The Rise and Fall of the German Democratic Republic 1945-1990 / Edition 1

by J.M. Dennis

Overview

This new book investigates communist rule in East Germany from its establishment as a sphere of Soviet influence after World War II to its rapid collapse after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Using newly available archive material, the early chapters trace the emergence of the GDR out of the Soviet zone of occupation. Later chapters cover the dramatic episodes of the 1953 uprising against Soviet dominance and the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. The subsequent stabilisation of the GDR and the establishment of an uneasy compromise between the ruling elites and the population in the later 1960s and 1970s are explained with reference to a range of internal social, economic and political factors. The disintegration of the regime in 1989 is explained in the light of :

• The chronic weakness of Gorbachev's Soviet Union.
• The bravery of the protestors.
• The enduring appeal of West Germany's social market economy.
• Political pluralism.

This clear and comprehensive survey marshals secondary and original primary sources in order to give a unique insight into the GDR's struggles and achievements.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780582245624
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/27/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	88
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mike Dennis is Professor of Modern History, University of Wolverhampton. His many publications include The German Democratic Republic'(1988).

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations.

List of Tables.

Introduction.

I. THE ORIGINS OF THE GDR, 1945-49.

1. An Anti-Fascist Democratic Germany.

2. The Stalinization of the Eastern Zone.

II. CONSTRUCTING STATE SOCIALISM, 1949-61.

3. Party and Society in Conflict.

4. From Revisionism to the Wall.

III. ULBRICHT AND THE STABILIZATION OF THE GDR.

5. Rebuilding the GDR.

6. Ulbricht's Twilight Years.

IV. YEARS OF 'HONI', 1971-87.

7. Honecker's Social Contract.

8. Commanding the Economy.

9. Between Bonn and Moscow.

V. THE GDR ON THE EVE OF REVOLUTION.

10. A Semblance of Stability.

11. The SED's Loyal Allies: The Bloc Parties and the Mass Organizations.

12. The Apparatus of Coercion.

13. Opposition and Dissent.

VI. EAST GERMANY'S UNEXPECTED REVOLUTION, 1989-90.

14. East Germany Implodes.

15. The Unlamented End of the GDR.

16. The National Question Resolved?

Bibliography.