Western Prosperity as Consolation

In the late summer and autumn of 1989, television news broadcasts all over the world were dominated for weeks by the same images. They showed large groups of East Germans crossing the Berlin Wall and the border to West Germany. The images have become iconic, representing the fall of communism and the democratic will of the people. As the pictures also showed East Germans’ excitement at finally being able to enter West Germany's consumer paradise, the events are also carved in people's collective memory as iconic symbols of the worldwide triumph of capitalism and consumerism. To the dismay of critical reporters, many East Germans seemed to leave their country primarily to discover the unparalleled consumption potential on the other side of the Wall, and to a lesser extent because of the political liberties there.

East Germans’ expectations of the abundance of western consumer goods were obviously high. But what exactly had they expected to find on the other side of the Wall? What did they see when they looked at the western world? Why did they shed tears of joy when for the first time in their lives, they stepped inside West German shops? And why were they prepared to spend more than 10 percent of their average monthly wage for a pineapple and even more for a simple western portable radio? These questions aroused my curiosity and were the starting point for the investigations that formed the basis of this book.