East Germans capitalize on financial crisis

Quote :

BERLIN (Reuters) - Two decades after the Berlin Wall fell, communism's founding father Karl Marx is back in vogue in eastern Germany -- thanks to the global financial crisis.

His 1867 critical analysis of capitalism, "Das Kapital," has risen from the publishing graveyard to become an improbable best-seller for academic publisher Karl-Dietz-Verlag.

"Everyone thought there would never ever again be any demand for 'Das Kapital'," managing director Joern Schuetrumpf told Reuters after selling 1,500 copies so far this year, triple the number sold in all of 2007 and a 100-fold increase since 1990.

"Even bankers and managers are now reading 'Das Kapital' to try to understand what they've been doing to us. Marx is definitely 'in' right now," Schuetrumpf said.

The revival of Marx's treatise reflects a broader rejection of capitalism by many in eastern Germany, a communist country until 1989 and now racked by high unemployment and poverty.

A month of intense financial turmoil has toppled banks in the United States and forced a series of government bailouts in Germany and elsewhere, reinforcing anti-capitalist sentiment.

Chancellor Angela Merkel -- herself an easterner -- unveiled a 500 billion euro financial rescue package this week, a move decried as a reward for irresponsible bankers.

A recent survey found 52 percent of eastern Germans believe the free market economy is "unsuitable" and 43 percent said they wanted socialism rather than capitalism, findings confirmed in interviews with dozens of ordinary easterners.

"We read about the 'horrors of capitalism' in school. They really got that right. Karl Marx was spot on," said Thomas Pivitt, a 46-year-old IT worker from east Berlin.

"I had a pretty good life before the Wall fell," he added. "No one worried about money because money didn't really matter. You had a job even if you didn't want one. The communist idea wasn't all that bad."

CAPITALISM EVEN WORSE
Unemployment in the former communist east is 14 percent, double western levels, and wages are significantly lower. Millions of jobs were lost after reunification. Many eastern factories were bought by western competitors and shut down.

"I thought communism was shit, but capitalism is even worse," said Hermann Haibel, a 76-year old retired blacksmith, who was strolling near Alexanderplatz in the heart of old East Berlin.

"The free market is brutal. The capitalist wants to squeeze out more, more, more," he said.

Free market hopes were high in the east when Chancellor Helmut Kohl promised "flourishing landscapes."

But while some areas on the outskirts of Berlin, in Leipzig and along the Baltic shore are thriving, much of the rest suffers from depopulation and high unemployment.

The opposition Left party, which traces its roots to Erich Honecker's SED party, has capitalized on the frustration and become the east's most popular party with support of 30 percent.

"I don't think capitalism is the right system for us," said Monika Weber, a 46-year-old city clerk.

"The distribution of wealth is unfair. We're seeing that now. The little people like me are going to have to pay for this financial mess with higher taxes because of greedy bankers."

Like many other east Germans, Ralf Wulff said he was delighted about the fall of the Berlin Wall and to see capitalism replace communism. But the euphoria was ephemeral.

"It took just a few weeks to realize what the free market economy was all about," said Wulff. "It's rampant materialism and exploitation. Human beings get lost. We didn't have the material comforts but communism still had a lot going for it."

But not everyone condemned capitalism. Astrid Gerber was a master tailor in East Berlin before her company was shut down.

"It was my dream job," said Gerber, 42. She was unemployed for seven years, then opened up a newsstand but gave it up after her family disintegrated due to her 90-hour work week.

"Capitalism has its advantages but so does communism," she said. "I can't say one is better than the other."

This article makes me both sad and happy. Happy that more people are losing their trust in capitalism, and reading Capital. Sad that so many still believe that bureacratic state despotism is communism.

Source

Indeed that system was not communism at all, but it was definitely a much better platform than what we have now. For example, those East Germans, many got the Marxist view on economics and are allowed to have a harsher critic on capitalism.

1,500 books?
my mother sells more than that, no jokes involved

mattabesta wrote:

1,500 books?
my mother sells more than that, no jokes involved

It goes in contrast to previous sells.

If last year you sold 500 and this year you sell 1,500 it's a considerable increase specially considering that this year hasn't ended.

Zealot_Kommunizma wrote:

mattabesta wrote:

1,500 books?
my mother sells more than that, no jokes involved

It goes in contrast to previous sells.

If last year you sold 500 and this year you sell 1,500 it's a considerable increase specially considering that this year hasn't ended.

umm dude 1,500?
there are like 7 billion copies of the bible.

mattabesta wrote:

Zealot_Kommunizma wrote:

mattabesta wrote:

1,500 books?
my mother sells more than that, no jokes involved

It goes in contrast to previous sells.

If last year you sold 500 and this year you sell 1,500 it's a considerable increase specially considering that this year hasn't ended.

umm dude 1,500?
there are like 7 billion copies of the bible.

The Bible is not half as interesting, though it's easier to read. There are more copies of Eragon than The King of Elfland's Daughter, so I don't see what copies have to do with anything.

Stos wrote:

mattabesta wrote:

Zealot_Kommunizma wrote:

mattabesta wrote:

1,500 books?
my mother sells more than that, no jokes involved

It goes in contrast to previous sells.

If last year you sold 500 and this year you sell 1,500 it's a considerable increase specially considering that this year hasn't ended.

umm dude 1,500?
there are like 7 billion copies of the bible.

The Bible is not half as interesting, though it's easier to read. There are more copies of Eragon than The King of Elfland's Daughter, so I don't see what copies have to do with anything.

more ppl want them.

East Germany will soon break the Chain I think. To me it seems that there are many socialist people there, and eventually one of them will come in to power.

Liche wrote:

East Germany will soon break the Chain I think. To me it seems that there are many socialist people there, and eventually one of them will come in to power.

Beileve it or not, most people around were i live are capitalists or national socialists. I really haven't meet one socialist/communist over here in my lifetime.

National Socialism is still better than communist (I'm National Socialist )

Liche wrote:

National Socialism is still better than communist (I'm National Socialist )

\

Yes, anarcho-nazi. This is our new political party. we shall bring it too power!

mattabesta wrote:

more ppl want them.

Which proves nothing. And once again, the comparison is in regards to last years sells in other words they trippled which is a very considerable increase.

Liche wrote:

National Socialism is still better than communist (I'm National Socialist )

I really hope you were kidding about that.

Zealot_Kommunizma wrote:

mattabesta wrote:

more ppl want them.

Which proves nothing. And once again, the comparison is in regards to last years sells in other words they trippled which is a very considerable increase.

Liche wrote:

National Socialism is still better than communist (I'm National Socialist )

I really hope you were kidding about that.

it's not hard to get a book that sold in 500 copies to duble I mean you only have tyo sell 500 moar not hard thing to do,you just advertise a littel.

.....maybe


what do you think the whole anarcho-Nazi thing is derived from?

Liche wrote:

.....maybe


what do you think the whole anarcho-Nazi thing is derived from?

Excessive banging of your head against a wall.

mattabesta wrote:

it's not hard to get a book that sold in 500 copies to duble I mean you only have tyo sell 500 moar not hard thing to do,you just advertise a littel.

Advertising has no effect if people are not interested.

Your arguement definitely doesn't apply to this context, people are just realizing how this system is flawed and want to further understand.

Stos wrote:

Liche wrote:

.....maybe


what do you think the whole anarcho-Nazi thing is derived from?

Excessive banging of your head against a wall.

hahahaha...not funny

Zealot_Kommunizma wrote:

mattabesta wrote:

it's not hard to get a book that sold in 500 copies to duble I mean you only have tyo sell 500 moar not hard thing to do,you just advertise a littel.

Advertising has no effect if people are not interested.

Your arguement definitely doesn't apply to this context, people are just realizing how this system is flawed and want to further understand.

lololololol

my dad works with commercials, it is proven fact that 92% of ppl are srsly affected by commercials even though 97% claim to be unaffected.

I have also heard what matti is saying. I saw it in one of my retarded pro-capitalist classes from when I was still in school.

Liche wrote:

I have also heard what matti is saying. I saw it in one of my retarded pro-capitalist classes from when I was still in school.

dude it'S not capitalism, loook at what the soviet union did, It used exesiv propaganda to try to convince it's ppl that communism was best.
the same with nazi germany I mean you need a big pile of bullshit to convince ppl adolph hitler is the man desten to rule the planet and that jews are bad ppl.

mattabesta wrote:

Liche wrote:

I have also heard what matti is saying. I saw it in one of my retarded pro-capitalist classes from when I was still in school.

dude it'S not capitalism, loook at what the soviet union did, It used exesiv propaganda to try to convince it's ppl that communism was best.
the same with nazi germany I mean you need a big pile of bullshit to convince ppl adolph hitler is the man desten to rule the planet and that jews are bad ppl.

The Soviet Union was not...
We've already told you this, haven't we?

mattabesta wrote:

lololololol

my dad works with commercials, it is proven fact that 92% of ppl are srsly affected by commercials even though 97% claim to be unaffected.

I often coexist with people who are unaffected by commercials.

Either way it's very interesting that you actually acknowledge capitalism engages in intensive brainwashing techniques.

mattabesta wrote:

dude it'S not capitalism, loook at what the soviet union did, It used exesiv propaganda to try to convince it's ppl that communism was best.

1. USSR was not communist, anyone with basic knowledge on communism and the USSR knows that.
2. That propaganda was not used to convince people that "communism is the best" but to encourage people into working.

mattabesta wrote:

the same with nazi germany I mean you need a big pile of bullshit to convince ppl adolph hitler is the man desten to rule the planet and that jews are bad ppl.

Just as you need to be fed a pile of bullshit to accept wage slavery as a system intrinsic to human nature.

Sill wrote:

Liche wrote:

East Germany will soon break the Chain I think. To me it seems that there are many socialist people there, and eventually one of them will come in to power.

Beileve it or not, most people around were i live are capitalists or national socialists. I really haven't meet one socialist/communist over here in my lifetime.

Just go to a demonstration or walk out on the 1st of May. You will see tousands if not millions. Look for RED FLAGS!

That's where comrades are!

Stos wrote:

mattabesta wrote:

Liche wrote:

I have also heard what matti is saying. I saw it in one of my retarded pro-capitalist classes from when I was still in school.

dude it'S not capitalism, loook at what the soviet union did, It used exesiv propaganda to try to convince it's ppl that communism was best.
the same with nazi germany I mean you need a big pile of bullshit to convince ppl adolph hitler is the man desten to rule the planet and that jews are bad ppl.

The Soviet Union was not...
We've already told you this, haven't we?

whatfucking ever and I never said that ussr was communist in the post so you obviusly didn't read it.

Kenzu wrote:

Sill wrote:

Liche wrote:

East Germany will soon break the Chain I think. To me it seems that there are many socialist people there, and eventually one of them will come in to power.

Beileve it or not, most people around were i live are capitalists or national socialists. I really haven't meet one socialist/communist over here in my lifetime.

Just go to a demonstration or walk out on the 1st of May. You will see tousands if not millions. Look for RED FLAGS!

That's where comrades are!

1st of may is a joke