What some would call a hood ornament for their truck, others called a pinnacle of Communist proficiency. However, East Germans had to wait in an upwards to two years before seeing their new Trabant as the Communist Party was incapable of manufacturing to the meet sheer level of demand. While it was seen as visionary to the east, the Trabant was ultimately mocked by westerner’s. One of the reasons for their scoffing was its use of Duroplast, which at the time seemed silly, as steel was much more accountable in their eyes. In the end, East Germans can have the last laugh though as present day automobiles are becoming more and more plastic due to costs and durability.
Professor T Mills Kelly, “The Trabant,” Making the History of 1989, Item #672, http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/672 (accessed January 28 2014, 9:37 pm).
What’s old is new again
differences in material culture in east and west is a very interesting. seems like in some countries conservation, like small cards and long waits for them, went hand in hand with deprivation, and now that communism is over and we “won” the cold war, people figured out that conservation is actually a good idea (though deprivation actually sucks everywhere and has always done so).