After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1949, East Germany became the German Democratic Republic, and the Soviet-controlled half of the nation. East Germans were subjected to a tight exertion of control from the Communist government in all areas of their daily lives. Mainly as a result of continued East-West tensions and the influence of western propaganda, increased military presence, the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and the Soviet secret police (the Stasi), employed ‘almost 91,000 full-time functionaries and more than 100,000 informants’ to control and censor all aspects of life.[2]
The Soviet-controlled Red Army also moved into Poland after the Second World War, leading to major political, social and economic changes in the country.
The People’s Republic of Poland was created under Joseph Stalin, and he made use of his ‘trademark brutality in attaining his political goals: prison camps and executions were part of the story.'[3] In attempts to destroy all social class barriers, much like the egalitarian society created in East Germany, Hungary, and other Eastern European countries, farmers were moved to cities to work in industry. The population of the cities increased substantially, and so did the shortage in housing.[4] Daniela Kucz interviews a Radio presenter in Prague about his life experiences growing up under Communism in Poland.[5]
Jan Maksymiuk explains how communism came to be such a hated and oppressing system for many Poles; “It did not offer such economic benefits to people, or such a level of well-being” as promised in the propaganda… “Instead there was total political control."[6] He also explains how intellectual freedom was important to the younger generations in Poland, and such tight government exertion of power and control meant that “life was becoming worse and worse.”[7]
Life in Hungary under Soviet rule was much the same as life in other Eastern bloc states. Consumer goods were consistently lacking in quality and quantity throughout the Communist era, the country’s economy was substantially effected. An outbreak of housing shortages swarmed the country as there was significant emphasis on ‘large low quality prefabricated apartment blocks, and sanitary conditions continued to deteriorate; only 60% of Hungarians had adequate sanitation in their homes by 1984.[8] There was also a distinct lack of advanced and manufactured goods in East Germany, and poor distribution of the goods that were available. Due to the country’s lack of international relations with the West, West Germany advanced at great speed under capitalist control, while the East slumped behind. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck directed the 2006 German film ‘The Lives of Others.’[9] The film tells the story of a Stasi agent, Gerd Wiesler, as he follows and monitors the activity of a leading playwright in East Germany, Georg Dreyman.[10] The film depicts the oppression and intrusive control of the Soviet secret police in the German Democratic Republic, and highlights the Soviet fear of Western influence on the arts and culture, and the Communist workers battling with the immorality of the system.