.
"...seemingly inherent in the system, was the nature of the GDR’s political life, which the Communist Party monopolized. ....individuals’ political differences with the regime—in thinking as well as in action—potentially entailed the withholding of advancement, privileges and rewards. The result was, of course, a virulent brew of dissembling and resentment......As a politically active Communist during the McCarthy Era, Grossman knew that ..."
".....the benefits of American-style democracy were largely limited to those who accepted the basic premises of the capitalist system.....and yet the curtailment of American civil liberties in this period did not seem to damage the capitalist system.
" However, the unraveling of the socialist system in the GDR and its ultimate dénouement was organically tied to the absence of democracy."
" Ultimately, the lack of genuine mass participation in its political life led to almost universal acquiescence in the demise of the GDR, and consequently of socialism, by those for whom it was intended—and whom it frequently did in fact benefit. Over time, most of its citizens had withdrwn into a private world of family and immediate community.....
there is a great nostalgia among former East Germans, including Grossman, for what many now describe as immensely satisfying society..."
"the largest group of people in the GDR, albeit somewhat grudgingly, had become accepting of a system that had become familiar and which provided definite advantages."
"However, the nature of the system promoted a mindset where a specific setback or disappointment—a fight with a supervisor or the inability to obtain a better apartment—led to renunciation of the entire system. After all, the point that the GDR was socialist was constantly put before people, whereas in the West, similar experiences rarely caused individuals to question capitalism."
".. there was no apparent class struggle in East Germany, so that the endless anti-capitalist appeals sounded hollow and unconvincing."
"...this denial of democratic rights... in turn alienated and pacified the general population and corrupted those who held or sought power, thereby creating the conditions for a massive implosion."
" Yet, the establishment of democracy within a socialist society seems to depend on a number of unlikely occurrences."
" Among these is the acquiescing to this system by those (such as managers and professionals) who could gain more under capitalism"
" and the acceptance by highly skilled groups of workers (such as electricians and master craftsmen) of less remuneration so that overall levels of income become more or less equalized"
