Page:NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 13A; EAST GERMANY; COUNTRY PROFILE CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110020-1.pdf/17

There was a problem when proofreading this page.

APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110020-1



assumed more of an air of trust of the populace.

Most inhabitants of East Germany on a day-to-day, have faced the reality of their existence and have learned to give the cooperation required of them. Many slip into rationalizations to the effect that life in East Germany is more secure, less hectic, and therefore "nicer" than in West Germany. Those who are a part of the regime or who owe their success to it doubtless constitute a growing band of state loyalists.

There remains, however, an air of negativism among East Germans, which frequently is more pronounced than that found elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Even allowing for the traditional German tendency to face life grimly, many observers have commented on the absence of enthusiasm and spontaneity. There appears to be a "we versus them" mental set among the populace vis-a-vis the authorities. At times individuals are surprisingly outspoken on such matters as the inability


12


APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110020-1