The German Democratic Republic: The Rise and Fall of a Cold War State (German History in Focus) - Hardcover

Ned Richardson-Little

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1350341525 ISBN 13: 9781350341524

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic (UK), 2025

Synopsis

The German Democratic Republic has come to stand as a symbol of communist tyranny, a source of Cold War nostalgia and socialist kitsch, and a failed alternative to the worst excesses of 21st century capitalism.

In this book, Ned Richardson-Little delves into the central contradictions of the GDR state: This book illustrates the fault lines of GDR society, the worldviews and experiences of not only those who ruled the GDR, but also those who rebelled against the strictures of state socialism, and those in between who sought a normal life under dictatorship.

The German Democratic Republic is a succinct and comprehensive history of East Germany that traces its story from the country’s origins as the Soviet Zone of Occupation after World War II through key events such as the 1953 Uprising, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Helsinki Accords, and the collapse of state socialism in 1989. Some of the themes explored include the memory of Nazism and national identity, everyday life under dictatorship, including consumerism, sexuality, and racism, the global politics of the GDR, the diversity of dissenting voices, and the competing visions for East Germany’s democratic future.

About this title

About the Author

Ned Richardson-Little is Principle Investigator of the Research Group, ‘The Other Global Germany: Transnational Crime and Deviant Globalization in 20th Century’ at University of Erfurt, Germany. He is the author of The Human Rights Dictatorship: Socialism, Global Solidarity and Revolution in East Germany (2020). For his work on human rights in East Germany, he received the Fritz Stern dissertation prize from the GHI Washington and a commendation from the Fraenkel Prize committee at the Wiener Library. His work on the GDR has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including East Central Europe, and the Journal of the History of International Law.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic (UK)
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1350341525
• ISBN 13: 9781350341524
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 296