294 CHRISTOPHER NEUMAIER AND ANDREAS LUDWIG
It examines the degree to which the changes in both German states dif-
fered, exhibited parallels, bore relationships to one another, and even
wove back and forth across the border. More specifi cally, it takes a look
at two areas of life that stood at the heart of the debates about individu-
alization back then, namely the satisfaction of individual desires through
consumption, and the signifi cance of the family.
Changes in family and private life took place mostly “undercover” (al-
though they were often openly observed) and were part of an ongoing
departure from traditional patterns of behavior at an individual level.
Consumption, on the other hand, took place in public as it was very much
a demonstrative and symbolic expression of the overcoming of scarcity
and the victory of want over need. Since both of these aspects involve
private desires, they off er a window into changing lifestyles and their
qualitative transformation since the 1970s.
The move beyond traditional, normative contexts of life not only re-
fl ects a process of pluralization, but also one of individualization. The de-
sire of individuals to determine their own lifestyles at this time has been
articulated many times over. Yet analyzing the debates surrounding this
issue reveals that social pressures and customary cultural norms were
losing their fi rm grip on society, which was also accompanied by disinte-
gration of certainties. Nevertheless, this pluralization also had its limits
because not all lifestyle choices were available to everyone, and not ev-
eryone had the same opportunities in terms of consumption. Indeed, dif-
ferent social, spatial, and generational aspects directed the development
of this diff erentiation process. At the same time, new homogenizing pat-
terns emerged within social groups, as well as within certain age groups,
that aff ected cultural norms and lifestyles.
Pluralization occurred in both Germanys, yet with a distinct cultural
meaning and praxis in each case. The GDR may have set tight limits on
individualization politically, but the inherent potential of individualization
continued to develop. In particular, its infl uence was quite clear to see in
the run-up to the peaceful revolution of 1989. As early as the beginning
of the 1980s, contemporary West German observers, such as politicians,
representatives of the Catholic and Protestant Churches, social scientists,
and the media, had begun to discuss the perceived changes in everyday
life, most notably in the arenas of consumption and then private lifestyles.
Consumption and Consumer Cultures
Any account of the development of consumption in Germany during the
second half of the twentieth century has to start in 1945. The destruction