Youth initiation in the GDR:Better to lie to Honecker than to God

On March 27, 1955, the first youth initiation took place in the GDR. Young people should be bound to the SED ideology early on. Contemporary witnesses and historians assess the success differently.

"I practiced for hours - with my mother. After all, I didn't want to embarrass myself," recalls Margitta Kandler a few years ago in NDR's Nordmagazin and laughs. Even more than half a century later, many details have remained in her memory. Also with the high heels. Walking with it had to be learned. But in the end everything should be perfect - at her youth consecration party.

27. March 1955 - first youth initiation in the GDR

At Kandler's dedication in 1964 in Bergen auf Rügen, the ritual has been the central celebration for young people who want to celebrate their transition from childhood to adulthood for nine years. On March 27, 1955, the first official youth consecration ceremony in the German Democratic Republic takes place in Berlin.

Instead of confirmation:free-thinking ritual as a result of the Enlightenment

Admittedly, the youth initiation ceremony was not an invention of the GDR:around 1800 the time of the Enlightenment was over, but its social effects continued. In the middle of the century, the need for an extra-church ritual for young people became clear. Followers of the free thinker movement want to convey their moral ideas to their children in an organized way. On April 9, 1846, a Breslau daily newspaper reported on the initiation as a "substitute confirmation ceremony". On March 24, 1890, 23 students celebrate their graduation in a "really appealing and uplifting family celebration" as the "Hamburger Echo" writes. After a brief heyday and the Weimar Republic and a ban during the National Socialist era, the youth initiation ceremony was revived shortly after the Second World War.

Juvenile initiation in the GDR temporarily banned

The youth consecration did not get off to a good start when the GDR was founded. On the contrary:as late as 1950, the GDR leadership forbade the passages. The free-thinking approach is seen as a threat to the power of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), which has not yet been consolidated. However, the ban does not have the desired effect:the need for a transitional ritual from childhood to adulthood also drives parents without a strict religious affiliation to register their children for confirmation.

Therefore, on March 14, 1954, the Central Committee of the SED - following instructions from Moscow - decides to carry out youth initiations from 1955. This is intended to prevent parents and children from being confirmed. At the same time, the party leadership wants to bind young people to their ideology at an early age.

Does the SED ideology catch on?

Numerous historians, experts and eyewitnesses document the pressure on parents and children to take part in the celebration. If you refuse, there is a risk of disadvantages in your future career - such as poorer education or being denied a place at university.

However, not all contemporary witnesses focus on the bond with the state and its values. For many, it's the first opportunity to celebrate as an adult in the community - with alcohol, of course.

Brocade dress instead of ideology as a reminder

Margitta Kandler's answer to the question about the most defining details of the celebration came like a shot:"My dress! It was a yellow brocade dress with straps. I was also photographed in it. I still have the photo today." . The most important change for the then 14-year-old:"The next day at school we were addressed. That was something special." At that time, her personal development would have been in the foreground - and family and friends, who are celebrating this step with her.

Jugendweihe lessons become compulsory in the 70s

Many young people in the GDR are less passionate than the SED would like them to be. In her autobiographical book "My Free German Youth", the author Claudia Rusch admits that apparently neither a vow to the church nor to the state would have been wholeheartedly made:"... but, to be honest, I would rather lie to Honecker than to God. Better safe than sorry. You never know."

The SED reacted with coercion and control. In the 1970s, youth initiation classes became even more politicized. Participation is mandatory. While the celebration in West Germany only lives on as a tiny anomaly, in the GDR up to 98 percent of young people take part.

Learning content is geared towards the socialist state

The teaching content is controlled centrally and clearly geared towards the socialist state. The historian and theologian Andreas Meier concludes in his book "Jugendweihe - Jugendfeier":"The actual meaning of a consecration, namely the change of the consecrated person, receded completely behind the goals of the initiates dictated by the SED." And these are:The young people should follow the SED.

Jugendweihe survives the GDR

The success seems to be limited. Looking back, many eyewitnesses emphasize the private character of the Jugendweihe. However, the party leadership can claim one success:Even after the end of the GDR and the difficult period of upheaval, the youth consecration lives on. Margitta Kandler, for example, has been involved in the state association for youth consecration in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for many years. Her children and grandchildren also completed the youth initiation ceremony:"It would be bad if this tradition were lost."

This is not really to be feared:throughout Germany, youth initiation celebrations still take place every year between March and June. It tends to be more young people in the East who prefer this ritual to a confirmation, for example - although some providers and clubs tend to use the term youth celebration in contrast to the GDR tradition.

Incidentally, there is no longer a vow at the graduation ceremonies. One advantage is obvious:young people no longer have to lie to anyone when they celebrate their youth.