15, 1984, Cologne 1984.
  • Helmut Fehr: Socialist way of life and countercultural orientations. In: Edition Deutschlandarchiv (Hrsg.): Living conditions in the GDR. Seventeenth conference on the status of GDR research in the Federal Republic of Germany June 12-15, 1984, Cologne 1984, p. 77. “An independent youth culture is seen as a marginal phenomenon for the GDR; the role of unorganized reference groups of young people is limited to the leisure sector or classified as an expression of a non-political generation conflict. "
  • Thomas P. Funk: Under the asphalt, the customers of the Lichtenberger Tunnel. In: Michael Rauhut, Thomas Kochan (Ed.): Bye Bye, Lübben City, blues freaks, tramps and hippies in the GDR. Berlin 2004.
  • Peter Helmberger: blue shirt and ball cross. Conflicts between the SED and the Christian churches over young people in the Soviet occupation zone / GDR. Munich 2008.
  • Gunhild Korfes: On the development of right-wing extremism in the GDR. In: Kriminolog. Jn. Vol. 24, H. 1, 1992.
  • Sebastian Kranich : First listen to Christ, then to your comrades. Building soldiers letters: Merseburg, Wolfen, Welzow 1988/89, Halle 2006.
  • Bernd Lindner: The actual design field. Cultural influences of the youth generations in the GDR. In: Germany Archives. Journal for the united Germany. Issue 1/2005.
  • Minister of the German Democratic Republic, Ministry for State Security, The Minister: Instructions No. 4/66 on the political-operational fight against political-ideological diversion and underground activity among young people in the GDR. In: The Ministry for State Security and Youth in the GDR, working material for the conference “Youth and Youth Culture in the GDR”. Magdeburg 2004.
  • Marc-Dietrich Ohse: Youth after the Wall was Built, Adaptation, Protest and Stubbornness (GDR 1961–1974). Berlin 2003.
  • Manfred Stock, Philipp Mühlberg: The scene from the inside. Skinheads, Goths, Heavy Metals, Punks . 1st edition. Ch. Links, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-86153-007-4 .
  • Wolf Oschlies: Being young in the GDR. In: Edition Deutschlandarchiv (Hrsg.): Living conditions in the GDR. Seventeenth conference on the status of GDR research in the Federal Republic of Germany, June 12-15, 1984, Cologne 1984.
  • Henning Pietzsch: Youth between Church and State, History of Church Youth Work in Jena 1970–1989. Cologne / Weimar / Vienna 2005.
  • Sandra Pingel-Schliemann: Observe, decompose, liquidate, decomposition strategies of the Ministry for State Security against “hostile-negative” forces in the GDR. Dissertation, Hamburg 2000.
  • Michael Rauhut: Small escapes, From the blues of a restless youth. In: Michael Rauhut, Thomas Kochan (Ed.): Bye Bye, Lübben City, blues freaks, tramps and hippies in the GDR. Berlin 2004.
  • Siegfried Reiprich : The dialogue that was prevented. My political de-registration. Berlin 1996. New edition 2001.
  • Axel Reitel : Juvenile detention in the GDR using the example of the Halle youth center. Non-fiction book, Berlin 2006.
  • Axel Reitel: Beautiful youth. Young people in contradiction to the GDR. Five features, 2nd edition Berlin 2008.
  • Gabriele Rohmann: Are the kids allright? Youth cultures between politics, commerce and a new national consciousness. In: Germany Archive: Journal for United Germany. Issue 1/2005.
  • Udo Scheer : Vision and Reality, The Opposition in Jena in the Seventies and Eighties. Berlin 1999.
  • Detlef Siegfried : Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out. Counterculture and mass culture in the West German consumer society of the 1960s. In: Germany Archives: Journal for United Germany. Issue 1/2005.
  • Peter Skyba: From hopeful to security risk. Youth in the GDR and youth policy of the SED 1949–1961 (= writings of the Hannah Arendt Institute for Research on Totalitarianism . Volume 10). Böhlau, Cologne a. a. 2000, ISBN 3-412-15798-8 .
  • Michael Suckow: Green and blue adorns the sow, the style of the scene. In: Michael Rauhut, Thomas Kochan (Ed.): Bye Bye, Lübben City, blues freaks, tramps and hippies in the GDR. Berlin 2004.
  • Thuringian Archive for Contemporary History "Matthias Domaschk" (ed.): Between utopia and resignation, from staying and leaving, youth culture in the GDR in the 80s using the example of the major event "Jugend 86" in Rudolstadt. Jena 2003.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helga Gotschlich (Ed.): "Left and left and kept step ...". The FDJ: Concepts - Processes - Limits. Berlin: 1994.
  2. ↑ a b Service instruction 4/66 on the political-operational fight against political-ideological diversion and underground activity among young people in the GDR, May 15, 1966. In: MfS-Handbuch, Part V / 5: Basic documents of the MfS. Edited by Roger Engelmann and Frank Joestel. Berlin 2004, p. 158.
  3. ^ State documents on socialist youth policy in the German Democratic Republic, published by the Office for Youth Issues at the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic. State publisher of the German Democratic Republic GDR
  4. ↑ Filming  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.imdb.de  
  5. ↑ boheme and dictatorship in the gdr - groups, conflicts, quarters, 1970 to 1989. An exhibition by the German Historical Museum in Berlin, September 4, 1997 to December 16, 1997 ( online ).
  6. ↑ Bloody strawberries under the television tower , Berliner Zeitung of October 7, 2000, viewed on July 7, 2013.
  7. ↑ "We don't want your cemetery peace" by Karl Winkler, report by a person involved in the blues masses and on the youth protest on October 7, 1977 on Alexanderplatz on www.spiegel.de, from March 14, 1983, viewed on November 15, 2013.
  8. ↑ Karl Winkler: "To clarify a situation". Aufbau-Verlag, 1990, ISBN 978-3-351-01796-5 .
  9. ↑ Stasi investigation report (original final report of the MfS) on the protests on Alexanderplatz on http://www.bstu.bund.de,/ viewed on November 15, 2013.
  10. ↑ Michael Rauhut : Rock in the GDR . Federal Agency for Civic Education, Bonn 2002, ISBN 3-89331-459-8 , p. 121.
  11. ↑ a b c Roman Rutkowski: The charisma of the grave - The scene in the former GDR. 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1351-4 , p. 59.
  12. ↑ Manfred Stock, Philipp Mühlberg: The scene from within - The Goths. 1990, ISBN 3-86153-007-4 , p. 96.
  13. ↑ Harry Waibel : Right-wing extremism in the GDR until 1989 , Cologne 1996.
  14. ↑ CONCLUSION: Right-wing extremists in the anti-fascist state. Deutschlandradio Kultur , September 26, 2006. Film about neo-Nazis in the GDR, by Philip Banse ( online ).
  15. ↑ Norbert Madloch: Right-wing extremism in Germany after the end of Hitler's fascism ( Memento of the original from October 7, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rosalux.de archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.0 MB). In: Klaus Kinner and Rolf Richter: Right-wing extremism and anti-fascism. Historical and current dimension. Berlin: Karl Dietz Verlag. 2000, pp. 57-215, p. 73.