| Summary: | This television documentary series offers the most comprehensive visual account of the 40-year history of a separate East Germany. The series covers all the important cultural, economic and political developments, from the founding of the GDR to the popular upheavals that finally brought the Berlin Wall down. Former GDR citizens share their personal feelings, experiences and attitudes toward the government of the East and the material difficulties and dominance of the state. Part 3: For the People's Welfare - the Honecker era is the centerpiece of this film. The program for the social policy of the SED (Socialist Unity Party) calls for the "unity of economic and social policy". Thus the Party leadership celebrated the achievement of the tight social service network extending from day-care to retirement homes. But the more individuals are removed from the processes of production, the more useless they become from an economic perspective. How much social security did the State really provide? Intellect and Power: Art and Culture: "Take up your pen, mate!" The history of literature and art in the German Democratic Republic is repeatedly interrupted by State oppression. This documentary shows how these breaks reveal contradictions between intellect and power in the GDR. The State between its proclamations and reality – spanning from Becher to Biermann.
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