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Was it possible, perhaps, that those who "actually believed in what they did" were in fact brainwashed by the state? I am curious what the total control of the

Was it possible, perhaps, that those who "actually believed in what they did" were in fact brainwashed by the state? I am curious what the total control of the state has on brainwashing, or at the very least, strongly conditioning a populace to assert one belief system over another. To put it in a more politically incorrect viewpoint: Is it possible whose who believed in the GDR were in fact brainwashed? I'm not clear where the inference of those who genuinely believed in the GDR as justification for informing on others comes from. Can you please elaborate?

jlg23 11y ago
> Is it possible whose who believed in the GDR were in fact brainwashed? I don't think so. The GDR was not as isolated as one might think today. There was a black market for goods from the west and for currency exchange, one could get news/information from the West easily. In fact, within the GDR population the term "Valley of the Clueless" was a well known term for the only two areas where West-German TV was not available. [1] > I'm not clear where the inference of those who genuinely believed in the GDR as justification for informing on others comes from. Just the same reason people today give for doxxing political opponents - the believe to do the right thing for a greater good. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal_der_Ahnungslosen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal_der_Ahnungslosen