"Our State Border" - East German Film (1979)

[@MaximusandHistory]

At 6:40 you can hear music from the Soviet cartoon "Nu Pogodi" (Ну, погоди!), which is my childhood ❤ Also, for a documentary-propaganda film about the Berlin Wall, the GDR had a surprisingly good taste with all that groovy disco music in the background 😅

[@muecke-mj6wh]

@Maximus and History You dont write east Germany. You must write GERMAN DEMOKRATIC REPUBLIK. EAST GERMANY IS NONSENS

[@einbertalstein1394]

Orchester Günter Gollasch - Kalinka

[@MaximusandHistory]

@@muecke-mj6wh I understand why that may be offensive to you, but historically speaking, especially in the English speaking world, the FRG and GDR were simply referred to as "East" and "West" Germany.

[@MQuaritch]

It's actually a modified version of Kalinka

[@MaximusandHistory]

@@MQuaritch It contains a musical quote of Kalinka, the full song is an original composition!

[@TheSpiritingPoet]

Me (who speaks exactly zero German): Ah yes, my recommended has picked a banger today, I will watch all twelve minutes.

[@guyintenn]

Click on cog wheel (one for resolution)>Subtitles/CC>Auto-translate>Scroll down to your language of choice>be sure CC is highlighted.

[@marks.3303]

The auto-translate feature gives you a butchered but mostly understandable English translation.

[@lemonator8813]

​@@guyintenn a video it actually works on wow i gave up tryi g a while ago haha

[@stlaut2758]

you are missing out, 3:55 is funny; the narration +its an excerpt from a newspaper saying West Germany wants to annex East Germany, then the following pictures, haha

[@WorkersPartyofAustralia]

Considering how much English videos Germans watch daily I’d say it’s a fair compromise.

[@andresihotang2314]

Regardless of the content, you gotta admit their knack in finding the hypnotic and enjoyable background music for the video

[@rathersane]

It’s a good reminder that the 1970s also happened behind the Iron Curtain 😊

[@jameslongstreet9259]

Love the Music when NATO appears, it becomes somewhat psychedelic 💊💊

[@davidpan5176]

Most of the DDR could get western radio and TV broadcasts. RIAS in West Berlin played all the latest western hit music, so the East German youth were well aware of the latest trends.

[@einbertalstein1394]

Say what you want on east german propaganda, the background music is dope!

[@CatatonicImperfect]

Reminds me of the 70s soft pornos that ran on night time German TV in the 90s. Emmanuelle, anyone? Tinto Brass?

[@MaximusandHistory]

That's the funny thing about East German propaganda, unlike West German propaganda films of that time period, the GDR at least used some groovy music.

[@BarberJ95]

It’s so 1970s funky-groovy coded w/ some North Korean elements lmao

[@mebsrea]

Hans Alpert und das Tijuana Blechorchester. 😂

[@IvarsBezdechi]

Groovy, man!

[@iandale8762]

I was in the RAF and was twice stationed near Monchengladbach, in West Germany, during the Cold War. I used to regularly take new squadron arrivals for 3 day ‘orientation’ visits to Checkpoint Alpha at Helmstedt. We would tour the border just north and south of Helmstedt, briefing the visitors on the history and physical aspects of the border. We also would try to draw the East German Border Guards nearer to us, leaving bottles of beer and German sausage on the short border posts.

[@MaximusandHistory]

That is so awesome! It's always great to read comments from the people who were actually there! And it some way, it's surreal because I wasn't even alive then.

[@Volker_GR]

Hi Ian, German viewers/readers cringe when they read RAF because for us Germans RAF means first and foremost ‘Rote Armee Fraktion’ (Red Army Faction, aka Baader-Meinhof Group), not Royal Airforce. That's why I always advise my British friends not to use that abbreviation :-) Of course you got a thumbs up from me.

[@mrnice1976]

@@Volker_GR That was my first thought also. Luckily, I can read context.

[@s.2652]

I have really enjoyed this video for years! I’m happy to see it in this quality! Thank you for preserving DDR history.

[@enuajsifoto]

Love the music - so much in tune with the pictures and bringing the memories of the times in the most intuitive ways.

[@MaximusandHistory]

Yeah, the GDR produced some absolute bangers!

[@DEEPENFRIENDSHIP]

"Our country doesn't suck at all, nobody's trying to escape. In fact people are trying to sneak in because the GDR is totally rad and coo"

[@NerdyNEET]

The city looks amazing though.

[@rockfella1377]

@@NerdyNEET Sure, it's mostly facade. They show you the good looking stuff. Don't go beyond those streets.

[@NerdyNEET]

@@rockfella1377 Dude, they literally showed you whole districts from bird's eye view.

[@rockfella1377]

@@NerdyNEET Dude, i was born in East-Berlin. Their propaganda was next level.

[@NerdyNEET]

@@rockfella1377 Your profile says "NAFO4LIFE", which stands for "National American Forest Owners". So, I guess this explains why a bourgeoisie fanatically hates everything even remotely socialist. 🤣 Nice try, Richie Rich. 😉

[@freeman10000]

That music, that production! Pure gold.

[@tdirtyatl]

Definitely 70s

[@tomservo5347]

The DDR was an oddity in the Soviet bloc. It was given more autonomy than any other country by Stalin of all people. Of all Warsaw Pact militaries the East German Army was considered the best-organized and officered in large part by WW2 combat veterans.

[@daeph123]

but we had the strictest rules and the leaders were more communist than the Soviets

[@martinfiedler4317]

Sure. The NVA having officers that had fought in WWII was an absolute oddity in post-WWII-Europe and especially the Warsaw Pact. All other Warsaw Pact countries had famously retired all their soldiers after May '45 and started with completely new military staff.

[@Bystrica01]

Und doch war die DDR der engste Verbündete der Sowjetunion, ihr Vorposten in Europa und der treueste Vasall!

[@dirkmeisel4555]

Die Besten waren wir schon, nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg. Aber mehr Autonomie hatten wir mit Sicherheit nicht, eher weniger, weil uns die Russen bis zum Schluss nicht getraut haben!

[@marcofreyssonnet9673]

Let's remember that in 1918 Germany was very close to a communist revolution. Germans have also qualities that are very adapted to socialism, for instance organization qualities, work discipline, collective consciousness. It was the first country with a modern welfare state too. And Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Hegel were German by the way.

[@raitisfreimanis]

I was in West Berlin in November of 1977, the same time Bowie recorded Heroes there. I crossed over to East Berlin for a day trip at Checkpoint Charlie. The contrast between the two parts of the city was startling.

[@reneharde3459]

It was even startling in the early '90s when I first visited my cousin in Berlin - the east had done virtually nothing to repair the bomb damage from WW2 in most of the city - the laundry was aired out when the wall fell. It was all GDR propaganda facade.

[@alexclement7221]

Wait, you spent the entire day at the checkpoint? Were you detained for questioning? FWIW, "Checkpoint Charlie" was properly the checkpoint on the WESTERN side, not the eastern. Alpha was at the autobahn entrance at Marienborn, Checkpoint Bravo was near Drewitz, at the edge of Wesberlin, and Charlie was in Friedrichstadt, not far from the Friedrichstrasse U-bahn station crossing.

[@tonyb9864]

Great find! Thanks for posting this.

[@DailyDamage]

There’s an old joke about the East German border. Katarina Witt, the East German ice skater, wins the gold medal. She comes to Berlin to meet the president of the Republic, Eric Honecker. He says: we are so proud of your accomplishments. We will fulfill any wish you have, for one day. She looks at him and says: just for one day I’d like to see the border is open. He looks at her smiling winks at her and says: you naughty little thing, so you want to be with me all on your own? 😊

[@josef-peterroemer5309]

That's Katrina Witt

[@zuendeleser6862]

@@josef-peterroemer5309 It's neither Kari nor Katrina, and not Eric, and not a "president" ... It's the normal state of affairs when people in the West talk about East Germany -- willful ignorance...

[@muecke-mj6wh]

@@DailyDamage you write Nonsens because Katarina Witt was not east German ice skater

[@muecke-mj6wh]

@@josef-peterroemer5309 Nonsens. Please write Katarina Witt

[@muecke-mj6wh]

@@zuendeleser6862 you write Nonsens please write Katarina Witt

[@GlamorousTitanic21]

Your videos are truly some of the best GDR content out there. As someone trying to become a professor of history some day, I will definitely be using your videos when I bring up the Cold War and the Eastern Bloc.

[@MaximusandHistory]

Thank you so much for the very kind comment! I hope all of this content could be used for education purposes!

[@GlamorousTitanic21]

@ Of course. I also joined your Discord server as well ^^

[@MichelEloy-co1jr]

J AI VECU 6 ANS EN RDA ET JE PEUX VOUS DIRE QUE CE SONT LES PLUS BELLES ANNEES DE MA VIE BEAUCOUP DE SOLIDARITE ET D AMITIES TCHUSS

[@vilivonkin6243]

Music is from other world. DDR quality.

[@rathersane]

Communism with that disco groove!

[@michaelscott5155]

My High School and College German classes made it so I could understand most of this.

[@FEINDKONTAKT.]

Quality is perfect, thanks.

[@artmaknev3738]

Its such a crazy and still so unbelievable history, how the city was divided into two parts with completely different operating systems, split by a wall, with relatives and families stuck on opposite sides!

[@MaximusandHistory]

When you think about it, the more surreal it becomes when you realized that this really happened!

[@bert2530]

As a witness of this situation just before and after the crumbling off the wall I can tell you the cultural differences were really shocking. Two completely different societies divided by approximately 30 meters. From constant traffic jams to almost empty boulevards. Dark and gloomy environment to a bright lighted and loud city center. It was really unbelievable.

[@alexclement7221]

Actually, Vienna was as well, just after the war. See the movie "The Third Man" to get an idea of what that was like.

[@alangordon3283]

Socialism never works .

[@deadchannelxd0420]

i can smell the 70s funk while watching this

[@petebondurant58]

Thank you for providing this video. I appreciate seeing the history of the Cold War from every aspect.

[@kriskris998]

The good old days. This Video is reminding me of Johannesburg in the 70s

[@hanzfranz7739]

Berlin looks VERY different today...

[@rogernikodemus8024]

Fortunately !

[@ws768]

Yes, especially the eastern part. Where did all the bullet holes and half-ruins go in Mitte, Prenzl. Berg, Friedrichshain,...,...

[@timonsolus]

@@ws768: Incredible that 35 years after WW2, Berlin still wasn’t 100% fully repaired from the war.

[@flitsertheo]

@@ws768 You can still see the patched up bullet holes on many buildings.

[@artmaknev3738]

@@timonsolus yes especially that each citizen pays 5% of their income tax to the restoration efforts, where the money goes?

[@walterishere5864]

Thank you, watched through it despite not knowing any German. The film quality is amazing!

[@anthemsofeurope2408]

My father was born 1978 in the GDR, my mother 1980. For me as a east German its interesting to see, how the GDR looked like in the time when my parents where born.

[@Piddel]

Berlin really was their propaganda show-off socialism city. Just look at any other city (especially in the 80s) and you realise just how much money was pumped into the capitol to atleast maintain a nice look in *one* city.

[@MaximusandHistory]

It's always a pleasure to see GDR citizens leaving comments on my videos!

[@axelsandi]

it's façade me boy. already and especially then.

[@8000SAC]

You are kid...

[@anthemsofeurope2408]

@@8000SAC I'm already a grown man.

[@lashlarue7924]

after a long and hard week, I love to tuck myself into bed watching old propaganda films from the GDPR.

[@alanbennett5071]

An old news item: “Today the East German pole vault champion became the West German pole vault champion…”

[@Marcel-uo9xn]

40 Jahre Sozialismus, 40 Jahre zu viel.

[@kzm-cb5mr]

The last two minutes of the video had a banger music

[@philip.morris]

I think people have a fascination and nostalgia for this period in German history. Lets not forget the brave souls who died trying escape to the West Berlin and Germany.

[@Natadangsa]

They were not brave souls. They were teacherous, weak souls who died for the degeneracy of the West

[@josef-peterroemer5309]

Yes because they believed what propaganda the BRD was telling them. Once they did the escrow for west German TV, they were done with the east German didn't need those escapees till the next propaganda show.

[@zuendeleser6862]

They are by no means forgotten. Who is easily forgotten however, are the many soldiers who died on this border, having mostly not chosen to be there, because they were murdered either by provocateurs and anti-communists on the other side, or by their comrades or escapees who were all too willing to sacrifice the lives of others for a more prosperous life, and who are heroized today because they supposedly did it for “freedom” and “democracy”.

[@marks.3303]

@@zuendeleser6862 Eight East German guards were killed between 1961 and 1989. Had they not tried to stop people from escaping, including using deadly force, they would not have died. All the deaths at the Berlin Wall are the sole responsibility of the East German government.

[@dieselscience]

@@zuendeleser6862 Bullshit. ZERO East German soldiers died on the border who were 'murdered' by anyone. "Prosperous life" in East Germany - you're funny.

[@Hongemann]

Always funny that the GDR propaganda films had to emphasize that the country was "internationally recognized" for certain achievements 4:58

[@MaximusandHistory]

Well the country was only recognized internationally in 1973 by the United Nations when the GDR and the FRG became members of the UN. Both sides also recognized each other as being independent. It's no surprise that they were proud of this achievement because it completely legitimizes their existence and their propaganda about the border wall.

[@josef-peterroemer5309]

At least in East Germany the Schooling including Universities was better, free Day care for working wifes children, Women got paid the exact same as a man regardless of Job or position, something west Germany did not do, and still doesn't today just like the USA more women were employed then in west Germany. And yes you could own your own house.

[@markjones979]

​@@josef-peterroemer5309both men and women got paid equal amounts of money that couldn't actually buy anything.

[@finrisumies6663]

Some AI enhancement method has been used on the film. Is this enhancement done by the archive or yours?

[@MaximusandHistory]

You would be correct, I applied a very light amount of AI upscaling to sharpen the image quality and to get rid of the noisy artefacts that were present in the video.

[@Bareego]

@@MaximusandHistory you did a great job !

[@MaximusandHistory]

@@Bareego Thank you very much! I am always happy to know that people appreciate my work!

[@foreverblueclassics]

I've seen this video on another channel but this is the best quality. I love that soundtrack too! Many thanks for posting!

[@samuelattas3864]

Nice to find you here 👍🏻

[@foreverblueclassics]

​@@samuelattas3864😊

[@Thefoodofficer]

Loved the upbeat 70s disco music used in the film! Gives a retro vibe

[@Kim-i6v9b]

„Stopp, sagten unsere Arbeiter“! -- Zum Brüllen! Toller Fund!

[@kalle_kullaa7040]

Etwa nicht ? Wer denn sonst ? immerhin war Kennedy nicht gerade uneinverstanden mit der Mauer ....Besser eine Mauer als ein heißer Krieg ! Ein waiser Mann .... Die Teilund Deutschland war ein Fehler der Alliierten damals. Dazu wurde die SU damals von den 3 Westmöchten total über den Tisch gezogen. Der SU war es schlicht egal, sie shane in den ersten Jahren die SBZ nicht als seperaten Staat an, sondern ein Gebiet wo man Reparationen zu Recht abgreifen konnte. Darum wurde die DDR auch erst nach der BRD gegründet. Die USA sahen die BRD dann schon als Bollwerk gegen die SU an und legten dort dann schon die erfolgreiche Strategie gegen die DDR und damit gegen den Ostblock fest. Leider haben sich dann 1989 (teilweise Berechtigt) die breite Mehrheit der DDR Bevölkerung mit bunten Werbe TV und dicker harter Währung und Konsumsucht von der Westseite verlocken und verführen lassen. So sind eben die Menschen .... und so einige heute bereuen dies zutiefst ....

[@Bystrica01]

Die Grenzgänger waren tatsächlich nicht gut gelitten bei der Bevölkerung. Im Osten billig leben und der Teil Westlohn raffgierig umgetauscht.

[@rumeunner3245]

8:32 wicked side burns.

[@kriskris998]

What is the name of the music in 5:20 please!?

[@Alpha_Foxtrot-28]

The video quality makes it looks like a 80s hollywood film

[@MaximusandHistory]

It kinda does haha!

[@daeph123]

maybe that's because they used similar technology

[@thefrench8847]

Do you also plan to upload any video related to Hungarian People's Republic?

[@MaximusandHistory]

I have actually considered looking into Hungary, as well other Warsaw Pact countries!

[@Dan-tf1zq]

Not seeing a lot of smiling faces in the east German version of the workers paradise. I do see a lot of police watching everyone however.

[@sqweege6432]

It’s not as spectacular as they wanna make it out to be. There’s plenty of other videos out there showing exactly how it was. And it was not good at all.

[@MaximusandHistory]

@@sqweege6432 The GDR actually had dozens of films documenting the poor living conditions of some of the cities, Berlin included. These issues were not only acknowledged, but recognized and documented by the state. It's a shame that the GDR was never able to find a balance between wasting money on the military to fend off a theoretical war with the West and finding solutions to improve the neglected urban areas that still looked like it was 1945.

[@MaximusandHistory]

This is literally a film about the state border with West Berlin, so not sure why you're surprised to see guard towers and police officers 😅

[@tst2363]

And if they laughed and smiled, you would have called it State Propaganda...

[@ernestkhalimov1007]

Non smiling is the average german ethos

[@NerdyNEET]

Everything looks so clean, and neat. 😮

[@ludwizDDR]

Super!

[@AlexAlex-zv7fc]

Als junger Ungar habe ich die DDR oft besucht. Am Flughafen wurde ich regelmäßig durchsucht. An der Grenze in Westdeutschland haben sie mich nicht einmal angesehen.

[@Grilledcheesyness]

Seriously, that music soundtrack rocks.

[@MaximusandHistory]

I couldn't agree more!

[@simotopolovac5384]

Anyone know the name of the painter who's exhibition the soldiers are viewing at 09:20?

[@josef-peterroemer5309]

Bernhard Heisig, also his Son is a painter Johannes Heisig

[@simotopolovac5384]

@josef-peterroemer5309 thank you good sir!

[@antonigiwojna]

Thank you for helping me survive my night shift :D

[@JimEllis-i5k]

If you go into Settings a change the Closed Captioning to Auto Translate you can understand what they are saying.

[@weirdfishes9961]

Pretty rocking soundtrack.

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Another outstanding episode, Paul. The 1950s were a wild time for jet fighter design.

[@jensbrose]

Habe zu der Zeit in Berlin gedient. Palast war immer Anlaufpunkt,(ab 9:10). Aber Bilder wurden nicht angeschaut, die Tagesbar mit Gin-Tonic, gut essen und die Großveranstaltungen waren wichtiger.

[@jochensch8821]

Der Film zeigt Leute am Brandenburger Tor, ein Kommentar sagt es hätte einen Zaun gegeben, folglich konnte nicht jeder so nah ans Tor wie die Besucher im Film gezeigt werden. Wenn die Mauer, wie der Film sagt, dazu da ist die Faschisten draussen zu lassen, hätte man die DDR-Bürger ja ans Brandenburger Tor lassen können.

[@einbertalstein1394]

Interessant, bitte erzähl mehr. Ganz ehrlich: Habt ihr den Quatsch, der in diesen Propaganda-Streifen vorkam (zumindest teilweise) geglaubt? "Rotlichtbestrahlung" wurde das ja wohl auch im Jargon genannt? Wie war der Palast der Republik?

[@BenPanced]

"This is our contribution to the preservation of peace and to the progress of détente in Europe." All to a beat you can dance to.

[@rickwong9049]

It does feel like 70s 18+ film opening and all the exposition before the scene come. Not helping the music kinda adds to it. 😅

[@MaximusandHistory]

Yep 😅

[@asdvet1918]

Ich habe in der DDR gut gelebt. Er arbeitete als einfacher Dreher in einer Fabrik. Die Wohnung wurde vom Staat zur Verfügung gestellt, Familie, Kinder, volle Sozialversicherung. Vertrauen in die Zukunft. Ruhe und Stabilität.

[@saytex-mu4xe]

Ja freilich, mit Kinder und politischer Bravheit hat man manchmal ein Arbeiterschliessfach bekommen. Ruhe... ja, Friedhofsruhe.

[@oliveryt7168]

@@saytex-mu4xe Blödsinn... die Leute haben gelebt ähnlich wie im Westen.. es wurde gefeiert, es wurde gelacht... du stellst dir das echt als Freilichtgefängnis vor, oder wie? Ich selbst wähle nicht mal links, aber man muss einfach auch mal bei den Tatsachen bleiben.. sagen, was schlecht und was gut war.

[@asdvet1918]

​@@saytex-mu4xeIch, meine Familie und meine Verwandten hätten nie gedacht, dass wir in einem geschlossenen Land leben würden. Die Mehrheit der Menschen in der DDR machte sich darüber keine Sorgen. Ja, es gab diejenigen, die in den Westen gehen wollten, um zu sehen, wie es dort war. Viele gingen. Wir zeigten deutsches Fernsehen und schauten ruhig zu. Die meisten Menschen reisten mit Touristengutscheinen in sozialistische Länder.

[@Carsten-n6h]

Fragt sich nur warum dieser tolle Staat mit dem weltgrößten Geheimdienst alle Bürger auf perfide Art zum Teil durch die eigenen Familienmitglieder bespitzeln lassen musste.

[@edmund2382]

@@asdvet1918 Was blieb ihnen auch anderes übrig?

[@vincentbutton5926]

Groovy video at eye level, but very drab from the skies. Lol at "the palace the people built"! Anyway, a question: Did East Germans who actually lived there in the 70s feel "occupied"? By that I mean feel controlled by a foreign state, the Soviets.

[@Nosedruul]

That is a good question. Surely the Soviet orgy of rape and murder was still in living memory for many. I wonder how many of the Berlin residents in the crowd scenes were the illegitimate 1945 children of Red Army soldiers?

[@ralffichtner9791]

First of judging by the words of the narrator, there is nothing groovy about this movie. It's rather spooky. In almost every city with more than 25,000 inhabitants there was a Soviet garrison. There were about half a million active occupation forces in a country with 17 million inhabitants. I still remember that frequently convoys led to broken roads. By the 1980s everything was run down, littered, contaminated with fuel and lubricants and what not. Interestingly, there were few clashes with locals. After all, East Germany was the showcase of the Eastern Bloc. It was actually the other way around, the Germans felt sorry for the Soviet soldiers. So did we felt "occupied"? Yes, but also more because of the repressions of our own authorities who did their best to be the better commies. And on the subject of the Wall and this bullshit movie. What do you call it when you're surrounded by a wall and you can't get out? In most parts of the world prison, I suspect.

[@jpip1382]

@@ralffichtner9791A good point made, the leaders of East Germany were left wing extremists such as Walter Ulbricht.

[@vincentbutton5926]

@@ralffichtner9791 Thank you for sharing!

[@nighthawwwk]

I was in both West- and East Berlin in 1988. It is difficult to explain just how strange it was.

[@reneharde3459]

Understood, and I visited a few years later and it was still weird. It is strange when I meet former East Germans here in the US, they are very different from my own West German family

[@SMGJohn]

Compare DDR to Germany of today, and there will be tears in your eyes.

[@NerdyNEET]

Did it get better or worse?

[@miguelm.8889]

B-b-but muh democracy bro!

[@NerdyNEET]

@@miguelm.8889 West doesn't have democracy, no rule of the people.

[@MrKarlheinzspock]

Weiß jemand, warum die Luftbilder so krass desaturiert sind im Vergleich zu den übrigen Aufnahmen?

[@timp3931]

All the soldiers in this film need a good haircut.

[@MaximusandHistory]

I agree. The 1970's had really funky haircuts on both sides of the iron curtain. The NVA and Bundeswehr suffered from this problem hahaha.

[@Thorscauldron]

I thought a lot of the young soldiers were very good looking.

[@williamisenberger1073]

I love the Police state jazz vibe of the music

[@NikonianSniper]

Please, somebodh tell me where I can find the soundtrack for this or something similar!

[@lucaissewell]

East Germany looks nice!

[@davidfaas58777]

I am 59 Now And this for Me is Kind of Nostalgic I recall it more than 40 Years Ago 🇺🇸 #Historical

[@W.I.L_1917]

As someone with a family from the GDR and CCCP i appreciate this movie very much. Interesting to see how it was and get another perspective.

[@ws768]

This is a propaganda piece, not "how it was"...🙄

[@daeph123]

what is the CCCP

[@jochensch8821]

@@daeph123 Sowjet Union.

[@ernestkhalimov1007]

​@@daeph123USSR but in Russian alphabet

[@TheLocalLt]

The abbreviation for the Soviet Union is not “CCCP”, that’s just how the abbreviation “SSSR” looks when written in Cyrillic characters (S and R in Cyrillic happen to look like the C and P in the Latin alphabet, but this is just a coincidence)

[@stvdagger8074]

9:00 The Palace that the people have built for themselves - Well, that palace is gone now - After reunification, it was found to be full of asbestos and had to be torn down due to the massive contamination. - Strangely that hazardous material was used despite Asbestos being banned under DDR laws.

[@marcelosedy4703]

Bravo!

[@dougtheviking6503]

We thought you would never be free. But here you are . Nice video from an eastern prospective.

[@denabraun1354]

Danke, genossen!

[@MaximusandHistory]

You're welcome!

[@Paul-r3v]

We westerners met the easterns in the highway to Berlin service areas. In the restaurant areas, I noticed all people looking at us like we were rock stars. We could go east or west, they couldnt.

[@Goldelse]

🦅

[@harrydoku8268]

Video makes you miss something you really shouldn't.

[@Plisnensis]

Born in the GDR ❤

[@manuheber9011]

...visited by Bruce Springsteen in 1988!😆

[@РоманАнтонов-ф8ф]

Рождён в СССР ❤

[@holgerlutzer8846]

Geboren 1962 und stolz darauf mit vielen guten Werten erzogen worden zu sein. 👍 Es war nicht "alles" schlecht!

[@saytex-mu4xe]

@@holgerlutzer8846 Stimmt. Wir waren alle viel jünger. Sonst noch was?

[@merseydave1]

And now you have liberty and human rights ... something you did not have when you were Walled In !

[@diegofaulord7481]

Hi! Does someone know the name of the opening’s theme? Thanks

[@cambs0181]

It's funny how 70s East Berlin reminds me of 70s Birmingham.

[@statinskill]

Haha I was on a school trip in Scotland and the town we came through looked absolutely socialist. So I started narrating on your left you see the Karl Marx Prospekt. We continue down Stalin Boulevard to the Lenin Prospekt..

[@АлександрСизоненко-с9б]

The reel has been remastered really well. And yeah, the music:)))

[@stevidente]

The algorithm brought me here but I watched the entire video because Mielke made me.

[@rudigerwedell8164]

Wo sind die Mitläufer nur alle geblieben?

[@Benni-w6u]

Die wählen AFD und BSW!

[@morin1002]

Whats rhe intro song?

[@Berlin-Kladow]

Miss those days of Berlin-West. Look at those beautiful images, clean, order, no graffiti, everything tidy, no rats, law abiding, everyone speaking German. Today it’s a disaster with not many Germans around , dirty, graffiti everywhere, most people speaking Arabic , Ukrainian or Russian.

[@MaximusandHistory]

This is a film of East Berlin, not west.

[@Berlin-Kladow]

@ agree, but back in 1970‘S-1980’s Berlin West was isolated and difficult to get to. It was easy to get to East Berlin after paying 50 DM and do shopping. The entire area both East and West were so different from today

[@peterfunfstuck8094]

​@@Berlin-Kladow EDIT: Holy cow! I should have completely read your statement .... I was merely talking about the area being in a bad state in terms of cleanliness and infrastructure back then more so than today ... I couldn't give a damn what language my neighbours speak as long as they're good neighbours....

[@ehrenmann35]

Rassistenschweine brauchen wir hier nicht.

[@martinmiessler5025]

Nazis raus ! 🇪🇺🇩🇪

[@motherdear3733]

How many of those Soviet Era buildings still stand?

[@jochensch8821]

Many. There's a hotel right on Alexanderplatz, I think it belongs to the Radisson, which was renovated in 1969 to mark 20 years of GDR, and is a good hotel. From there you can see Karl-Marx-Alee, formerly Stalin Allee with typical buildings from the period. The palace was demolished because of asbestos, but some buildings that were new at the time are still being used.

[@cambs0181]

Actually quite a few.

[@flitsertheo]

The TV tower visible in a few shots was a 1960s prestige project so they used the best materials to build it, though it was never mentioned they used materials and technology from the West which couldn't be made in East-Germany, not the same quality anyway : West-German steel (for that shiny globe) Belgian non-reflecting glass for the panorama windows and Swedish elevators. Probably that tower will be the last GDR building standing.

[@eduardh.5964]

At last a documentary about the GDR, which has become very rare these days. It honestly shows what it was like back then in my beloved old homeland.

[@jochensch8821]

Der Film vermittelt den Eindruck man kann in der DDR unter sich das Brandenburger Tor anschauen. In einem Kommentar lese ich aber. Es gab einen Zaun und man konnte da nicht hinsehen. Wir hatten etwa 1985 Besuch aus der DDR. Die Frau konnte nicht so einfach die Brieffreundin besuchen. Es wurde ein Antrag gestellt zum Besuch einer "Tante" die 80 wurde. Der Geburtstag stimmte, aber heute könnte sie ohne Antrag den Besuch machen. ohne die angeblliche verwandschaftliche Beziehung wäre der Besuch gar nicht genehmigt worden. Es ist übrigens ein Film der NVA. Zeigt aber auch wie gut sich Ost-Berlin entwickelt hat nachdem die Grenze zu war.

[@finnelkjaer7461]

A propaganda film made for a totalitarian system, and one that also glorifies the Soviet system and the Red army.

[@motorola4075]

@@finnelkjaer7461 как будто что то плохое.

[@finnelkjaer7461]

@@motorola4075 Yes, the Soviet Union was bad, especially under the terror regime of Stalin. As a phenomenon, the Red Army was bad too, also during WWII, or perhaps particularly then, which shouldn't be forgotten just because the Nazi regime in Germany was extremely cruel and destructive. Others participants (or victims) in WWII weren't angels, but most fell short of the nastiness of the totalitarian regimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

[@motorola4075]

@@finnelkjaer7461 А не пойти бы тебе на ТРИ известные русские буквы?

[@IkuisuudenKuluttaja]

Great footage! What is name of that song? starts from 1:20

[@MaximusandHistory]

I wish I knew!

[@Goldelse]

Pro Gloria et Patria.

[@TrevorBrass]

"Anti-fascist protective wall" - interesting term for the inter-German border wall. I was in Germany recently during the 35 anniversary of the fall. Very moving memorials in Berlin for those who died trying to escape to freedom. May Korea be unified one day just like Germany thankfully is now.

[@Leonard-td5rn]

East Germany did as well as it did because it was German not because it was communist

[@MaximusandHistory]

Karl Marx was literally German lol

[@enuajsifoto]

What about China as compared to India? both countries were equally poor before communist revolution in China and today where is the capitalist India where English is widely spoken and cultural and economic ties to the west very vivid? How about Russia? a massive backward country that couldn't stand up to just a fraction of Austrian and German armies during WW1 and move forward just 20 years of communist industrialization and USSR was able to stand up to ALL of the continental Europe's economies which worked for the needs of Wehrmacht either by consenting or forced labor. USSR had to stand up not just to the economic might of continental Europe but also to their military might on the Russian front you found almost all of continental Europe armies were trying to conquer USSR and wipe out the communist system but USSR prevailed alone - the "western allies" joint the fight when Red Army was already on the eastern borders of Poland and the war was lost for the West. Similarities abound in the long Russian history and today's no different - you might find some dissenting voices like Victor Orban but all of Europe tries to conquer Russia but they will fail again.

[@HateTheIRS]

@@enuajsifotoUSA has largest world GDP. Checkmate

[@TimothySielbeck]

@@enuajsifoto The USSR was not the military powerhouse that you represent it as. It had quite a lot of help to defeat Germany that Germany's conquered territories did not give to its cause.

[@francisdec1615]

@@MaximusandHistory Karl Marx would most probably not have approved of the Soviet Union or DDR. REAL communism is stateless. The "communist" countries were/are not communist for real, since they just created new hierarchies after wiping out the old ones.

[@MrTerrorist]

I don't know if this was related or a coincidence but after watching the opening theme song from the Hungarian tv show "Linda", which inspired the X-Men animated series opening song, this video about East German border guards got recommended to me.

[@komradematt8025]

just remember its propaganda when the wall fell remember to which side people fled to and who put up that wall to begin with.

[@FeHearts]

And yet you yourself are promoting liberal propaganda. West Berliners flooded into East Berlin at the same time East Berliners flooded into West Berlin. Why? Because the Germans were celebrating German unification and not the triumph of one ideology over the other. If communism had won over liberalism the Germans would have still celebrated German unification. Of course nationalism is a big no no today so you cannot talk about why people wanted to unify West & East Germany in the first place instead of keeping them two separate countries like Austria or Switzerland are separate from Germany.

[@jochensch8821]

@@FeHearts Der Film tut so als gäbe es die Mauer um die Faschisten aus der DDR draussen zu halten, sie nannten es Antifaschischtischer Schutzwall. Das Brandenburger Tor so nahe zu sehen war dem Normalbürger verwehrt. Wenn ich eine Grenze nach Westen schütze dann ist es unsinnig Sperrgebiete zu errichten und die eigenen Bürger von der Grenze fern zu halten und auf östlicher Seite Selbstschußanlagen zu installieren. Man hat die Einheit gefeiert, das ist richtig. Dieser Film hier zeigt aber Dinge die der NVA Soldat für den dieser Film gemacht wurde gar nicht sehen konnte. Der Soldat der Grenztruppen für den dieser Film wohl gedacht war, wenn er in Berlin stationiert war vielleicht.

[@njerzee911]

Everyone so happy! So prosperous; SO content. Like.............one happy family.

[@Thorscauldron]

0:43 Spot the lignite coal stack.

[@wojteks8887]

The soundtrack is great!

[@gula_rata]

The Bundeswehr needs to adopt the Wehrmacht look of the East Germany military. It makes Germany look more cool and badass!

[@НиколайИванов-н]

Unfortunately, the Bundeswehr threw all the military of the GDR into the street. Almost no one was left to serve.

[@vonwar0157]

The western allied and the Bundesrepublik did not want to look neither like Reichswehr of Weimar Republic, nor Wehrmacht 1933-45, so therefore they changed their uniforms so much. A pity yes because since Kaiser Zeit (until 1918) and beyond the looks of the German uniforms have been Stunning, we can only hope for them to re-instate some of this looks in future. Here you have a description of who did what: The design of German World War II uniforms was primarily influenced by several key figures and organizations: Hugo Boss: The fashion designer Hugo Boss was involved in creating uniforms for the Nazi party and the German military. His company produced uniforms for the SS (Schutzstaffel) and other branches of the military. Erich von Manstein: Although primarily a military strategist, he had some influence on the design of uniforms, particularly in terms of functionality and practicality. The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda: This organization oversaw the aesthetic aspects of Nazi propaganda, including military uniforms, to ensure they conveyed the desired image of strength and unity. Various Military Officials and Tailors: Many military officials provided input on uniform design based on operational needs, while skilled tailors and designers executed the final designs. The overall aesthetic of German WWII uniforms was characterized by a mix of military practicality and a focus on creating a strong visual identity for the Nazi regime. The uniforms often featured distinctive insignia, colors, and cuts that set them apart from those of other nations.

[@gula_rata]

Not just the uniforms. Bundeswehr also needs to restore the Stechschritt or Paradeschritt (goosestepping) back in their marches.. That was part of German tradition long before any Nazi existed.. But they irrationally got rid of it because it supposedly looked Nazi.. It doesn't, it looks traditionally German.. Germany invented it. Today Chile and Russia are marching in a German influenced way, but itself Germany isn't.. Today, when only untrained German civilian marching bands can goosestep, but their own military can't, it is a pathetic situation. Hopefully the recent increase in common sense in Germany today such as AFD will lead them to restore their own cultural traditions.

[@timor64]

@@gula_rata Indeed when I visited East Berlin, the guards at the memorial would goosestep when changing the guard

[@msoszynski81]

DDR is presented like paradise!

[@bardo0007]

Beautiful East Germany , I wish we could go back in a time machine

[@silenthunteruk]

Only for a brief visit! You wouldn't want to live there!

[@parzivalthewanderer9687]

Seeing what an ugly mess Alexanderplatz is now compared to then, is a real shame. That nice open square with grass and tram access is so well balanced. Its just a tight chaotic mess now.

[@edwardgray4693]

And in a mere 10 yrs it was all gone. Thankfully.

[@decadent44]

F Y 😮

[@julianhermanubis6800]

@@decadent44 No one misses it, comrade.

[@berlinwhite]

@@julianhermanubis6800 A fair few (on both sides) see to do, tbh.

[@rbir2653]

I love how they filmed the whole film without seeing a single trabant.

[@kaiguleikoff7742]

Mit dem Jahr 1979 ging MEINE aktive NVA-Zeit zu Ende und ab 1980 kehrte ICH in eine verantwortliche Arbeit in einem Landwirtschaftsbetrieb zurück. BERLIN war nicht weit entfernt und daher konnte ich oft in der "Hauptstadt der DDR" verweilen, bei meinen Dienstvorgesetzten und noch öfter in meiner Freizeit. BERLIN OST war das Schaufenster der DDR, wie BERLIN WEST für die BRD - obwohl dorthin nicht zugehörig.

[@jochensch8821]

Nun konnte jeder DDR Bürger direkt an das Brandenburger Tor, oder waren das ausgesuchte Leute? Jemand hat hier in den Kommentaren geschrieben Unter den Linden wäre ein Zaun gewesen das Brandenburger Tor wäre gar nicht zu sehen gewesen. Vor ein paar Jahren hatte ich ein Zimmer im ehem. Hotel Stadt Berlin am Alexanderplatz. Ein beeindruckendes Gebäude und das Zimmer lag im 32 Stock. Toilette und Bad waren in einem später eingesetzten Glaskasten im Zimmer. Die DDR hat das Hotel vermutlich noch mit Etagendusche und Etagen WC gebaut, was ich für einen Bau aus dem Jahr 1969 nicht gedacht hätte.

[@kaiguleikoff7742]

@@jochensch8821 Das Brandenburger Tor war zu DDR-Zeiten ein "militärischer Sperrbezirk" und konnte nicht besucht werden. Die Sicht auf das Tor war nicht behindert oder "versperrt." Das DDR-Interhotel "Stadt Berlin" gehörte zu der über die DDR verbreiteten Kette der Interhotels, die vor allem Besucher aus dem Westen "anlocken" sollte, die "Devisenbringer" waren.

[@МаксимШевченко-в8щ]

Какая же красивая форма у солдат была

[@ricktaylor8262]

Very cool stuff.

[@stadtbekanntertunichtgut]

Unglaublich wie viel Propaganda man in 12 Minuten quetschen kann! 🤣

[@jochensch8821]

Nun der Film ist von der NVA wurde also Soldaten gezeigt, nannte sie die Mauer nicht "Antifaschistischer Schutzwall" die Grenzanlagen nicht so angelegt, als wollte man die Faschisten draussen halten, sondern die Bürger drinnen.

[@einbertalstein1394]

Aber coole Propaganda, mann!

[@wylnd]

@@einbertalstein1394 Die message ist nicht ein mal unterschwellig gemeint, sie wird frei heraus verkündet. Heftig

[@friedrichExplorer]

Aber heute machen sie das auch

[@trigger767]

​@@friedrichExplorer😂😂😂Dein statement spricht Bände

[@NoName-xo9pd]

Der Anfang erinnert mich an dieser Musik in den Drei Fragezeichen Hörspiele