POLITICAL TRANSFORMATIONS 63
secution practices, for example, the SED increasingly took into account
anticipated negative resonance in the West, eff ectively applying Western
standards. Like all socialist regimes, the SED also looked for alternative
means of legitimizing its rule. Since nationalism, which had been domi-
nant in Poland and other sibling socialist countries since 1957, apparently
had little or even a negative eff ect in the GDR, the SED sought to culti-
vate instead a feeling of cultural belonging as well as a regional identity.^69
Although these eff orts were somewhat successful, they could not really
counter the regime’s fundamental lack of legitimacy. This strategy fi rst
bore real fruit for the SED’s successor party, the PDS, which campaigned
as an “ostalgic” regional party after 1990.
In general, the faith in the two main ideologies of the Cold War began
to fade at the end of the 1970s, making room for new visions and fears.
Human rights, referred to as the “last utopia” by Samual Moyn, was one
issue that began to fi ll this void, together with the corresponding calls for
a stronger moral foundation for politics.^70 In the West, anti-Communist,
Christian, and leftist groups shared this commitment to human rights. In
Eastern Europe, like-minded groups sprouted up that profi ted from West-
ern support, and they were able to help to chip away at the authority of
the political elite and establish contacts between East and West.^71
Demands for more transparency and the disclosure of personal trans-
gressions by politicians were also associated with this more moralistic
political culture. Increasing visual surveillance through cameras, investi-
gative journalism, and higher expectations vis-à-vis democracy also con-
tributed to this moralization of politics. At the same time, these measures
resulted in an increasing number of scandals and resignations over issues
such as campaign donations and suspicions of corruption (Lambsdorff ),
abuse of power (Barschel), or a tainted Nazi past (Filbinger). It remains
to be seen whether a comparable “moralization” trend emerged in the
GDR, either on its own accord as a product of East German political cul-
ture or through the adoption of West German standards. From the very
beginnings of the SED, however, “privileges” had been a common topic
of discussion in everyday life. This discourse ultimately culminated in the
famous GDR youth television reportage Elf 99 that aired on 24 November
1989 in which a camera team tried to fi lm what the standard of living was
like in the Politburo community in Wandlitz.^72
New Protests in East and West
The most striking symbols of the politicization that occurred in the 1970s
and 1980s in the West were the protests staged by the new social move-