Discussion: Active Euthanasia: Ten Years of Rehabilitation Work in Eastern Germany
News of the decease of the first socialist state on German territory came unexpectedly. The cause of death, however, was obvious. A regime that regarded itself as the avant garde of history had neglected its heritage to the point where it was no longer capable of surviving. In the building sector, the primacy of newness endured to the last, even when it had long been clear that not even a breakneck production speed would be able to make up for the loss of substance. This fundamental mistake was most palpably evident in the housing for the working population. In 1990, some 10 per cent of the housing fabric was unfit for habitation. A further three-quarters of the dwellings did not even attain the standard required for the socially weakest classes in West Germany. The entire eastern part of the country, therefore, was seen to be in need of rehabilitation. In seeking to establish a united Germany, the goal was to cement its inner unity through the creation of identical living conditions. Construction therewith acquired the status of a mission involving the whole of society.
