Why was housing seen as so important to the building of a socialist society?

Germany – Life in East Germany, 1949-89

In this course, Dr Marcel Thomas (University of Manchester) explores life in East Germany between 1945-89 via six key questions: (1) Why was housing seen as so important to the building of a socialist society?; (2) Were women more emancipated in East Germany than in the West?; (3) To what extent did Stasi surveillance shape life in East Germany?; (4) How important was repression for the stability of the GDR?; (5) What was the role of the Protestant church in East Germany?; and (6) How did Ostpolitik change relations between West and East Germany?

Why was housing seen as so important to the building of a socialist society?

In this module, we think about why housing was seen as so important to the building of a socialist society in East Germany, focusing in particular on: (i) the practical need for new housing in the aftermath of the Second World War; (ii) the role in housing in the political aims of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED); (iii) the construction of the Stalinallee in East Berlin and socialist model towns such as Stalinstadt (later renamed Eisenhüttenstadt); (iv) the lack of progress on housing between 1945-71, and the renewed efforts under Erich Honecker between 1971-89; (v) the nature of some of the housing developments that were built in this period, in particular the Berlin-Marzahn development built from 1977 onwards; and (vi) the extent to which the housing policy of East Germany was a success, both practically and politically.