{"product_id":"dictatorship-as-experience-towards-a-socio-cultural-history-of-the-gdr-9781571811813","title":"Dictatorship as Experience: Towards a","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \tA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e\"The essays presented display a realm of vibrant historical inquiry. Many of the chapters significantly expand our understanding of the complexity of GDR society.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  · Central European History\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e\"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.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  · German Politics\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e\"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.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  · German Studies Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003ci\u003e\"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.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e  · The Historian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \tPreface\u003cbr\u003e \tList of Abbreviations\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction: \u003c\/strong\u003eBeyond Uniformity: The Challenge of Historicizing the GDR\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eKonrad H. Jarausch\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003ePART I: THE THEORETICAL PROBLEM OF DICTATORSHIP\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 1.\u003c\/strong\u003e The GDR: A Special Kind of Modern Dictatorship\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eJürgen Kocka\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 2.\u003c\/strong\u003e Modernization and Modernization Blockages in GDR Society\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eDetlef Pollack\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 3.\u003c\/strong\u003e Care and Coercion: The GDR as Welfare Dictatorship\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eKonrad H. Jarausch\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003ePART II: MECHANISMS OF POLITICAL REPRESSION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 4. \u003c\/strong\u003eFrom Dismantling to Currency Reform: External Origins of the Dictatorship, 1943-1948\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eJochen Laufer\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 5.\u003c\/strong\u003e Foreign Influences on the Dictatorial Development of the GDR, 1949-1955\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eMichael Lemke\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 6.\u003c\/strong\u003e Repression and Tolerance as Methods of Rule in Communist Societies\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eMario Keßler and Thomas Klein\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003ePART III: MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 7. \u003c\/strong\u003eCreating State Socialist Governance: The Case of the Deutsche Volkspolizei\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eThomas Lindenberger\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 8. \u003c\/strong\u003eFood Supply in a Planned Economy: SED Nutrition Policy between Crisis Response and Popular Needs\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eBurghard Ciesla and Patrice G. Poutrus\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 9. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe Myth of Female Emancipation: Contradictions in Women's Lives\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eLeonore Ansorg and Renate Hürtgen\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 10. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe Socialist Glass Ceiling: Limits to Female Careers\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eDagmar Langenhan and Sabine Roß\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003ePART IV: CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF DOMINATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 11. \u003c\/strong\u003eDictatorship as Discourse: Cultural Perspectives on SED Legitimacy\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eMartin Sabrow\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 12. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe Fettered Media: Controlling Public Debate\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eSimone Barck, Christoph Classen and Thomas Heimann\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 13. \u003c\/strong\u003eCriticism and Censorship: Negotiating Cabaret Performance and Book Production\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eSylvia Klötzer and Siegfried Lokatis\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 14. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe Pivotal Cadres: Leadership Styles and Self-Images of GDR-Elites\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eArnd Bauerkämper and Jürgen Danyel\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003ePART V: TEMPORAL TRANSFORMATIONS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 15. \u003c\/strong\u003eStagnation or Change? Transformations of the Workplace in the GDR\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003ePeter Hübner\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 16. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe Hitler Youth Generation in the GDR: Insecurities, Ambitions and Dilemmas\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eDorothee Wierling\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 17. \u003c\/strong\u003eReforming Socialism? The Changing of the Guard from Ulbricht to Honecker during the 1960s\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eMonika Kaiser\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 18. \u003c\/strong\u003eMobility and Blockage during the 1970s\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eRalph Jessen\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003ePART VI: POSTSCRIPT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cstrong\u003eChapter 19. \u003c\/strong\u003eRethinking the Second German Dictatorship\u003cbr\u003e \t\u003cem\u003eChristoph Kleßmann\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \tSelected Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e \tNotes on Contributors\u003cbr\u003e \tIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Berghahn Books, Incorporated","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51041412055383,"sku":"9781571811813","price":96.3,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781571811813.jpg?v=1750950168","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/dictatorship-as-experience-towards-a-socio-cultural-history-of-the-gdr-9781571811813","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}