Dictatorship as Experience: Towards a Socio-Cultural History of the GDR

by Konrad H. Jarausch (Editor)

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.

Genres: Germany

402 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Konrad H. Jarausch is the Lurcy Professor of European Civilization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of essays on the lived experience of the period of "mature socialism" in the GDR. A thread running through the essays seems to focus on an early period of opportunity for GDR residents willing to play the game, followed by ossification and the construction of new socialist hierarchies. For example, there was the emergence of a "socialist glass ceiling" which prevented women from rising too high. Disagreements between the essays emerge over how to classify the GDR regime; was it a modern dictatorship (Kocka) or a welfare dictatorship (Jarausch, Klessmann)?

My only dislike about the collection was the emphasis which it placed on modernity as a concept. The focus on modernity and "modernity blockages" distracted from points which would have better been made in isolation.