Politics and Change in East Germany: An Evaluation of Socialist Democracy by C. Bradley Scharf

Author:C. Bradley Scharf [Scharf, C. Bradley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9780865314511
Google: PK2bDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 15458163
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 1984-08-06T00:00:00+00:00

Housing Policy

Despite government claims that its comprehensive housing subsidy constitutes one of the most democratic features of socialism, no element of East German social policy has aroused more public dissatisfaction than housing policy.34

On the positive side, it is quite true that household costs for housing are extremely low in the GDR, especially when compared to West Europe and North America. A “typical” household pays only 3–6 percent of its net earned income for rent and utilities, with lower rent charged to those with low income.35 This is made possible by universal rent controls, plus extensive social-fund (state, enterprise, and labor union) subsidies for construction and maintenance.36 The subsidies program has the effect of redistributing income in favor of the elderly and other low-income citizens. In this one respect, then, East Germans are spared the infamous “housing squeeze” that affects so many U.S. household budgets.

On the negative side, however, East Germany has long faced an overall housing shortage of very serious proportions. In the immediate postwar period, the availability of housing was good by prevailing European standards—notably better, in fact, than in the Federal Republic, with its greater war damage and higher rates of immigration. But the demands of socialist reconstruction, combined with heavy Soviet-imposed reparations, meant that new construction activity was concentrated overwhelmingly in the industrial sector. Some impressive new housing projects were completed in Berlin and other major cities, but the slow pace of new construction and the niggardly allocations of funds and materials for remodeling meant that the East German housing stock steadily deteriorated.

In simple numbers of residences per capita, the GDR seems adequately supplied, thanks to a stagnant population. However, citizens must reckon with poor quality and poor facilities in the majority of homes, as well as poor distribution by regions and optimal use.

As late as 1971, 52 percent of East German residences had been built before World War I, 22 percent between the wars, and only 26 percent since 1945.37 (Comparable figures for the Federal Republic were 27, 17, and 56 percent.) Per capita living space (79 square feet) was one-fourth less than in the Federal Republic; it was also the lowest among the European communist states.38 Despite a sharply accelerated renovation program, in 1977 roughly half of all residences still had no indoor toilet, and nearly three-fourths had no central heating. Such widespread lack of amenities obviously impinges on the quality of everyday life.

Beyond these housing problems, expressed in national averages, mal-distribution of limited resources poses additional problems for specific categories of households.39 A considerable, though unspecified, share of housing is occupied by elderly individuals or couples with no dependent children; in contrast, there are numerous cases of large families or even two distinct households crowded into a very modest residence. Many of the underutilized residences are suburban private dwellings, whose owners cannot be legally evicted. A slow and only moderately successful approach has been to offer attractive, low-cost retirement centers as an inducement to elderly owners of private homes, whose residences could be made available to large families.

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