Product Description

Founded on the ruins of Hitler's defeated Third Reich, and lacking any intrinsic legitimacy, the German Democratic Republic nevertheless became the most stable and successful state in the Soviet bloc. Yet in the 'gentle revolution' of 1989 it collapsed with startling speed. How can this extraordinary story of political stability followed by sudden implosion be explained? With the opening of the East German archives, it is at last possible to look inside the apparently impregnable dictatorship. Mary Fulbrook provides a compelling interpretation of structures of power and patterns of popular opinion within the GDR. This absorbing study explores the ways in which the tentacles of the all-pervading state captured East German society in the grip of the Stasi, party, and mass organizations, and analyses the emergence in the 1980s of oppositional cultures under the ambivalent shelter of a Protestant Church which had come to terms with the communist state. In combining careful archival research with broader theoretical and historical interpretation, Anatomy of a Dictatorship makes a major contribution to debates on recent German history and the character of contemporary Germany.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #201362 in Books
• Published on: 1997-12-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Mary Fulbrook is Professor of German History at University College, London. She is the editor of German History. She has written The Divided Nation: Fontana History of Germany 1918-1990 (Fontana, 1991, OUPNY in US), and A Concise History of Germany (CUP, 1991)

Customer Reviews

A clear and approachable account of the DDR
Fulbrook manages to present the events within the DDR in a way that can be easily understood and appreciated by all. Each chapter examines a particular aspect of the regime, ranging from social control to religious relations. Rather than get caught up, as many do, with the events in the West, this account manages to focus solely within East Germany. Everything is covered in great detail and facts and figures are presented in a fashion that leaves a lasting impression. This book really is the first and last call for those wanting to find out about the regime, whether from a beginners or an experienced stance. There are many good books relating to the DDR, but this shines as the best by some margin.