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Comment by blueflow | Hacker News Reader

> which suffered a lot during socialist times

The other way around, they were doing great (Robotron, Wismut, Pentacon) until the reunification. Socialism somehow kept them alive.

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I thought they were "kept alive" because they weren't competing with Western devices; once the wall fell it was pretty clear how far behind they were, and they were quickly bought/dismantled as they weren't competitive.

I couldn't find any good details/stories about them though, or the industry during that time. I wonder if someone will chime in with a good source, it sounds like an interesting time to read about.

You may look up the already mentioned Robotron, or Messelektronik. Further Zentrallaboratorium für Rundfunk- und Fernsehempfangstechnik (ZRF). The history of Manfred von Ardenne is interesting as well (first electronic television 1931, but also helping sowjet a-bomb).

There are many interesting stories just floating under the surface, but the gist is that the GDR industry was actually quite competitive for singular projects right after WW2, but then fell behind in the 60's and 70's (but again with very few exceptions where the GDR remained somewhat competitive, like mechanical engineering).

For instance the first German jet airliner was being developed (but eventually cancelled) in Dresden by former Junkers engineers returning from Soviet 'captivity' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baade_152) - for background see the Soviet version of 'Operation Paperclip': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Osoaviakhim

Or the Trabant actually being a very innovative car when it first appeared: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant

Later on it became hard to separate facts from propaganda. Apparently the MKF-6 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MKF-6_(multispectral_camera)) was innovative, but according to GDR propaganda it was of course superior to anything else in the world ;)

The East German chip manufacturing industry also was actually quite impressive for its time, even though it was 5..10 years behind the state of the art, but at least there was a domestic chip manufacturing industry.

No. Before WW2 "Mitteldeutschland" was an big and serious industrial center.

AFAIK it has always been relatively weak economically - consider that heavy industry used to be a big deal economically, and heavy industry was in the West. But the region did have some high tech industries such as aircraft, optical, electronics. Semiconductors are in that line of tradition.

There also was automotive industry. Audi is originally from Zwickau. There was a BMW factory in Eisenach. Jena was a stronghold for optics and glass industry (luckily still is to a certain degree).

Wow, this the most incorrect statement I have read all week.

I am from this area, and Saxony before the GDR was of the most prosperous regions of Germany. If you are not convinced by the pomposity the former kingdom amassed in treasures and architecture, you can check the historical GDP per capita figures of the region [1].

Saxony historically was the number one state in terms of economic power behind the city states.

But the economic and political horrors that the socialist dictatorship brought, combined with the plundering done by Russia, completely turned this upside down. It is quite amazing how a few decades of bad leadership can bring a region to its knees.

It is true, however, that a lot of potential is still left in Saxony, and by many measures (like quality of schooling) it is still one of Germany's best.

[1] Page 11 on https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282329316_Human_Cap...

Tone. If being from this area makes you more informed, then im more informed than you.

They were doing great, YES, but that means if there were no Russian influence, they would have industry on par with Taiwan, now.

Most of the Saxon 'industrial base' either moved to Bavaria after WW2 or was looted by the Russians. The Wismut was a 'one hit wonder': after the Uranium deposits were depleted (which didn't take long) it tapered off like everything else in East Germany. The investment in microelectronics in the 70's might have been the only thing that went somewhat right and had a lasting effect even after the GDR imploded.

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