East German Schools (1945-89)


Figure 1.--Here we see an East German 4th year class in 1951. Notice the red Young Pioneer scarves that many of the children are wearing. I'm not sure why some wear them and some don't. This image is marked "Zeiden" Germany. I'm not sure what that means. A reader tells us that Zeiden is a town in Romania (also called Codlea). Thus this may be a Romanian school or German children in Romania. The boys wear a mixture of jackets, sweaters, and short, long, and knicker pants. Long stockings were still widely worn.

The German Democratic Republic (DDR) also did not immediately institute school uniforms. We do not yet have any information on the quality or methods employed in the East German school system. We suspect that academic standards were fairly high (which was not the case in NAZI schools), but highly politicized (which was also the case in NAZI schools). We do not yet, however, have much information on this. Nor do we know how the schools made the transition from NAZI to Communist schools. One might think that there would be little difficulty with math and science teachers, but history teachers might be more difficult. German school children had never worn iniforms before. This is interesting as the model for the DDR was the USSR, and Soviet children did have to wear school uniforms. Soviet proconsuls controlled every aspect of German life. The lack of school uniforms in the DDR probably reflects the deep-seated rejection of German militarism and ideas (such as uniforms) associated with it. Eventually school uniforms were adopted, but I am not sure precisely when, apparently about 1960. The uniform was used for both school and for the German Young Pioneers. The Young Pioneers were a youth group primarily organized around school classes. Unlike Scouting in the West, the famly did not play a major role. We are not sure how common the uniforms were. One source tells us that the children only wore their Pioneer uniforms to school on special days. We have not yet been able to confirm this. While we have little information on East German schools at this time, some East German films had school scenes.

Educational Quality

Education in East Germany as in all Communist countries was a an important priority. We do not yet have any information on the quality or methods employed in the East German school system. We suspect that academic standards were fairly high (which was not the case in NAZI schools), especially in math and science.

Individual Attention

Classes in DDR hools tended to larger with higher teacher to student ratios. This meant that bright children cold do well, but that average or below average children often got lost and were less likely to succeed. This of course is the opposite of what one might expect in a Communist country which claims to support an egaltarian society. But in the Soviet Uion, the DDR, and other countrues there was a tendeny to identify talent and gice soeial attention to the gifted. This was done to an extent to which most of us in the West would be uncomfortable with.

Politization

We also suspect that the schools were highly politicized (Which was also the case in NAZI schools). Politiczation began very early for children in East Germany. And there no effort at digusing it. An example of an approved kids songs was "I want to be a Volkspolizist." Nursery schools-age kids had to draw pictures of the Grenzsoldaten (the border guards with shoot-to-kill orders). The DDR day-care centers were rigid, authoritarian, and uninspired. A central focus was to promote 'group-think'. Creativity was not high on the educational priorities. Punishments could be severe, too: standing in the corner, no lunch, sometimes even spankings. [Hockenos] DDR teachers not only politicized the classroon., but they politicized cultural mattrs like jens and rock and roll music. Students were expelled from secondary schools for wearing jeans. Jeans were seen as political expression, suggesting a favoravle attitude toward American and Western culture. [Poiger] And of course portraits of the DDR leaders appeared in DDR classrooms. In Democratic countries we often have portaits of historical leaders like Washington and Lincoln. In the DDR and other Communist countries you have images of the current very political figures. There were no free classroom discussions about major issues. Teachers lectured the childern are comducted carefully guided discussions. Here we would be very interestedin finding German readers who could tell us about the discussions they recall in DDR classrooms. The DDR had a special problem with politization. DDR ctizens could listen to BRD television and radio broadcasts. So they had access to free speech and discussion on major issues and perhaps even more important commercials advertising the consumer products available to people in free society. Younger children in the DDR might not understand the Cold War issues, but they could understand all tghe great producrs available in the west and were not available to them. The DDR classroom politicization does not seem to have been very effective given the widespread support for unification after the Wall came down an young people were especially desirous of joining the West. One aspect of DDR polititization that was effective was the athesist campaign. The DDR effectively eradicated religion Church attendance in the East today is at very low levels. [Kim] Politicazation through education did not end with the schools. One young East German only a few years out of university reports how she got into trouble with the police after she refused to report on some journalist friends. The day before she was supposed to report for 'political education' she crossed over the border to West Berlin which before the Wall was built was still porous. [F.]

Transitions

Nor do we know how the schools made the transitin from NAZI to Communist schools. One might think that there would be little difficulty with math and science teachers, but history teachers might be more difficult. The schools were at first a problem for the NAZIs as many teachers he;d anti-NAZI political viewsor were apathetic to the NAZIs. As a result, the NAZIs and Hitler Youth destrusted the schools. In took somre time, but by the time of World War II, the schools had been thoroughly coopted by the NAZIs. We are unsure just how Communist authorities assessed the teachers when they took over in 1945 and how many were allowed to continue teaching. We are also unsure how the transition from Communism to democracy was handled.

Requirement

The East German Government requured children to attend school age 6 to16 yeas. Parents were not allowed to home school children nor were private and religious-sponsored schools permitted.

Levels

The DDR operated several levels of schools. There were Crèches (nursery schools) for the younger children. Most East German mothers worked and thus day care was needed for pre-school children. There were Kindergartens to prepare children for primary schools. After primary school there were different secondary schools, including Polytechnical schools and vocational training programs. Finally there were universities for the more acdemically capable students.

Availability

After unification, we see left-wing authors consrantly harping on the free nursery schools avalable in the DDR. Rarely do we red about the far greter educational opportunities available to students in the BRD. This was a major difference which developed betweem East and West. The BRD because of its dynamic economy was able to afford by a massive expansion of both secondary schooling and higher education. Major forces in shaping education in the BRD were Georg Picht who criticized the "educational deficit" and Ralf Dahrendorf who described education as a 'civil right'. Massive investment in teacher training and hiring and the construction of many new schools greatly increased the number of youth attending secondary schiools and university. The DDR focused on creating a polytechnical education looking much like vocational training. Chikdren from worker and peasant families were affored priority and advantages. The third university reform was described as a 'curious mixture of overdue modernization and politicization'. A major emphasis was on Socialist Unity Party (SED) control. [Connelly]

Curriculum


Military Training

The DDR gave lio service to the idea of peace wgich after the trauma of two world wars had considerable appeal throughout Germany. Thus while cloaking itself in peace demonstrations and anti bomb gitation, militarized society with mandatory paramilitary training and support for Soviet missle upgrades.

Uniforms

The German Democratic Republic (DDR) also did not immediately institute school uniforms. It is often difficult to destinguish between East and West German photographs when the images are unidentified. One indicator when uniforms are not worn is the red Young Pioneer scarves the students in the DDR wore. German school children had never worn iniforms before. This is interesting as the model for the DDR was the USSR, and Soviet children did have to wear school uniforms. Soviet proconsuls controlled every aspect of German life. The lack of school uniforms in the DDR probably reflects the deep-seated rejection of German militarism and ideas (such as uniforms) associated with it. Eventually school uniforms were adopted, but I am not sure precisely when, apparently about 1960. We are not sure how common the uniforms were. One source tells us that the children only wore their Pioneer uniforms to school on special days. We have not yet been able to confirm this. While we have little information on East German schools at this time, some East German films had school scenes. A good example is the Der Untergang de Emma (1974).

Young Pioneers

The uniform was used for both school and for the German Young Pioneers. The Young Pioneers were a youth group primarily organized around school classes. Unlike Scouting in the West, the family did not play a major role. Readers tell us this varied from country to country. Scouting in America has always been a youth movement n which the family played a major role.

Sources

Connelly, John. "Humboldt im Staatsdienst: Ostdeutsche Universitäten 1945-1989," in Mitchell G. Ash, ed., Mythos Humboldt: Vergangenheit und Zukunft der deutschen Universitäten (Vienna, 1999), pp. 58-104.

F., Ursula. Interviewed by Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, "What was it really like to escape East Germany?" The Atlantic. Website post (October 3, 2015).

Hockenos, Paul. "8 Things That Were Better in East Germany: Remembering the "glory days" of nudity, breast milk, and recycling 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall," FP (November 7, 2014).

Kim, Lucian. "Why east German teens seek secular rite of passage," Christian Sciene Monitor (May 12, 1999).

Lof, Sylvia, Ingrid Mållberg and Dietrich Rosenthal. One Europe: East Germany (Longman).

Poiger, Uta G. Jazz, Rock, and Rebels: Cold War Politics and American Culture in a Divided Germany (University of California Press: 2000), 333p.










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Created: 5:46 PM 5/8/2005
Last updated: 8:44 AM 10/26/2017