Overview

""The essays presented display a realm of vibrant historical inquiry. Many of the chapters significantly expand our understanding of the complexity of GDR society."" * Central European History ""This is certainly the best single volume on the social and cultural history of the GDR in English, and indeed ranks highly among works in German as well."" * German Politics A decade after the collapse of communism, this volume presents a historical reflection on the perplexing nature of the East German dictatorship. In contrast to most political rhetoric, it seeks to establish a middle ground between totalitarianism theory, stressing the repressive features of the SED-regime, and apologetics of the socialist experiment, emphasizing the normality of daily lives. The book transcends the polarization of public debate by stressing the tensions and contradictions within the East German system that combined both aspects by using dictatorial means to achieve its emancipatory aims. By analyzing a range of political, social, cultural, and chronological topics, the contributors sketch a differentiated picture of the GDR which emphasizes both its repressive and its welfare features. The sixteen original essays, especially written for this volume by historians from both east and west Germany, represent the cutting edge of current research and suggest new theoretical perspectives. They explore political, social, and cultural mechanisms of control as well as analyze their limits and discuss the mixture of dynamism and stagnation that was typical of the GDR. Konrad H. Jarausch is Lurcy Professor of European Civilization at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Director of the Zentrum fur Zeithistorische Studien in Potsdam, Germany.

Full Product Details

Author:   Konrad H. Jarausch ,  Eve Duffy
Publisher:   Berghahn Books, Incorporated
Imprint:   Berghahn Books, Incorporated
Dimensions:   Width: 14.00cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.467kg
ISBN:  

9781571811820

ISBN 10:   1571811826
Pages:   402
Publication Date:   01 October 1999
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of print, replaced by POD  
We will order this item for you from a manufatured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Preface List of Abbreviations Introduction: Beyond Uniformity: The Challenge of Historicizing the GDR Konrad H. Jarausch PART I: THE THEORETICAL PROBLEM OF DICTATORSHIP Chapter 1. The GDR: A Special Kind of Modern Dictatorship Jürgen Kocka Chapter 2. Modernization and Modernization Blockages in GDR Society Detlef Pollack Chapter 3. Care and Coercion: The GDR as Welfare Dictatorship Konrad H. Jarausch PART II: MECHANISMS OF POLITICAL REPRESSION Chapter 4. From Dismantling to Currency Reform: External Origins of the Dictatorship, 1943-1948 Jochen Laufer Chapter 5. Foreign Influences on the Dictatorial Development of the GDR, 1949-1955 Michael Lemke Chapter 6. Repression and Tolerance as Methods of Rule in Communist Societies Mario Keßler and Thomas Klein PART III: MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL Chapter 7. Creating State Socialist Governance: The Case of the Deutsche Volkspolizei Thomas Lindenberger Chapter 8. Food Supply in a Planned Economy: SED Nutrition Policy between Crisis Response and Popular Needs Burghard Ciesla and Patrice G. Poutrus Chapter 9. The Myth of Female Emancipation: Contradictions in Women's Lives Leonore Ansorg and Renate Hürtgen Chapter 10. The Socialist Glass Ceiling: Limits to Female Careers Dagmar Langenhan and Sabine Roß PART IV: CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF DOMINATION Chapter 11. Dictatorship as Discourse: Cultural Perspectives on SED Legitimacy Martin Sabrow Chapter 12. The Fettered Media: Controlling Public Debate Simone Barck, Christoph Classen and Thomas Heimann Chapter 13. Criticism and Censorship: Negotiating Cabaret Performance and Book Production Sylvia Klötzer and Siegfried Lokatis Chapter 14. The Pivotal Cadres: Leadership Styles and Self-Images of GDR-Elites Arnd Bauerkämper and Jürgen Danyel PART V: TEMPORAL TRANSFORMATIONS Chapter 15. Stagnation or Change? Transformations of the Workplace in the GDR Peter Hübner Chapter 16. The Hitler Youth Generation in the GDR: Insecurities, Ambitions and Dilemmas Dorothee Wierling Chapter 17. Reforming Socialism? The Changing of the Guard from Ulbricht to Honecker during the 1960s Monika Kaiser Chapter 18. Mobility and Blockage during the 1970s Ralph Jessen PART VI: POSTSCRIPT Chapter 19. Rethinking the Second German Dictatorship Christoph Kleßmann Selected Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index

Reviews

The essays presented display a realm of vibrant historical inquiry. Many of the chapters significantly expand our understanding of the complexity of GDR society. * Central European History This is certainly the best single volume on the social and cultural history of the GDR in English, and indeed ranks highly among works in German as well. * German Politics What emerges from this collection is a picture of a complex society that was neither fully modern nor fully totalitarian ... The dense book provides an illuminating discussion of the difficulties inherent in characterizing the GDR and, in so doing, points the reader in directions that might prove more fruitful. * German Studies Review The contributions represent sound research, employing use of new archival sources, interviews and oral history, as well as rich secondary literature ... The volume merits high marks for its theoretical and empirical import. * The Historian

""The essays presented display a realm of vibrant historical inquiry. Many of the chapters significantly expand our understanding of the complexity of GDR society.""  · Central European History ""This is certainly the best single volume on the social and cultural history of the GDR in English, and indeed ranks highly among works in German as well.""  · German Politics ""What emerges from this collection is a picture of a complex society that was neither fully modern nor fully totalitarian ... The dense book provides an illuminating discussion of the difficulties inherent in characterizing the GDR and, in so doing, points the reader in directions that might prove more fruitful.""  · German Studies Review ""The contributions represent sound research, employing use of new archival sources, interviews and oral history, as well as rich secondary literature ... The volume merits high marks for its theoretical and empirical import.""  · The Historian

The essays presented display a realm of vibrant historical inquiry. Many of the chapters significantly expand our understanding of the complexity of GDR society. * Central European History This is certainly the best single volume on the social and cultural history of the GDR in English, and indeed ranks highly among works in German as well. * German Politics What emerges from this collection is a picture of a complex society that was neither fully modern nor fully totalitarian ... The dense book provides an illuminating discussion of the difficulties inherent in characterizing the GDR and, in so doing, points the reader in directions that might prove more fruitful. * German Studies Review The contributions represent sound research, employing use of new archival sources, interviews and oral history, as well as rich secondary literature ... The volume merits high marks for its theoretical and empirical import. * The Historian

Author Information

Konrad H. Jarausch is Lurcy Professor of European Civilization at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Director of the Zentrum fur Zeithistorische Studien in Potsdam, Germany.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions