Originally Posted by Matt 26z

East Germany was designed to fail. Russia did that on purpose.

Before East Germany was officially set up Russia went in and looted everything of value (and also raped millions of females of all ages). The manufacturing industry in East Germany was completely destroyed and no effort was ever made to rebuild it.

Here in the US we were taught that the Berlin wall was built to keep smart people in East Germany, but that's only half the story. Russia didn't want them going into West Germany and becoming a productive member of society. They wanted their bright minds to go to waste with nothing to do in East Germany.

Germany wiped out about half a generation of Russian boys. Hitler wasn't the brutal dictator he is framed out to be. The people of Germany loved him. They supported his actions. So Russia's 40 year payback on them was a bitch.