This is homework help and the mods will delete this question soon. But to avoid some dead ends, contention #2 - the widespread economic contentment among the GDR's citizens (due to Honecker's public bolstering of the Eastern zone's economy and lifestyle)- is unsupportable. First off, you're skipping over the whole Aufbau period of Ulbricht's rule which was not exactly a time of bounty for the GDR, but rather sacrifice for little reward. Contentment is not the correct word to use to describe public attitudes, as well, the events of 1953 demonstrate. Honecker's NES and ESS of the 1960s and 70s both followed the same trajectory: initial stabilization of the domestic economy, followed by mild but real gains in quality of life, but concluded by a period of stagnation and endemic shortages. The early years of both NES and ESS did improve lives somewhat, but often not in ways the SED state intended. Contemporary Ostalgie may valorize some elements of the SED's socialism, but the reality at the time was often quite different.

Since I am not here to write your paper, you should check out the relevant sections on the economy and society in The East German Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives in the Interpretation of the GDR by Corey Ross, which summarizes a lot of work done by historians on the short-lived dictatorship. Additionally, look up the phrase "Eigensinn" as it relates to GDR society. It might lead you down a more productive path with regards to attitudes towards the state by its citizens.