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Article: East Germany and the Marxist malaise: the Kremlin's powerhouse pupil rejects reformist prescriptions. (Erich Honecker)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- November 14, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If anyone can make the Communist system work, it's the East Germans," a West German businessman says with ambivalent pride. East Germany has long been the star performer of the Soviet bloc. Per capita income at $8,500 is more than twice the Soviet Union's and four times that of Poland. East Germans are proud of their Prussian discipline and industrial heritage. But now discipline and history are no longer enough. The virus that is afflicting Marxism generally is finally eating at East Germany.
Growth has declined for three years in a row. Last year, the government headed by party leader Erich Honecker admitted failing to meet key economic targets. Mikhail ...