For the Welfare of the People

Overview

The centerpiece of this episode is the Honecker era. The program for the social policy of the SED (Socialist Unity Party) calls for the "unity of economic and social policy". Thus the Party leadership celebrated the achievement of the tight social service network extending from day-care to retirement homes. But the more individuals are removed from the processes of production, the more useless they become from an economic perspective. How much social security did the State really provide?