Conflict and Stability in the German Democratic Republic
Summary
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Conflict and Stability in the German Democratic Republic by Andrew I Port
Why did the German Democratic Republic last for so long - longer, in fact, than the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich combined? This book looks at various political, social, and economic conflicts at the grass roots of the GDR in an attempt to answer this question and account for regime stability. A local study, it examines opposition and discontent in Saalfeld, an important industrial and agricultural district. Based on previously inaccessible primary sources as well as on interviews with local residents, the book offers a novel explanation for the durability of the regime by looking at how authorities tried to achieve harmony and consensus through negotiation and compromise. At the same time, it shows how official policies created deep-seated social cleavages that promoted stability by hindering East Germans from presenting a united front to authorities when mounting opposition or pressing for change. All of this provides an indirect answer to perhaps the major question of the postwar period: Why did the Cold War last as long as it did?
'[Port's] study makes a significant contribution to the history of the GDR and to scholarly debate about the relationship between state and society in Stalinist states' Donna Harsch, Carnegie Mellon University
'Port provides a compelling and eloquently written argument which brings us closer to understanding the precarious stability of the GDR and the highly nuanced internal workings of the regime. … the detailed notes provide an exhaustive selection of secondary reading, and the broader context is clearly outlined for readers with a less detailed knowledge of the GDR.' The Slavonic and East European Review
'Port provides a compelling and eloquently written argument which brings us closer to understanding the precarious stability of the GDR and the highly nuanced internal workings of the regime. … the detailed notes provide an exhaustive selection of secondary reading, and the broader context is clearly outlined for readers with a less detailed knowledge of the GDR.' The Slavonic and East European Review
Andrew I. Port is an Assistant Professor of History at Wayne State University, Detroit. He earned a PhD in history from Harvard University and a BA in history from Yale University. He has published articles in Social History and the Frankfürter Allgemeine Zeitung. Professor Port is a research associate at the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and he was a visiting scholar at the Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung (Center for Contemporary Historical Research) in Potsdam, Germany.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521744171 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521744172 |
| Title | Conflict and Stability in the German Democratic Republic |
| Author | Andrew I Port |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2008-10-06 |
| Number of pages | 326 |
| Prizes | Winner of DAAD Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in German and European Studies 2013 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |