Impact of Western Influences


	Impact of Western Influences
	Advantages For most young people listening to Western music or adopting the latest fashions was not an overtly political act Most young people conformed to the wishes of the regime, at least in public The education system, the FDJ and system of using loyalty to the Party as a gateway to University ensured the impact of the West remained limited The introduction of military service in 1962 proved a valuable tool for the SED to maintain its ideological influence over young males	Disadvantages Music represented a way in which youth could express their unwillingness to conform to the SED Western influences promoted the development of small gangs and non-conformist youths e.g. The Capitol Gang in Leipzig As the 1970s progressed the amount of Western influence upon private lives grew, and for some of the population it was getting harder to live a dual existence
	Evaluation Overall, both a success and a failure.

For most young people listening to Western music or adopting the latest fashions was not an overtly political act
Most young people conformed to the wishes of the regime, at least in public
The education system, the FDJ and system of using loyalty to the Party as a gateway to University ensured the impact of the West remained limited
The introduction of military service in 1962 proved a valuable tool for the SED to maintain its ideological influence over young males

Music represented a way in which youth could express their unwillingness to conform to the SED
Western influences promoted the development of small gangs and non-conformist youths e.g. The Capitol Gang in Leipzig
As the 1970s progressed the amount of Western influence upon private lives grew, and for some of the population it was getting harder to live a dual existence

Overall, both a success and a failure.

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