Greece v DDR: fight!

[fridi]

The Euro debt crisis is forcing many countries from the southern EU periphery to undergo deep economic and societal transformations. In order to understand some of these changes better, it might be helpful to look at the not-so-distant past and look for similar examples. But let's keep in mind that while doing that, we shouldn't omit the different context of the time.

For example, the time for carrying out institutional reform is usually much shorter than the time people need to come to the realization for its necessity. I.e. to "mature" in some sense. Hence, the risk that said reforms could meet a serious push-back from the populace, and rising discontent, and outright resistance due to fear of change. Between people's individual expectations and the time that's needed for any reform to show visible effects, there's a noticeable gap. And here the former always runs way ahead of the latter. The result can often be mass disillusion, which only confirms the argument that, in order to carry out meaningful, deep change, first the Valley of Tears should be crossed. And no lasting and sustainable change happens overnight, with a magic wand. Sometimes entire generations are needed.

How far can parallels stretch...

Comments

[matrixmann]

Enough former GDR-residents still to the day do not regard the happened economical "reforms" as nessecary, only as some kind of harassment of the Western German government to destroy something very good they could not accept to be better than their own system.
...And that has taken place a long time ago.