The total penetration of society and the instrumentalization of minorities

The emergence of the further German state in the autumn of the year, in which the Basic Law of the Western Republic was proclaimed, marked the beginning of a form of rule that permeated all areas of society. The ruling unity party strengthened its absolute dominance over the political and social fabric by subduing other groups and new institutionscreated to ensure total control. This process of seizure of power and securing power also affected the minorities in their own territory, whose traditional settlement areas were now completely subject to the access of the new rulers. An era of strict ideology, ritual freezing and complete subordination of the state to the party apparatus began.

The instrumentalization of minority representation

The historic settlement area of the Slavic minority in the eastern region was completely under the influence of the new rulers. Since the Soviet military administration recognized only the approved mass organization as a collective representation of this minority shortly after the end of the war, the governors’ efforts focused on this association for theinstrumentalize your own goals. The long-term goal was to calm the members of this ethnic group first and to integrate them completely into the German majority society in the long term. Contrary to the loud propaganda that raised the new state to the alleged shelter of this minority, the actual acceptance within the affected population wasextremely low. This deep skepticism about the staged celebrations and the lack of real approval in the masses was widespread. Many people saw through the staging of apparent spontaneity and recognized the parallels to the performances of the previous dictatorship. However, public opinion played no role for the true rulers because theybelieved that they never had to give up a governmental power that had ever been won again.

The division of society into friend and foe

The newly opened era was characterized by a quasi-religious worship of the Soviet dictator, whose milestone birthday was celebrated with pathetic words throughout the sphere of influence. The social restructuring was strictly based on the specifications from the East and was characterized by the creation of political myths and the sacralization of one’s own ideology. the rulingElite transformed her originally conspiratorial thinking into a tool for sustained power securing. The people were strictly comrades and potential traitors were divided, which allowed the leadership to suffocate any deviation in the bud. This rigid scheme served to clean the own ranks of apostates and the slightest shifts in the balance of powerto keep control. The political forms of action increasingly became empty rituals that remained completely incomprehensible to the controlled population. A normal understanding between the officials and the common people was no longer possible, since both sides lived in completely different linguistic and mental worlds.

The structural subordination of the state

The transformation of the governing group into a new type organization consolidated a doctrine that strictly rejected individual freedoms and civil rights. At the big party conferences, the management level was replaced by a central body, which only had the function of nodding off the decisions made in the closest management round in advance. The real power lay in thehands of the narrow circle of long-standing officials who formed the secretariat and the Politburo. These committees not only controlled the party, but also dictated the content of all state laws and regulations. The government and the parliamentary chambers were subject to the strict instructions of the sole ruling party from the start. All significantLegal regulations had to be approved by the narrow leadership circles before they were officially approved. The central party apparatus included all conceivable areas of business, culture and science in the early years. There was no social angle that was not directly monitored and directed by the officials.

Monitoring of Sorbian Affairs

This total control finally extended to those spheres of human existence that were previously considered free from political influence. Social interaction at work, in the family and in the circle of friends was now assessed and monitored according to ideological aspects. In order to secure this rule, the party maintained its own organizational units in allgovernment and economic bodies. No one else was entitled to organize in the companies, which underlined the sole claim to power. The representation of the Slavic minority was also closely controlled by a separate company party organization within their central apparatus. The responsibility for the affairs of this ethnic group wandered throughVarious departments of the central apparatus, always ensuring that the party line was strictly followed. A specific official who had good contacts in the East tried to implement strictly controlled policies, which on the one hand promoted language, but on the other hand strictly followed the ideological guidelines. The official reading praised the prosperity of theMinority in the new state, while reality was marked by strict regulations.

The system of political privileges

The supreme management level was not subject to any control and firmly believed in its own infallibility in interpreting historical development. In order to maintain this prognostic infallibility, the claim to power had to be absolute and grasp every remaining area of social life, no matter how small. In addition to controlling the media and the squad, the disposal of theeconomic resources the decisive lever of securing power. The interest of the prevailing class was not for economic enrichment, but in the preservation and expansion of its distributing power. Political capital was replaced by economic wealth as the most important distinguishing feature in society. This capital could be through loyaltyServices for the party were acquired, however, was always fragile and could be withdrawn at any time. This constant dependence on the goodwill of the supreme leadership guaranteed a complete disciplining of all officials. In return, the loyalty was given considerable privileges, such as access to exclusive educational institutions, special residential areas and exquisite consumer goods.

The concealment of social reality

In order to disguise this positive discrimination against certain groups, the rulers used a semantic trick by redefining the concept of working-class. This term no longer represented an economic reality, but served as a normative category to justify one’s own rule. The party’s attention was directed to the creation of thenew people especially to the children of the apparently socially pure strata. These were considered class-conscious and particularly willing to be shaped in the spirit of ideology. When the school facilities were statistically recorded, the children of the officials and security forces were cleverly hidden in the same category as the real working-class children. This consciousMixing served to artificially drive up the proportion of the allegedly subsidized workers. In reality, the youngsters of the ruling elite in particular benefited from the special access options to the best educational institutions. The system of total penetration was thus perfected and secured the dictatorship’s existence for decades.