Who can still imagine what life was like in the GDR? For young people in particular, the GDR has become a foreign, incomprehensible world. Contemporary witnesses can help change this. Their personal testimonies make everyday life in the GDR come to life. They also help people understand the difference between democracy and dictatorship.
A list of GDR contemporary witnesses β opposition members, escape helpers, political prisoners β is presented here. They provide first-hand accounts of the communist system and their lives in the GDR. They speak English and other languages and are available for in-person conversations as well as for digital interviews via video conferencing. Michael Beckmann born in in Eisenach grew up on the outskirts of East Berlin. He was confronted at an early age with the conflicts and contradictions of life in the GDR β his parents were members of the communist party but most of his family lived in the West.
When he was 14, he decided that he would apply for permission to leave the country when he finished high school. In he followed through with this plan.
After that, he was only allowed to work as a post and newspaper delivery person. He was subsequently arrested by the Stasi and sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Beckmann was only 20 years old at the time, making him one of the youngest political prisoners in the GDR. He was released to West Germany in December as part of the prisoner ransom program.
