The lack of a debate led to serious flaws in the socialist planned economy. In short, the people were dissatisfied, and the workers’ uprising on June 17, 1953, could no longer be prevented.
I, too, was caught up in the maelstrom of political events. A strike was called over the factory radio. Everyone flocked to the factory gate, and I, too, was swept along. Thousands of workers from the two large chemical plants united in the city. Speakers competed on a makeshift platform. Some called for more democracy, others incited the overthrow of the government.
With my then youthful political understanding, it was difficult to distinguish between right and wrong. In the city, I saw the police headquarters being stormed and all the prisoners being released indiscriminately. Piles of files flew out of the windows onto the street. Young people tore the red banners from the facades, ignoring the slogans such as ‘Friendship with all peoples of the world’ or ‘Never again war.’
Some zealots had snatched passenger cars from somewhere, drove past the kilometer-long demonstration procession and called for an assault on the prisons. For me, this had nothing to do with the justified political demands. In my eyes, it was arbitrariness and anarchy. That’s why I broke away from the protest procession, sat down on the workbench in the locksmith’s shop and anxiously awaited the further development of events.
The next day, Soviet tanks were in front of the factory gate. The State Security Service tracked down the leaders of the uprising, and a massive wave of arrests began. Ulbricht and the SED remained in power without restriction. The most important demand of the working people for more democracy was not fulfilled. My doubts grew even greater. The situation calmed down only slowly. But new strikes flared up in the plant in July.
The workers demanded the release of their arrested colleagues who had stood up for the justified demands. The local party leadership denied and was unable to meet the demands. To calm the situation, the Central Committee of the SED sent Minister Fritz Selbmann to the plant.
After his speech at a large works meeting, many discussion speakers resisted the sweeping condemnation of the workers as provocateurs of June 17. My father also appeared as a speaker, supported the workers, and called on the state organs to look for the provocateurs in the management ranks in the plant.
Unfortunately, I heard about this meeting too late. Unfortunately, I never learned whether all the arrested colleagues were ultimately released. The state of emergency was lifted, the Soviet tanks disappeared in front of the factory gate, and life returned to normal.
A short time after, I successfully passed the second welding examination. In accordance with the qualifications I had achieved, I was deployed throughout the plant. I worked on pipe bridges, welded in fire-hazardous structures under the supervision of the fire department, and was deployed in the repair shops for steam locomotives and buses, to name just a few areas of work.
In the process, I acquired extensive experience that has proved irreplaceable in my working life. Despite this positive development, I had not yet reached the goal of my wishes. I still had to pass the boiler welder’s examination. This examination qualified me to work on boilers and pipelines that are exposed to enormously high pressures in practice.
This qualification was highly sought after among welders because it was associated with the payment of the highest skilled worker’s wage. It was almost a year before I got the chance to join the ranks of the best and most qualified welders in the plant. I was proud and did my job with heart and soul. 𝓣𝓸 𝓑𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭…
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