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The Communist Case for "Demarcation" from the West (February 10, 1971)

In response to West German efforts to increase the permeability of the East-West border, the leading Communist historian Jürgen Kuczynski justifies the policy of demarcation [Abgrenzung] from the West. This policy sought to immunize the GDR population against the blandishments of détente, democracy, and affluence.

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Demarcation


At the 15th conference of our Central Committee, Comrade Honecker explained that, in developing our socialist society, we must constantly remember "that we are building up the new socialist society under the conditions of irreconcilable class conflict with the imperialism of the FRG and its intensified attempts at intellectual diversion."

And from this he drew the conclusion: "The continued demarcation of the socialist GDR from the imperialistic FRG is the most effective answer to the reactionary-nationalistic, anti-Communist policy of the FRG's ruling circles."

The word "demarcation" has elicited enormous indignation in the monopoly-enslaved mass media of the FRG, on the radio and in the press. And this is understandable.

After all, among the crooks of this world, just as among the monopolies, there are two "fundamentally different" theories on the robbing of liberties, wallets, savings, etc. The first adhere to a brutal attack strategy: they knock down their victim and then rob him. The others approach the victim in a chummy manner; they behave, as they call it, humanely and then rob him while building a human bridge to the inside pocket of his jacket.

Whoever has the choice should now opt, according to influential circles in Bonn, for the "humane" method of being robbed. Is this not preferable in every respect to the brutal method of knocking down the victim? In this case, one really couldn't speak of an agonizing choice.

But does it really require that much imagination to envision a different solution to the problem? Namely not to become the victim of any sort of crooked strategy, any sort of monopolistic strategy!

Certainly the supporters of both theoretical camps will consider such a solution criminal, even inhumane. For it means a sharp demarcation from them; it makes every strategy of robbery impossible. And that’s exactly what we want!

Yes, in our German Democratic Republic, we do want demarcation, we want to set ourselves as far apart as possible, and to keep distancing ourselves from a social order in which the interests of monopoly capital determine people's lives, manipulate their thoughts, and put their livelihood in a state of insecurity.

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