Young people in the GDR were subject to ideological, disciplinary and social control in all areas of their lives. The single ruling SED party placed particular emphasis on pre-military training. The state youth organisation FDJ was responsible for education in line with SED policies. Many young people refused to accept its claim to be the sole representative of the younger generation.

Various alternative youth cultures developed. They looked to the West for a feeling of freedom, for their musical influences and clothing, turning their back on the prescribed model for living communist lives. Blues freaks, hitchhikers, hippies and punks provoked the state deliberately or not, many of them facing considerable repression. Some young people became consciously political, working in peace and environmental groups.