1984 in the DDR

[german girl]

I'm just reading this important book and, being only half way through, can see where it leads. Orwell has described what not so long after him writing this novel has been actually established and was allowed to survive for 50 years in eastern germany. People begin to forget already what it must have been like for those people hidden away behind the iron curtain, spying on each other, not being able to go where they please and always in fear of being incriminated and thrown into prison for many, many years for things they probably never did but for reasons that were beyond their control.<br>Sure, it wasn't as cruel and not in all detail as in 1984 but it shows that it is not only possible but already has been tried. It wasn't possible to become wealthy in the DDR because the job you did was allocated to you rather than a question of choice. You had to wait up to 15 years for a car and could only buy what was available to you unless you had west money and the possibillity to buy in those shops where normal citizens could only dream of buying. Sure, everybody had a job and just about enough to eat, there were plenty youth organisations and holiday camps with the required political education but nobody was free. Nobody could travel beyond the iron curtain. Nobody was allowed to leave the country without good reason and mostly only when they were to old to think of running away. And nobody was to question the regime or was in danger of being thrown into prison.<br>I remember packing parcels at christmas for my relations in the DDR and couldn't understand how it can be that those people can't get hold of something ordinary as lycra tights or chocolate. Not even mentioning bananas!<br>I see 1984 as a combination of what we have seen in the DDR and what we are witnessing at the moment at the establishment of full spectrum dominance by the USA. I'm scared for future generations...