migration from the eastern bloc wasn't actually that bad outside of East->West Germany, and that was because the west germans literally bribed people who'd already gotten fantastic state-funded educations in the east
Also West Germany Berlin ironically, was a Potemkin village. It had no economy but life there was massively subsidised to look like a theme park capitalist utopia. Meanwhile East Germany Berlin was a working economic and Political capitol with all the compromises and issues that entails (though even there Leipzig was arguably more important.)
There's a lot of stories about East Germans coming over and being stunned by the endless wonders of West Berlin, and then being less enthralled at ending up in 1-room in a grey tower block halfway between two particularly grey Rheinland industrial towns.
not exact to your comment but i feel it needs to be mentioned that a lot of anglos think the 'berline wall' existed across germany or eastern eueope when it literally only was in Berline and nowhere else. very easy to cross from east bloc to the west most places
Yes, sorry, I meant Berlin but apparently wrote Germany. Absolutely true that the border was pretty porous most places and if you really wanted to you could leave fairly easily via a days hike.
migration from the eastern bloc wasn't actually that bad outside of East->West Germany, and that was because the west germans literally bribed people who'd already gotten fantastic state-funded educations in the east
This is an interesting answer. Do you have sources?
Stasi State or Socialist Paradise
Also West
GermanyBerlin ironically, was a Potemkin village. It had no economy but life there was massively subsidised to look like a theme park capitalist utopia. Meanwhile EastGermanyBerlin was a working economic and Political capitol with all the compromises and issues that entails (though even there Leipzig was arguably more important.)There's a lot of stories about East Germans coming over and being stunned by the endless wonders of West Berlin, and then being less enthralled at ending up in 1-room in a grey tower block halfway between two particularly grey Rheinland industrial towns.
not exact to your comment but i feel it needs to be mentioned that a lot of anglos think the 'berline wall' existed across germany or eastern eueope when it literally only was in Berline and nowhere else. very easy to cross from east bloc to the west most places
Yes, sorry, I meant Berlin but apparently wrote Germany. Absolutely true that the border was pretty porous most places and if you really wanted to you could leave fairly easily via a days hike.