[MedalFuhrer]

After visiting East Germany/ East Berlin and talking with some of the locals an interest in one of the most repressive societies in history was formed. So from East Berlin the following small collection was formed over a few months.

I bought a small display case last week:




DDR hat emblem/ badge












Paperwork:



If anyone has an interest in the DDR then post up your behind the Iron Curtain collection.

[HerrScheisse]

Almost nobody talks of the DDR anymore and at most of the fairs I have been at, you rarely see any items. Its almost like Germany's Experiment with communism was a pubescent quirk during their growing pains to democracy and is best forgotten. Yet it lasted so long, from 1949 to 1989, a lengthy period of forty years where the old men in the Normannenstrasse repressed 17 million of their own people to prevent them being exploited by the West German capitalists

What is sinister about the DDR medals is that awards for "Excellence in Border Duty" or "Loyal Service" do not have the same connotation as they would in democratic countries. And the awardees must have felt like they were doing their people and country a service without realising that they were a minor cog in a much bigger wheel.

Miehlke, the head of the notorious Stasi, in his defense stated "Ich liebe doch alle Menschen" - "I love all people", a perfect example of how skewed their worldview had become.

Below my collection:



Treue Dienst - Loyal Service in Bronze, Silver and Gold.



Service Excellence in the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee) - Bronze and Silver. 20 Years in NVA.



Defense of Fatherland in Bronze, Excellent Achievment and Excellent Border Service in Bronze.

[HerrScheisse]

Your collection look great in that case

[MedalFuhrer]

Nice collection Herr Sheisse! I didn't realise that you had so many. Yes it's a major part of European history, but more importantly; social history. And it only ended a short time ago.

[Preusse]

Nice to see a different variety of awards.

The upcoming auction on 15 January by Carsten Zeige has lots of GDR (DDR) items as well as Sowjet and Russian:

http://www.zeige.com/en/index2.html

[HerrScheisse]

Hi Preusse,

Can you tell me a bit more on that auction house?

Is it bidding like Ebay or can you simply buy items, Are they reliable (no fakes)??

Ta!

[Preusse]

Hi HS,

no, it's not like ebay. It's a proper auction house meaning that they have scheduled auctions (hence the catalogue for the upcoming auctions) and you can register your bid either per email, fax or phone or, if you are there at the time, bid live (you can probably do that also as a phone bidder).

During non-auction times there are items available through their catalogue for sale (just send them an email).

As with all auctioneers you are best advised only to buy what you know well. There are originals as well as fakes and museum copies/collectors copies for sale. Some are marked as such in the catalogue but others may not be marked.

[Fuinseog]

Originally Posted by MedalFuhrer

After visiting East Germany/ East Berlin and talking with some of the locals an interest in one of the most repressive societies in history was formed. So from East Berlin the following small collection was formed over a few months.

I bought a small display case last week:

[
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[IMtion.

East Germany ceased to exist when the post war borders were officially recognised in 1972.
as for the GDR, repressive is a matter of perspective.
everyone had a job. everything was cheap. people were for the most part, apart from travel restrictions, happy with their lives.
the current German state could also be considered repressive. indeed our own green isle was not adverse to oppressing its citizens.

[MedalFuhrer]

Originally Posted by Fuinseog

East Germany ceased to exist when the post war borders were officially recognised in 1972.
as for the GDR, repressive is a matter of perspective.
everyone had a job. everything was cheap. people were for the most part, apart from travel restrictions, happy with their lives.
the current German state could also be considered repressive. indeed our own green isle was not adverse to oppressing its citizens.

This is very true. And when speaking with the locals they still have mixed feelings. At the time, apart from people dissappearing and getting shot trying to escape over the border, they didn't know any different. But at least they all had jobs.
One woman I was speaking to told me about the day that the wall came down and she wandered over to the East. The first she happened upon was a supermarket. She said that she spend hours in there just looking, She couldn't believe that they had, or couldn't understand how they had or why they had 10 different types of cereal, 20 different milks, 20 different butters and fresh oranges!! She said that she never knew such things existed. Mad to think that it wasn't long ago.
While our state and most can be oppressive, people don't get "dissappeared" for saying the wrong things or having the wrong view. There are some great reading materials out there- very interesting part of history in recent society.

[Fuinseog]

I have a few GDR things in my collection. Once I find out how to post photos here I will put up a few photos


http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...7/DSCF0647.jpg

[Fuinseog]

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...7/DSCF0649.jpg

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/...7/DSCF0639.jpg

[MedalFuhrer]

Nice collection Fuinseog. Each a piece of history to hold!


The Stasi were and still are widely regarded as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies in the world, their motto was "Schild und Schwert der Partei" (Shield and Sword of the Party), that being the Socialist Party of East Germany.

Stasi efforts with one agent per 166 citizens dwarfed, for example, the Nazi Gestapo, which employed only one officer per 2,000 citizens whereas the Soviet KGB employed one agent per 583 citizens. When informants were included, the Stasi had one spy per 66 citizens of East Germany. When part-time informer adults were included, the figures reached the surreal sum of one spy per 6.5 citizens. Spies reported every relative or friend that stayed the night at another's apartment. Punishments were severe and Stasi executions were carried out in strict secrecy, and usually were accomplished with a guillotine and, in later years, by a single pistol shot to the neck. In most instances, the relatives of the executed were not informed of either the sentence or the execution. They simply disappeared, made to have never existed.....

[Fuinseog]

[QUOTE=MedalFuhrer;69851823]Nice collection Fuinseog. Each a piece of history to hold!

I lived in the former GDR. it was an interesting time. I remember an acquaintance served with the stasi.

the hat is not a complete fake, just the cuff title.

[HerrScheisse]

Very interesting. Do you have any tales of life in the GDR? We would be very interested to hear them as we collect GDR.

There is a great book - Stasiland by Anna Funder. The type of book you cannot put down until it is finished.

[MedalFuhrer]

Yes very interesting indeed! You would be great to get an insight into such an era. Or where is best to buy medals etc. as I find that this is an area that is mostly forgotten.