[varjag]

While they certainly were dominated and dictated by USSR, neither belonged culturally. Neither was as stiff with sexuality for instance; they didn't have collectivization in the earnest and understandably there was no cult of war in DDR other than in token solidarity with occupying Soviet troops.

[Turing_Machine]

> While they certainly were dominated and dictated by USSR, neither belonged culturally.

Hmm... that seems more like a distinction without a difference.

Though dominated by Russians (mostly... Stalin was a Georgian), the USSR was made up of over 100 different nationalities with widely varying languages and cultures.

[varjag]

Yes and you couldn't use all those fine languages for anything else than attending a folk festival. It was Russian-language monoculture in every aspect of your living (source: lived there). Certainly not so in satellite states. Besides you waved off my examples and these already were enormous cultural distance.