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Oppression and Scarcity The History and Institutional Structure of the Marxist-Leninist Government of East Germany and Some Perspectives on Life in a Socialist System
Book Code: C7565
ISBN: 0-275-97565-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-97565-4
320 pages, N/A
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 1/30/2006
List Price: $149.95 (UK Sterling Price: £85.00)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • According to the American newsreels and TV shows, life under Marxist-Leninist governments was composed primarily of wearing drab clothing, standing in long lines for survival rations, and being thrown into gulags at various points in the life-cycle. In this second volume in his series, Sperlich replaces these rather simple-minded perceptions with the realities and practicalities of life in East Germany before reunification. He explains how Germany was partitioned and how allied policies moved from the four-zone to the two-state systems, the beginnings of government structure, politics in terms of the party, the state and citizenship, reforms and failure in economics due to rigidity, and the influence of public opinion and public discourse. He closes with reflections on life under socialism, including the practice of religion, cultural life, and how the customer is always wrong, and closes with an analysis of the end of the socialist experiment.
    —Reference & Research Book News
    May 2006
  • Endorsement From James Gregor
    University of California, Berkeley:
    Professor Peter Sperlich has provided a particularly instructive history of East Germany's Marxist-Leninist government with all its betrayal and promise--together with its final disillusionment and failure. He has provided an eminently informative, memorable and engaging record of arresting tragedy. It is recommended to all who would truly understand a significant part of the history of the twentieth century.
  • Endorsement From Steve L. Coombs, retired
    Cleveland State University:
    The meaning for human lives of the Marxist-Leninist states is a central topic in the history of the twentieth century. Professor Sperlich's meticulously researched account of the German Democratic Republic is a valuable contribution to that understanding....Sperlich's work draws heavily on previously unexamined primary sources, for some of which the very existence was previously unknown, and it will serve as a landmark for those who come after him. The perseverance and dedication required to overcome the myriad obstacles must have been very substantiated indeed. The cumulative impact of Sperlich's work is made the more compelling by his purely factual and dispassionate presentation, eschewing rhetorical flourishes. He writes with precision and with clarity, allowing the readers to discover for themselves the profoundly inhuman character of the defunct regime.
Description: Imagine being forced to adopt an ideology that strips you of your political rights and plunges you into a life of despair and unending shortages. After the Second World War, the people of East Germany endured just such an appalling fate when socialism was forced upon them. Examining the effects of an oppressive and economically incompetent system, Sperlich presents a systematic review of post-war German history, with an emphasis on the founding of a communist state on German soil: the German Democratic Republic. He traces the imposition of communist rule, discussing the suppression of free elections and opposition to the infliction of a dictatorial one-party regime. He also explains what life was like for the East Germans who suffered under the restraints of socialism. The book ends with Sperlich's account of the "peaceful revolution" of 1989, which led to the reunification of the two German states. In considering the daily existence of the oppressed state of East Germany, Sperlich considers the failures of a massively unproductive "planned economy" (shored up by West German aid), the manipulation of public opinion and public discourse, the cult of personality, the lack of personal and social freedoms, and other blights on human dignity and happiness.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
  • The Partitioning of Germany and Allied Policies
  • Beginnings and Governmental Structure
  • Politics: Party, State, and Citizen
  • Economics: Reforms, Rigidity, and Failure
  • Persuasion and Non-Persuasion: Public Opinion and Public Discourse
  • Life in East Germany: Some Vignettes
  • The End of the GDR: Revolution and Reunification
  • Bibliography
  • Index
LC Card Number: 2005025502
LCC Class: DD286
Dewey Class: 943
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