Chemiefaserwerk Premnitz: Creating a Home for Thousands

Abstract

Having discussed four state-owned factories of differing or changing status, this chapter will turn to another type of experience: the state-owned factory in the provinces that never had either political priority or a predominant position within a Kombinat. For the Chemiefaserwerk Premnitz (CFW) the combination of two factors, its low status in the context of the East German economic system and its high value for the Premnitz area, will be considered in detail and in relation to both central policy and the economic difficulties of the plant in the 1960s and 1970s. To cover a variety of experiences within the East German state, state-owned factories of less consequence in provincial areas need to be analysed as they were confronted with different issues and problems from high-status factories, especially with regard to their management’s priorities and networking potential and to the workforce’s attitude towards the plant. The CFW¹ in Premnitz can be seen as a prime example of the problems encountered in such a context.