Dictatorship as experience : towards a socio-cultural history of the GDR / edited by Konrad H. Jarausch; translated by Eve Duffy.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Jarausch, Konrad H. (Konrad Hugo), 1941-

Language:

English

German

Subjects (All):

Dictatorship--Germany (East)--Congresses.

Dictatorship.

Communism--Germany (East)--History--Congresses.

Communism.

Political culture.

Social policy.

Social conditions.

History.

Germany (East)--Social conditions--Congresses.

Germany (East).

Germany (East)--Social policy--Congresses.

Political culture--Germany (East)--Congresses.

Genre:

Conference papers and proceedings.

Physical Description:

xii, 388 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Berghahn Books, 1999.

Summary:

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 delineating the tensions and contradictions of the East German system in using dictatorial means to achieve its emancipatory aims. Analyzing a range of political, social, cultural, and chronological topics, the contributors sketch a differentiated picture of the GDR that represents both its repressive and its welfare features. The nineteen 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. Exploring both the mechanisms of control and their limits, the contributors discuss the mix of dynamism and stagnation that was typical of the GDR.

Contents:

Beyond Uniformity: The Challenge of Historicizing the GDR / Konrad H. Jarausch 3

The Theoretical Problem of Dictatorship

1. The GDR: A Special Kind of Modern Dictatorship / Jurgen Kocka 17

2. Modernization and Modernization Blockages in GDR Society / Detlef Pollack 27

3. Care and Coercion: The GDR as Welfare Dictatorship / Konrad H. Jarausch 47

Mechanisms of Political Repression

4. From Dismantling to Currency Reform: External Origins of the Dictatorship, 1943-1948 / Jochen Laufer 73

5. Foreign Influences on the Dictatorial Development of the GDR, 1949-1955 / Michael Lemke 91

6. Repression and Tolerance as Methods of Rule in Communist Societies / Mario Kebler, Thomas Klein 109

Means of Social Control

7. Creating State Socialist Governance: The Case of the Deutsche Volkspolizei / Thomas Lindenberger 125

8. Food Supply in a Planned Economy: SED Nutrition Policy between Crisis Response and Popular Needs / Burghard Ciesla, Patrice G. Poutrus 143

9. The Myth of Female Emancipation: Contradictions in Women's Lives / Leonore Ansorg, Renate Hurtgen 163

10. The Socialist Glass Ceiling: Limits to Female Careers / Dagmar Langenhan, Sabine Rob 177

Cultural Dimensions of Domination

11. Dictatorship as Discourse: Cultural Perspectives on SED Legitimacy / Martin Sabrow 195

12. The Fettered Media: Controlling Public Debate / Simone Barck, Christoph Classen, Thomas Heimann 213

13. Criticism and Censorship: Negotiating Cabaret Performance and Book Production / Sylvia Klotzer, Siegfried Lokatis 241

14. The Pivotal Cadres: Leadership Styles and Self-Images of GDR-Elites / Arnd Bauerkamper, Jurgen Danyel 265

Temporal Transformations

15. Stagnation or Change? Transformations of the Workplace in the GDR / Peter Hubner 285

16. The Hitler Youth Generation in the GDR: Insecurities, Ambitions and Dilemmas / Dorothee Wierling 307

17. Reforming Socialism? The Changing of the Guard from Ulbricht to Honecker during the 1960s / Monika Kaiser 325

18. Mobility and Blockage during the 1970s / Ralph Jessen 341

19. Rethinking the Second German Dictatorship / Christoph KleBmann 363.

Notes:

"The essays in this collection originated in a conference on 'The GDR--a modern dictatorship?' held in Potsdam during early December of 1997 ..."--Pref.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [373]-381) and index.

ISBN:

1571811818

1571811826

OCLC:

41531899