DDR Labor Awards

[torstenbel]

John, I have had quite a few 1950s Aktivist award books, but I have none at the moment and I never keep pics of items, once they are sold. The only item that I have got at the moment in that direction is a 1957 award booklet for the Medaille fuer ausgezeichnete Leistungen, which was also a labour award, but not an Aktivist award. Cheers, Torsten.

unfortunately, the man never inserted his photo. his was working at the big department store at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin...what is it now? karstadt?

[John F.]

Torsten,

Thanks. Nice looking document. I am assuming that the cost to produce those booklets was too great was the reason they did away with the them. Did they DDR Government go with the use of the Urkundes instead?

John

[speedytop]

Hi,

torstenbel:
"the individual Aktivist award was still a little special (it came with a 500 Mark premium)"

For the Aktivist I only could find documents about 200 and 250 Mark in my collection.
There was no fixed price in the DDR, but there were fixed prices in the organizations:
"Ihre Höhe ist im Betriebskollektivvertrag zu vereinbaren", individual in the factories.


For two medals "Für ausgezeichnete Leistungen" I could find two documents, the DIN A4 paper and the booklet, 1960 and 1962.

Regards
Uwe

[torstenbel]

Hi,

torstenbel:
"the individual Aktivist award was still a little special (it came with a 500 Mark premium)"

For the Aktivist I only could find documents about 200 and 250 Mark in my collection.
There was no fixed price in the DDR, but there were fixed prices in the organizations:
"Ihre Höhe ist im Betriebskollektivvertrag zu vereinbaren", individual in the factories.


For two medals "Für ausgezeichnete Leistungen" I could find two documents, the DIN A4 paper and the booklet, 1960 and 1962.

Regards
Uwe

My mother got two Aktivist awards and she got 500 Mark each time. I have also had other letters to accompany the award, which also congratulated the recipient on being given the 500 Mark premium with the award. I have no idea if this was the same all over and I would expect that the prmium changed with time and maybe it was also different per company. There was also a monetary reward for getting the Kollektiv der sozialistischen Arbeit award, but I can't remember how much that was...I kind of think that it may have been 100 marks per member of the Kollektiv. Cheers, Torsten.

[John F.]

"the individual Aktivist award was still a little special (it came with a 500 Mark premium)"

Hi Uwe,

Thans for the adttional information I was not aware that there was money associated with the awards. I'm sure the cash bonus was more welcomed then the actual medal and more of an incentive to do more or better work.

John

[desantnik]

My mother got two Aktivist awards and she got 500 Mark each time.

Is it just me or does anyone else see the capitalistic irony in this?

[torstenbel]

Is it just me or does anyone else see the capitalistic irony in this?

that is why there was never any communism in east germany, just a 'practical' socialism

[Kartofelpreußer]

that is why there was never any communism in east germany, just a 'practical' socialism

Yes, I don't know about the Ulbricht years, but a 500 Mark cash bonus for outstanding work (or what have you) would, I think, fit in philosophically with Genosse Honecker's "consumer socialism". And while his policies were probably a big reason the DDR led the eastern bloc economically, I think the real irony lies in the fact that the more "practical" economic policies already in place in the 70's meant there was less latitude for change (at least within the constraints of socialism) when the demand for "perastroika" came in '89. Erich was probably right when he said (and I paraphrase) "We have already had our perastroika, there is nothing left to restructure", but of course the people wanted change and could care less where the status quo was in relation to other Warsaw Pact states. And so the people shout "change" and the state says, "but we did change, years ago", and the people call the state obstructionist and so down comes the wall. Ironic.

[speedytop]

Hi,

back to the Activist.

There are several different badges and documents.

Here are only some documents:



1 Activist (Two Year Plan), small paper

2 Activist (Five Year Plan), booklet, with explanation

3 Activist (Five Year Plan), small booklet

4 Activist (Seven Year Plan), small booklet

5 Activist (Five Year Plan), DIN A4

6 Activist (Seven Year Plan), DIN A4

7 Activist of Socialist Labor, DIN A4

8 Activist of Socialist Labor, DIN A5

Regards
Uwe

[Kartofelpreußer]

I don't suppose we could get a closer look at the wrench in hand graphic? Very cool stuff.

[Ralph P]

Uwe - Your photo is nicely done to depict the different labor documents...

[John F.]

Uwe,

Very nice indeed. Thanks for posting.

I'm assuming that the awards with the numbers 5 & 7 were for meeting some established goal for a 5 or 7 year plan, is that correct?

[torstenbel]

Uwe,

Very nice indeed. Thanks for posting.

I'm assuming that the awards with the numbers 5 & 7 were for meeting some established goal for a 5 or 7 year plan, is that correct?

correct

[speedytop]

Hi,

here is another document for an Activist (Two Year Plan); added are two predecessors and the activist minis, 5, 7 and without a plan.



Regards
Uwe

[Ralph P]

Hello Uwe - Thanks for the update. Does the numbers in the lower left indicate that there is a numbered badge with the document?