Love in the Time of Communism: Intimacy and Sexuality in the GDR

by Josie McLellan

In the aftermath of the reunification of Germany one former dissident recalled nostalgically that under the East German regime 'we had more sex and we had more to laugh about'. Love in the Time of Communism is a fascinating history of the GDR's forgotten sexual revolution and its limits. Josie McLellan shows that under communism divorce rates soared, abortion become commonplace and the rate of births outside marriage was amongst the highest in Europe. Nudism went from ban to state-sponsored boom, and erotica became common currency in both the official economy and the black market. Public discussion of sexuality was, however, tightly controlled and there were few opportunities to challenge traditional gender roles or sexual norms. Josie McLellan's pioneering account questions some of our basic assumptions about the relationship between sexuality, politics and society and is a major contribution to our understanding of the everyday emotional lives of postwar Europeans.

Genres: History, Germany, Nonfiction, European History, Sexuality, Sociology, Gender

250 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Marcus Ham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some uncomfortable moments when the author writes about homosexuality in a clunky way.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched book, probably geared more towards Western Europe. For Estonia a lot of the things rang similar (divorce rate, women't dual roles in home and work), except for the lgbt activism in 80's (and church offering their rooms for the movement, wow, go church!) and the whole chapter about nudism! Good read. It inspired me to look more into Weimar Republic history.

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book based upon extensive research and offering a glimpse of many different elements of private life in the DDR. It is academic yet readable, the prose is not so dense that you fall asleep reading it.

[Michelle Miao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the nuance and primary source interviews in this volume. Accessible reading that chronicles the looser than expected sexual mores in the GDR as a confluence of bottom-up pressure and top-down strategy. The state, interested in pro-natalism, pacifying citizens, keeping women at work, and maintaining a positive international reputation, were therefore more lenient to citizens who engaged in sexual acts, pressed for birth control, viewed erotica, and touted the benefits of nudism. The most effective way change was brought about was through civil disobedience to state rule, such as in the case of nude beaches. However, though the 1970s Honecker era saw victories such as better access to contraception and more liberal attitudes towards sex, limitations were also inherent. In many cases, legal sanction did not translate to social change. Women, who gained more economic freedom, were able to be single mothers and access newly legalized contraceptives. However, they were nevertheless shouldering most if not all of the burden of housework and heavily objectified in pornography and erotic photos. There was also no space for gays, lesbians, and those who challenged gender norms. Sex was, in the end, a state-sanctioned activity and was also a means through which state-sanctioned oppression, interference, and spying was conducted.

[Susannah Petitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

read it for a paper but it’s actually super interesting and great history

[Scarlet Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book down for the diss ! watch this space 😎

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and easy to follow. A bit textbooky -- typical Cambridge.