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This is What Life was Like in Communist East Germany

Tim Flight December 18, 2019 25 min

Berlin Wall - Checkpoint Charlie — A man peers over the newly-built Berlin Wall in August 1961. The Guardian

31. All bands had to sing in German

Albatros, an album by the East German rock band Karat, released in 1979. RecordSale

Like film, popular music posed a threat to the integrity of the GDR. Unlike movies, unsuitable music could be heard in private on radios picking up stations from West Germany. Thus the SED tried to develop its own version of popular music to keep kids away from capitalist groups. The State invented its own dance-moves (seriously) and made all East German bands sing in German. This made it easier to censor and intended to avoid capitalist cultures becoming popular. Some bands were banned, but others which subtly hinted at dissatisfaction with the GDR such as Karat became very popular.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk