Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer

7.5 out of 10

For forty years, the GDR existed as a socialist country.  It did not get off to a good start and it dissolved in a series of confusing events.  But there were a few highlights.  Notably, with perks like coffee and blue jeans, the people had the highest collective standard of living of any socialists ever.

The Red Army's occupation after WWII was destructive.  And because the German communists had fled Hitler for the Soviet Union where they were then purged by Stalin, no one existed to properly create a new socialist country.  While Britain, France, and the US invested in West Germany, the USSR demanded reparations from East Germany and openly used the country as a pawn in the Cold War.  A massive brain drain occurred when skilled professionals escaped to the West (or some comrades left for Moscow).  After reunification, most Germans have improved their lives, yet some citizens from the East took a while to adjust to life without a strong central government.