Though the German Democratic Republic was supposed to be a communist state, controlled by one party (SED, Socialist Unity Party), it really resembled a fascists dictatorship. With government officials holding all the power and oppressing the citizens, it is clear that this form of “communism” is not what Karl Marx had in mind.
The GDR was under the influence of the Soviet Union, so their agenda was against anything Western or capitalist. This meant that within the GDR there could be no western products, no western television, or radio (East Germany). They made travel to the West very difficult, and would intercept any letters to and from the West, removing what they deemed necessary (Stasi Tactics). Instead of being able to watch or listen to Western broadcasts, the East Germans were only supposed to tune into Eastern broadcast, which were full of anti-capitalist propaganda (East Germany).
Hohenhausen Stasi Jail
Obviously there were ways to get the Western broadcast, or even attain the Western products, so the GDR had an established secret police. The Stasi could arrest and detain anyone for any reason or suspicion (Stasi Tactics). If they found you with Western Products or listening to Western Broadcasts you could be put into a jail. In these jails they used very harsh methods of sleep depravation, starvation, and other intense tactics. The Stasi would even wire peoples houses to listen for any talk against the party.
Stasi Jail Cell
The Stasi could ruin people’s lives for any reason they could find, so the citizens of the GDR were living in intense fear and paranoia. The Stasi would often blackmail people threatening loved ones to get information( Stasi Tactics). A large majority of their informants were just normal citizens that gave information after being blackmailed, or trading for some kind of possession, or power. For this reason there was a major distrust between citizens in the GDR. Not to mention a major resentment of the GDR for blackmailing their family, or pitting their loved ones against one another.
Life in the GDR was all about controlling the lives of citizens and making sure they never talked poorly about the GDR. They wanted to hide all aspects of Western life from the citizens of the East, and supply them with anti-capitalist propaganda. Their controlling tactics stripped the citizens of their basic rights, and because of this citizens in the GDR were very dissatisfied. They dreamed of the wall coming down and living with the freedoms of the West. They were tired of living with the paranoia and the fear and some citizens began to the despise the GDR for creating these conditions.