During the Cold War, the two German states competed in many areas of society over which system - socialism or capitalism - was technologically, economically and politically the more successful, peaceful, and fairer social model. This competition ran through many issues but was particularly evident in family policy (Frevert, 2000) and within the education system. This led, for example, to contradictions on fundamental questions for education policy: while there had been a ban on overwhelming people (Überwältigungsverbot) in the Federal Republic of Germany since the Beutelsbach consensus (Beutelsbacher Konsens, 1976), the practice in the GDR was also described by researchers as a kind of required overwhelming (Überwältigungsgebot, see Mathes, 2022, p. 130). Content was conveyed in a highly emotionalised way in order to govern and exercise political control.
The way the competing education systems dealt with National Socialism also played an important role. The GDR accused the FRG of not having separated itself from the National Socialist personnel among its teaching staff, while the GDR itself had created a renewed teaching staff (Neulehrer) of young people who were considered untainted by National Socialism. In addition, unlike the FRG, socialism in the GDR claimed to offer its school pupils the equal educational opportunities regardless of social background and gender (Baader/Koch/Neumann, 2023). The SED's education policy and in particular the Ministry of Education (Ministerium für Volksbildung) lead by Margot Honecker promised the population of the GDR that only under socialism could children and young people grow up to be happy people.
In 1978, however, the introduction of military education in schools led to resentment among citizens and damaged the image of the GDR as a 'peace state' (Friedensstaat, see Sachse, 2022). In particular the injustices of the education system, such as a lack of opportunities for development and advancement as well as blocked educational paths, led to strong criticism, which was expressed in the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 (Friedliche Revolution) and thereby contributed to the decline of the GDR. In addition, the fact that the GDR's education system had not been able to get young people to identify with the socialist system since the early 1980s also played an important role (see Wierling, 2000).
Literature
Baader, M. S./ Koch, S./ Neumann, F. (2023): Von Soldaten und Lehrerinnen. Geschlechterverhältnisse in Bildungsmedien der DDR. In: Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, Beiheft 69, S. 21–39.
Frevert, U. (2000): Umbruch der Geschlechterverhältnisse? Die 60er Jahre als geschlechterpolitischer Experimentierraum. In: Schildt, A./Siegfried, D./Lammers, C. (Hrsg.): Dynamische Zeiten. Die 60er Jahre in beiden deutschen Gesellschaften. Hamburg: Hans Christians Verlag, S. 624-660.
Mathes, E. (2022): Schulbücher und sonstige Unterrichtsmittel in der DDR. In: Benecke, J. (Hrsg.): Erziehungs- und Bildungsverhältnisse in der DDR. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt, S. 125-139.
Sachse, C. (2022): Wehrerziehung von Kindern und Jugendlichen in der DDR. In: Benecke, J. (Hrsg.): Erziehungs- und Bildungsverhältnisse in der DDR. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt, S. 172-189.
Wierling, D. (2000): Erzieher und Erzogene. Zu Generationenprofilen in der DDR der 60er Jahre. In: Schildt, A./Siegfried, D./Lammers, C. (Hrsg.): Dynamische Zeiten. Die 60er Jahre in beiden deutschen Gesellschaften. Hamburg: Hans Christians Verlag, S. 624-641.