IMO they got about as close to achieving actual socialism as anyone. Some of the best childcare in the world. Pay differentials between the highest and lowest paid workers were only like 3:1. Some pretty incredible workplace democracy. In many respects their liberation of women was better than what we have in the US today. Not perfect by any stretch but nothing like what has been made out by the west. The protests in the late 80s sought out reform and a better system but were not looking to replace socialism with capitalism.
Yet when West German liberals hear that a clear majority of people from the East feel just as or even less free than in the DDR, they automatically assume these must be nazis crying about muh freeze peach.
I mean honestly I can't, I was just hedging some. I guess abortion was legalized around the same time in both countries, so that's a push. I don't know what % of senators and reps in the US congress are women today, so I don't know if that's better now that it was in the GDR in the 80s... but I know in the 80s it was much lower in the US than in the GDR.
IMO they got about as close to achieving actual socialism as anyone. Some of the best childcare in the world. Pay differentials between the highest and lowest paid workers were only like 3:1. Some pretty incredible workplace democracy. In many respects their liberation of women was better than what we have in the US today. Not perfect by any stretch but nothing like what has been made out by the west. The protests in the late 80s sought out reform and a better system but were not looking to replace socialism with capitalism.
Yet when West German liberals hear that a clear majority of people from the East feel just as or even less free than in the DDR, they automatically assume these must be nazis crying about muh freeze peach.
Call me one aspect which is better in the US than was back then for women in the DDR.
I mean honestly I can't, I was just hedging some. I guess abortion was legalized around the same time in both countries, so that's a push. I don't know what % of senators and reps in the US congress are women today, so I don't know if that's better now that it was in the GDR in the 80s... but I know in the 80s it was much lower in the US than in the GDR.
GDR actually passed gender quotas for mayoral offices because too many women were winning.