Yes and the people sampled in this survey apparently come from a town of 6,000 people; but DW means to tell us that *half of Eastern Germans* think the dictatorship had more good than bad. 2009, post world economic crisis saw many countries in the world having unemployment issues.

@Al Fern What mafia henchmen ? There were official border guards. About one hundred seventy thousand people moved to Western Germany officially via checkpoints. Everybody knew the regulations he had to respect.

@Al Fern That's right, the crossing of the border was only possible by official admission according to law. About hundred thirty people died there in the thirty years of the Berlin wall. How many do you think were killed in the US in the same period of time for violating orders ? I am afraid they were not even counted.

@Al Fern What is 'freedom' ? There are lots of definitions for that. Does it mean toiling in some treadmill for a handful of pennies being threatened by unemployment all the time ? So I was much more free under East German conditions for my family's existence was never at risk, education and healthcare was provided for, and there was the costitutional right of housing, work and education. Although the surface of life was less colourful. As I said those who experienced both systems will always compare their individual features.

@Al Fern What is a criminal ? Is it a coloured American who is simply shot by the police during a car check in front of his children ?

Why did millions tried to leave?

@TheNikolatesla34 brainwashed millions

@@kittycatwithinternetaccess2356 Now they are feeling regret for 1989 berlin wall fall

@@arindambanerjee3326 why?

how come? can't they move anywhere they like?

East germany was a puppet state of soviet union you dumb

This!

They ruled the work places in practise! They could get a boss removed and working safety was a priority!

And that percent is growing again

@@theplanetmercury3313 What the persentage now?

east joke: First Oldtimer: "Why do you miss East Germany so much?" Second Oldtimer: "Because the women were younger then!"

Prefer outright prefer not to think for themselves. This is the normal human condition this is why dictatorship has almost always been at least in part the norm.

I took part in sport competitions in Russia at an amateur level. Stayed there for about ten days, and I asked lots of people if they preferred the Soviet Union or today's Russia. I got only one type of answer.

Go to North Korea now, it is exactly the same! Little Kimmy will Love you long time!

Trust me, most people do

Good point! The wall was built to prevent brain drain ant to keep the west out! Right wingers will claim only the first option but we will now se that the GDR goverment was right! As soon as the wall fell W. Ger. swallowed it!

communism is for lazy weak wussies with no creativity, no work ethic. Do what great leader says to do..They are also against God and are heartless criminals with no morals

@@michaelcraig9449☝🏽🤓

Why will not cappies move to Honduras or Kongo if capitalism is so fantastic?

Yea north korea was doomed after kim jong il shunned religion

north korea was actually wealthier than south korea in the initial decades after the korean war

@@capitancuba8962 Religious fairy tales don't make a country good or bad.

Exactly the same beliefs and ways

@@UCLAfilm01 I would rather believe in science. I don't see how my comment relating to religitards is in any way related to belief in politics. I never stated anything about North Korea I never said I support them either.

This is what communism does 100 times more.

hahaha, don't make me laugh

north Korea's system is similar to the former east Europe in many ways. Communism only produces jealousy, fake camaraderie and authoritarian harassment. people should get that through their head if we don't want the history to repeat itself.

​@@flowerchild8450 Yeah except fascism claims your race to be superior and is driven by capitalism and imperialism. And those core defining features of fascism are absent in NK. So fascism is not the word at all. What did you mean by fascist then? Nation state? As in planned economy? As in militaristic anti-imperialist? That's like any other socialist nation ever... Why fascism then?

Wrong. Fascism is an authoritarian system where private property is allowed but the government dictates what you may or may not do with it.

@@georgesteele2157 Nope fascism is corporatism. The repression of the working class and non-economic ways to remain "popular" while being economically anti popular. Like nationalism, some forms of planned economy, protectionism, xenophobia etc...

NO, you just, being a Marxist cling to your ideology. "Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of radical authoritarian ultranationalism,[1][2][3][4] characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy,[5] which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.[6] The first fascist movements emerged in Italy during World War I before it spread to other European countries.[6] Opposed to liberalism, Marxism and anarchism, fascism is placed on the far-right within the traditional left-right spectrum.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Fascists saw World War I as a revolution that brought massive changes to the nature of war, society, the state and technology. The advent of total war and the total mass mobilization of society had broken down the distinction between civilians and combatants. A "military citizenship" arose in which all citizens were involved with the military in some manner during the war.[12][13] The war had resulted in the rise of a powerful state capable of mobilizing millions of people to serve on the front lines and providing economic production and logistics to support them, as well as having unprecedented authority to intervene in the lives of citizens.[12][13] Fascists believe that liberal democracy is obsolete and they regard the complete mobilization of society under a totalitarian one-party state as necessary to prepare a nation for armed conflict and to respond effectively to economic difficulties.[14] Such a state is led by a strong leader-such as a dictator and a martial government composed of the members of the governing fascist party-to forge national unity and maintain a stable and orderly society.[14] Fascism rejects assertions that violence is automatically negative in nature and views political violence, war and imperialism as means that can achieve national rejuvenation.[15][16][17][18] Fascists advocate a mixed economy, with the principal goal of achieving autarky (national economic self-sufficiency) through protectionist and interventionist economic policies."Nations that have freedom, free markets, private ownership of the means of production, and the freedom to use the means of production as the owner desires, is not fascist. Your real issue, as a good Marxist, is you view everything in class struggle and want a socialistic economy. That is why you probably are one of those who regret the passing of the GDR.

Wobbo certainly in Britain.

Capitalism was a complete nightmare in the 19th centuary, who can deny that?

Not only in US and Britain. Even here in Sweden we are looking back to the 80's and Olof Palme's version of socialism!

No it's not. STFU. Capitalism is better than Communism. And besides all those problems the West outside the USA and maybe Canada, generously I'll add Australia and New Zealand and South Africa has, mostly in the Old World, is due to socialist big government in one way or the other. It's not that they're Communist, but they do incorporate socialist policies. Denmark and Sweden and Spain, the UK are the exception and yes Rasmussen said that Denmark is purely a free-market economy more akin to the USA and Canada

It's convenient they murdered everyone who didn't like communism so all that was left was subuntermensche.

that would be very interesting

Flying from Germany to Cuba and permanently immigrating there is famously a thing that a poor person struggling with finances can do

what?

Not true!

This is one of those "who you want to date vs who you want to marry" type comparisons. "Freedom" (aka life in a plutocratic capitalistic state like the USA) is like a shiny thing one can lust for, but having a steady job and guaranteed healthcare / education / retirement / vacation / maternity leave is the unexciting stuff that makes life a lot easier. So 140 people died crossing the Berlin Wall in the 30 years of its existence? In the USA, upwards of 20K people per year die from not having health coverage. But "mah mah mah freedumbs!" :(

Also to move imperialist US- GEORGE FLOYD

GDR socialism was much more prosperous than cuba or north korea and so the comparison isn't apt.

Or Pinochet’s “libertarian” Chile.

Or brazilian's Geisel dictatorship

You might want to take back religion considering you weren’t allowed to excersize religion

@@Ggyhhggtyyy I don't think so .. I will say we were better under communism instead of the Cresent star faith which came from Arabia

I belong to the same cresent faith which is more violent and oppressive .. specially for women .. I wish communism comes back to our rescue as that's the only hope for us now

'Freedom and democracy' is such a propaganda trope...

Jarvis Piazza Yes, the soviet reformism didn't happen in a vacuum. The cold war was fought by both sides but of course the west could better afford it. It was really a stagnation war to try and stop the soviet progress. Also foreign powers corrupt politicians like Gorbatschev.

I hate it when i can give only one like to an awesome comment :( Stay safe and healtyh comrade in these corona days!

Capitalism was necessary in order to counteract feudalism, at first it was small but later it managed to overcome the feudal model, now in order for socialism to overcome capitalism it has to be more efficient than capitalism, the previous century there were attempts and it was achieved Something, today China and the rest of the Asian countries that consider themselves socialists learned from the mistakes of the past and seek to bring the model to work this time, and China for the moment is getting it, while the United States worsens its living standards, China improve, that's already progress

Such a good comment with si nany less upvote

@Al Fern why not Vietnam which is doing really well or China which is a superpower.

@Al Fern yes... China is the 2nd superpower on earth and Vietnam is 27th in economic growth, for such a tiny country that's a lot.

The true freedom in capitalism is financial freedom.

They sure forgot about what they didn't have, food and privacy (due to stasi spying). Capitalism, like socialism, isn't a magic potion. Perhaps these folks should've educated themselves about capitalism before choosing it. Seems like they got what they chose and voted for. Economic accountability is highly individualized in the current system. Freedom means freedom to succeed or fail by your own hook, not the state's whims and 5 year plans.

Patrick Ellis. and make west german pay for it

Freedom with responsibility and accountability is what they did not have till 1989.

The Chinese economic reforms would not have worked in a nation like the GDR which had industrialized decades prior. Chinese economic reforms was meant to develop industry via foreign capital investment, which will be a losing strategy in the coming years when China sees a demographic reversal and loses its working age population which is sustaining this growth.

But their friends and family are in East Germany. That was a simplistic disingenous 'solution' that old git at the end offered.

Ian Muir ,Or your own brother or wife!

Is it better to have your neighbors homeless or unemployed? Stazi protected the people from the imperialists.

nah I'd much rather my neighbors report me to the police, such freedom!

The fascist police in the USA certainly serve the rich oligarchs. The Stasi served the people.

@@bryanholden1558 OK,stay with George Floyd

not to mention the sanctions set on both of them globally

Now capitalist countries are begging for medical aid from Cuba to avoid death of thier common people Coronaaaaa

Exactly. He also completely neglected that China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are all Communist countries, and some of these have the world's fastest economic growth rates. Then there is Nepal, which openly elected Communists to power, or states like Kerala and West Bengal in India that also routinely elects Communists, and Kerala, in particular have the best socioeconomic stats (life expectancy, literacy rate, child mortality rate, etc) in India.

​@@ggrey3155 Fast economic growth rates because they play the game of capitalism.

@@thayyil69 lol Cuba has actually been doing pretty good with corona. Look at every other country near it.

Bryan Holden bullshit get lost

It can be said about the FBI and CIA too Any form of secret police like the KGB CIA Stasi MI5 etc all have dirty secrets. It is just that now people talk more about the Stasi and KGB about their horrible stuff they did more

@@UCLAfilm01 How do you know this?

No, why would they?

No. They were western political exilees to east germany tho.

@Jesse Brennan Ever heard of Victor Grossman?

This is idiotic. Dont compare

You don't have freedom or a free market in a capitalist society, you're ruled by giant conglomerates who own the media, the politicians, the majority of wealth, you only have an illusion of freedom.

How many years did it take you to get a car or an apartment now?

@@alexdrackk At once whenever I desire!

140 died crossing the Berlin Wall in its 30 years of history. Meanwhile, upwards of 20,000 Americans die per year from not having medical coverage. But - freedumbs! :(

So if that is, why many people missed the Ole East Germany and why Eastern part of Germany is shittier than ever now?

What? no one thinks of the DDR as a "paradise", but this belies the notion that the DDR was an abject hellhole with no redeeming qualities. That is the myth that ostalgie counters; it counters the self-righteousness of the West.

+Eric Bush I agree completely. I think the people complaining take it for granted that they can openly voice their contempt for the current system and also the fact they are free to leave if they wish and go to Cuba or North Korea like the guy said. If it was as great as these people make it out to be then no one would have tried to escape.

It's akin to praising Stalin only after his death. Any Soviet citizen would have wasted that demon given the chance.

You don't know Soviet citizens. Most old generation soviets had respect for Stalin even after his death, and had more or less contempt for his successor. Even now a lot of Russians are positive about him. My suggestion is - don't talk about matters unfamiliar to you. It makes you look foolish.

This guys lived it. I am not going to say anything.

inferno0020 IFA

Everyone wants a social democracy without knowing it

I think these days they'll chase you out.

They put spikes underneath to chase the homeless awayb

Yes well Cuba has a higher life expectancy than America now and they had about a 5 year lower life expectancy than America in 1960 so it's not all bad.

Well did they live in the gdr

brankoood1 Oh its much more than that. If people is bad under a system they will want alternatives.

Capitalism failed too and that should be obvious.

Love you guys typing about the 'failure of capitalism' from your iphones and ipads. But not to worry, with freedom you can resurrect your old lifestyle by joining an Amish community and there's always Cuba: see the wall is to keep people in not out. They welcome all comers. You have the freedom to choose, in no time you can be cutting sugarcane to stand in line for a few monthly rationed staples while Castro's brood lives in the lap of capitalist luxury. Enjoy !