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Republikflucht by Young People, Young Returnees, and New Arrivals in the Period from January to September 1960 (November 10, 1960)

Growing numbers of young people were among those who left the GDR for West Germany at the beginning of the 1960s. This report by the Working Group for Youth Questions within the Central Committee of the SED confirms that young, skilled workers and teachers – including many members of the Free German Youth (FDJ), a Communist youth organization – were fleeing the GDR in droves. The report stated critically that this escapee wave was not being taken seriously enough and that the party was neglecting political-ideological work among youth. Furthermore, according to the report, too little use was being made of young people who had returned to the GDR after becoming disillusioned with political and social conditions in the Federal Republic.

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Working Group for Youth Questions within the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Republikflucht by Young People, Young Returnees, and New Arrivals in the Period from January to September 1960

Berlin, November 10, 1960



After the Secretariat of the Central Committee decided to deploy the Working Group Youth to the Karl-Marx-Stadt district [to investigate] matters pertaining to mass political work among youth, we determined that Republikflucht among young people between the ages of 15 and 25 increased significantly in the period from January to September 1960.

In response, the Working Group Youth arranged for us to be given a complete overview of the flight, return, and new arrival of young people by the relevant department in the Central Committee and the state apparatus.

The following facts emerge from an examination of these materials:

1.) Republikflucht by young people between the ages of 15 and 25 has increased significantly during this period.

All told, 43,658 young people left the republic, 24,577 males and 19,081 females.

The number of young people who fled was lowest in February at 2,815. It then rose to 5,804 by May, dropped to 4,669 in July, and reached 6,153 in August and 7,331 in September.

A comparison with the years 1958 and 1959 shows a significant rise in Republikflucht among young people.

In 1958, the number was 60,727 for the period from January to December. In 1959, 42,647 young people left the republic from January to December, with 31,635 leaving in the period from January to September 1959.

The following districts had the highest number of young people who fled the republic during the whole of 1960; the figures in parentheses refer to the months of August and September.

Magdeburg (490 - 499)
Leipzig (558 - 545)
Erfurt (541 - 583)
Karl-Marx-Stadt (525 - 618)
Dresden (535 - 669)
Potsdam (645 - 785)
Berlin (639 - 806)

A not insignificant portion of these young people were members of the FDJ. This is evident from the following overview:

In the months of July, August, and September 1959, 12,151 young people left the republic; of those 1,750 were FDJ members.

During that same period in 1960, 18,153 young people left the republic; of those 2,920 were members of the youth organization.

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