SOCIAL SECURITY, SOCIAL INEQUALITY 213
On the opposite end of the social hierarchy in GDR society, the elites
favored by the SED state enjoyed access to more privileged living condi-
tions. Special benefi ts—including better housing, the use of recreational
facilities, and extra shopping options—took the notion of the classes that
were privileged by the state-socialist welfare state^54 over the top in terms
of exclusivity; this eff ectively compromised the ideal of equality that had
framed East German society. Access to this kind of infrastructure and
social services increasingly became a stratifi cation factor. Not only were
these benefi ts enjoyed by the approximately one thousand people who
belonged to the circle of power-holding elites, but also a number of pres-
tigious elites (such as artists) and privileged elite functionaries. This form
of social inequality was not very formalized, nor was it really visible to
the public. As a result, a public outcry ensued when the people of the
GDR became aware of these practices as the SED lost its grip on power,
Figure 4.1. Information Brochure for Citizens of the GDR about the Establishing
of the Social Union, Presented during a Meeting of the Last GDR Parliament
(Volkskammer), June 1990 (source: Ulstern Bild - AIDN - Bildarchiv, used with
permission)