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Germany and its future. In addition, there were scenes in the film which depicted the Soviets in an unfavorable light. The regime may have felt that the film would counteract complaints that East Germany's unquestioning loyalty to Moscow went too far. At any rate, Ich war Neunzehn appeared to be DEFA's first attempt to satisfy the critics and public alike and still maintain the favor of the SED leadership.
Christa Wolf drew additional acclaim and criticism in early 1969 for her novel Nachdenken uber Christa T (Reflections about Christa T). The book, which is probably autobiographical, depicts a young East German woman's search for meaning in life. She rejects socialism as "inapplicable" and in despair chooses to remain outside the life of the society in which she has been placed. The novel was regarded with disapproval by the regime and the author was severely criticized at the 1969 East German Writers Congress. Only with the Honecker regime was the novel published in sufficient numbers to be available to the general public.
The appearance of works considered by party officials to be disrespectful of socialism, decadent, or pornographic became an issue in the early 1960's and coincided with the rise of a popular young poet and ballad singer, Wolf Biermann (1936-), whose songs were outspokenly critical of the system. Simultaneously, rock music groups proliferated, which the orthodox saw as a contributing factor in the increase of juvenile delinquency. For the first time in almost a decade, philosophical dissent from the system was posed when Humboldt University's Prof. Robert Havemann gave a series of lectures at the end of 1963 and in early 1964 arguing for greater freedom of intellectual inquiry.
Conservative forces, which in 1964 succeeded in having Havemann dismissed from the university, the party, and the Academy of Sciences, won a major victory at the SED Central Committee's 11th plenum in December 1965. Following a harsh period by Erich Honecker denouncing "old and new liberal and revisionist tendencies," the Central Committee ordered a return to stricter orthodoxy, blaming many of the responsible organizations for failing to exercise better control over the cultural scene. The Minister for Cultural Affairs was made the scapegoat and was replaced. DEFA, the film monopoly, was purged, and several of the more prominent writers were forced to admit their errors. Perhaps most noteworthy in this otherwise oppressive exercise was the failure of a few writers to recant and the spirited defense of these few by still other writers.
East Germany's position in support of the Arabs during the Arab-Israeli war in June 1967 further strained relations between the regime and prominent Jewish intellectuals. The Czechoslovak crisis in the summer of 1968 and th resulting dissidence—particularly among youth—led the regime to place much of the blame on intellectuals and cultural leaders for their alleged ideological laxity. The State Secretary in the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Horst Brasch, whose son was sentenced to prison for taking part in a pro-Dubcek rally, was dismissed from his post. Maverick Prof. Robert Havemann, already ostracized by the regime, came in for further criticism as a result of the activities of his two young sons who were involved in antiregime demonstrations protesting the occupation of Czechoslovakia. The regime criticized East German scientists in general for their penchant for rejecting Soviet scientific theory in favor of some of the more pragmatic Western thinking.
On the popular level the regime's youth organization, the Free German Youth (FDJ), was blamed for not properly combating the rise of juvenile delinquency, and new controls were placed over "beat bands," which the authorities considered the core of the problem. Bands are now required to register and pass examination before receiving a license. Authorities are thus able to weed out groups that they consider offensive. Nevertheless, young people continue to reject many of the modern East German compositions played by the state-approved orchestras and bands, claiming they are too difficult and involved. Instead, youths prefer popular Western music which can be performed by small groups of amateurs.
With the change in regime leadership from Ulbricht to Honecker there has been a shift in emphasis in cultural policy. Honecker has urged the cultural community to promote class consciousness among individuals as well as the mass, and reviving the slogan of the Bitterfeld Conference he has stressed that their work should be created "not only for the people, but with the people." At the same time he has acknowledged the stodginess of East German arts and letters and has called for more originality, humor, and critical insight. Accompanying Honecker's exhortations have been a small number of releases of literary and film works held up by the Ulbricht regime as too controversial.
The theater continues to convey Communist dogma with a rather heavy hand (Figure 30), and perhaps only the cabaret theaters, a distinctly German form of entertainment employing political satire, can profit by the new trend towards relaxation. Naturally the performances of East German cabaret groups have been more restrained than those by West Germans, but occasionally a cabaret has featured a few skits
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110024-7
