Mass housing in East and West Germany was more similar than is usually acknowledged, despite the different political systems. In both countries it was a big success – it has improved the dwelling condi-tions to a level that was unprecedented in history. On the other hand, its architecture is regarded poorly, and the buildings are inhabited by the poorer strata of society. I will show how both success and failure are intrinsically connected, and to what extent the estimation of one or the other depends on the respective context.