Oldal 3 [3]
OCR
ee X.A.1ll. for September 52 - page three Eastern Berlin. Crossing the demarcation line, the visitor finds himself in a different world. the world-wide known szetions as "Unter den Linden" and Potsdam are unrecognizable: a field of destruction and ruinse But the same is true in poorer and industrial neighborhoods. Reconstruction is much slower even that in Western Berlin. scublic and Farty buildings have priority; but even they look dreary and grey. rainiing, metal finishing, better glass, decoration are scaree material and therefore not granted for the mere outside aspect of buildings. The same fact is true for the decoration of shop windows. The best that can be obtained is low quality, grayish paper on which the few and largely rationed goods are plaeced before the public. This scarcity however is covered by a loud and penetrating propaganda, Red flags are waving. huge inscriptions and pictures, in red and bhack are covering every wall: they hail Stalin, Mao-Tsetung, or one of the East German leaders; they express solidarity with lace praise the blessings of the Beople's Democracy and attack Western imperialism. ihe book shops, tie newspaper stands, the loudspeakers and radios, all propagate the same slogans without interruption. Until recently this loud propaganda concert was tuned on a different notes The peace campaign was the foremost slogan: Picasso's dove was opposed to Western warmongerse But, suddendly, - in one of these swift and complete turns in Rusgian policies - peace disappeared from the propaganda vocabularye It was replaced by defense, re-armament and nationalism. the bewildered population increasingly wonders what this Sudden change should mean. It concludes that Russia has fealized that it cannot safe peace and maintain its power posifion at the same times Forced into a defensive position, nussia - although it fears its satellites -— has to rearm and strengthen them. it is for her a lesser threat than is the developing Western defense. - This conclusion, reached by many Berliners and Eastern Germans, gives them a vital encouragement and hope. They watch the changes and the evolution and strongly feel that they point towards a deep-seated Russian weaknesse Few Western observers seem to realize this fact and all the consequences it carries behind the iron Curtaine.. Besides the dreariness of the ruins and the noise of the propaganda, the third striking charact:ristic of the sastern world, as seen in the streets of Berlin, is the ruthless nationalization process. The most obvious example are the shopseand restaurantse in th: Western sector they are private owmede fkassed the demarcation line, trade is carried by the HO shops and eating piacese HO stands for "Handelsorganisation", the so-called people's=-owned Trade Organization. All private shops and businesses are systematically ruined and taken over by this public service. Such general shops are supposed to sell everything, from food to household equipment and musical instruments. however, quality and quantity of available goods are deteriorating, at the same rate as is the value of the wastern mark, as compared with the Western German money. Consequently ~ even in this favored city of Berlin where the seat of East German government and central administration is located - prices are increasing, rations are not filled, queues are Forming Pep pack, merket in cigarettes, coffee, small items and money go
