Funny that you bring up East Germany, since they had some of the best living standards in all of Europe in general. Universal healthcare, right to a job, free daycare AND over a year of maternity AND paternity leave?? Come on. The Berlin Wall was to stop tourism and trade as a tactic in the cold war, it's not like people were fleeing to West Germany (where many former Nazis were still in power) in droves. Dubious morally for sure, but not what you claim it to be. Maybe that random politician you're quoting benefitted from the corrupt system he was endorsing? In the words of Assata Shakur, don't let your enemies tell you who your enemies are,

[–] original_ish_name@latte.isnot.coffee 3 points 1 year ago

it's not like people were fleeing to West Germany (where many former Nazis were still in power) in droves

They were though, when it was announced that the Berlin wall would shut down everybody was pretty much camping outside and the guards had to remind people that it would only happen at midnight through force