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From the very beginning, the GDR put much emphasis on acknowledging its achievements in public celebrations. The government carried out these collective events to present and legitimize itself. Every participating citizen was supposed to express his or her belief in the workers' and peasants' state. Once this was done in parades and demonstrations, subsequent public festivals would give a foretaste of an even more pleasurable future. For the 10th anniversary of the GDR on 7 Oct. 1959, the preparations had been especially intense; the entire agitation was centered on the jubilee. Every working citizen was supposed to fulfill and exceed the plan in honor of the "round birthday." "For the peace of the people: prosperity, happiness! Let us all set the republic's table."
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