East germany simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. People had excellent healthcare facilities and free public transport. For a young kid today, there is only germany, a powerful country in europe. Book 3 border guard 3 boyfriend girlfriend relationship 3 children 3 communist 3 dancer 3. Discover librarianselected research resources on east germany from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines. Memorable in this respect is the socalled brown book, which was published in stalinist east germany german democratic republicgdr in 1965 and appeared in a new edition after the fall of the. Top 10 books about the berlin wall books the guardian. East german society from hitler to honecker by mary fulbrook, from history in focus, the guide to. Nov 06, 2019 on a book tour in west germany a couple of years ago, i often felt that, to those who came along, the east seemed as far away as beijing. Funder delivers a powerful account about the secrets of the stasi, the east german ministry for state security, and how it affected the citizens of east germany. Timms central character is a writer who, unable to begin his next book, instead takes on an article about potatoes. East germany german democratic republic history, german. This encyclopedic volume features around 2,000 items from its extraordinary collections.
Professor jeffrey byford, author of the teachers guide to east germany full interview on episode 19 of the radio gdr podcast shares with us some of his favorite books about east germany in english. List of books and articles about east germany online research. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii to be quite interesting. This spy novel about a british intelligence operation in cold war east germany was later made into a movie. Get the best deals on east german period item when you shop the largest online selection at. Here are five utterly captivating books that will open your eyes to life behind the berlin wall. As a result of the ninth party congress in may 1976, east germany after 197677 considered its own history as the essence of german history, in which west germany was only an episode. Difference between east and west germany compare the. In order to research he comes to berlin, where a potato expert lived in what was once east germany. In this gripping narrative, john koehler details the widespread activities of east germany s ministry for state security, or stasi. On the night of november 9, thousands of german democratic republic. I was a teenager in east germany when the wall fell. This book will force students of the cold war to reassess their views of east germany and its role between east and west.
In 1989, my mother argued that a united germany should copy the. Three of the best books about germany the telegraph. It can be ordered in the united states through amazon. Shes accompanied by her three best friends marie, claudius, and ahren as they come up with a plan to escape the terrible place theyre living in. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state. East german secret police files highlight role of exnazis in. Once the wall went up in 1961 life for east berlin began to improve under the communist system. Two novels set there capture the days immediately preceding that fateful 9 november.
Aug 25, 2009 east is east, but the east of the west was and remains gritty, workingclass kreuzberg. East is east, but the east of the west was and remains gritty, workingclass kreuzberg. East germany, the country that imploded in the recent history of europe, was a combination of those images, sensations, and inferences that augusto bordato, a sensitive connoisseur of germany s recent history, collected during the many years he spent in east berlin, both before andafter the wall fell. The east german districts were reorganised into the lander berlin, brandenburg, mecklenburgvorpommern, sachsen, sachsenanhalt and thuringen. What is the best book on the german reunification of 1990. Stories from behind the berlin wall by anna funder, the spy who came in from the cold by john le.
East german secret police files highlight role of exnazis. After being separated into east and west during the cold war, berlin was reunited after the wall fell in 1989. It is no longer a nation by itself since the two parts of germany, east germany and west germany. Hensel was born in leipzig, east germany, in 1976 and was when the berlin wall fell. This book offers a new account of the east german revolution of 1989 and uncovers hitherto neglected events and phases of this tumultuous period. Lithub a meticulous and compassionate family memoir charting the twists and turns of politics in communist east germany over more than four decades, it shows how currents of repression and reform affected individual lives. The spy who came in from the cold john lecarre, 1963. Nov 09, 2009 it was, and largely remains, a taboo to suggest that the west, the winner of the cold war, had any lessons to learn from the east. This 1958 childrens book by nils werner, illustrated by heinz behling, was a classic in communist east germany and was adapted as a film. Based on our xlsized volume, this edition includes a full spectrum of art, archives, and artifacts from socialist east germany. At the berlin wall, thousands tried creativeand dangerous. My recommended books about east germany in english with.
When in germany, do as the germans do hyde flippo, 2002. The southern line separates the central part, now in russia, from the southern part of east prussia, now in poland. East berlin was the center of power in communist east germany, but it was also a city where subversive currents thrived. After reading fausts gold, there can be no doubt that babashoff was an observant and courageous truth teller. The city quickly emerged as the third most visited place in europe and the most cosmopolitan and exciting city in germany for art, architecture, and nightlife. Wolf said east germany was a dictatorship of civil servants who had betrayed socialism, mr. The notes were dated 1985, however the east german government collapsed before the notes were released into general circulation. Two families, with eight members in total, escaped the communist country of east germany by crossing the border to west germany in a homemade hot air balloon. This book is kind, honest, incredibly wellwritten, and important, a testament to humanity and courage.
The northern line separates the northern part of east prussia, which went to lithuania, and the central part, which went to the u. In the german reunification, the gdr joined west germany by approving its constitution in 1990. Actually, babashoff only gets a couple of mentions in the book, but while reading this fascinating and terrifying account of east german doping, i couldnt stop thinking how i had been terribly wrong about babashoffs character. Modern germany is a liberal democracy that has become ever more integrated with and central to a united europe. Aug 23, 2010 memorable in this respect is the socalled brown book, which was published in stalinist east germany german democratic republicgdr in 1965 and appeared in a new edition after the fall of the. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands. The plot to accomplish this was carried out over a period of one and a half years, including an unsuccessful attempt, three. List of books and articles about east germany online. Recommended reading for visitors to germany, compiled by michael kerr. This property is rated 4 star superior and is displayed on this page as 4. Deutsche demokratische republik ddr, commonly called east germany german. East germany, officially the german democratic republic gdr. Jan 30, 2017 trabant, the name given to east germanys response to audi and mercedes benz, literally means satellite.
Soviet military administration in germany organised censorship in east germany in 1945. The author is exmilitary from a military family, so it has a big bias but she even mentions that this is her story, and everyones story is different. This intriguing but frustrating memoir, a bestseller in germany, portrays the. It was intended to be a tribute to the firstever satellite, the soviets sputnik, which went into space in 1957. Walking around modern germany, you may have no idea that ostprodukte products from east germany are all around you. From 1949 to 1990, east germany was almost completely closed off to foreigners. East prussia ostpreussen maps genealogy familysearch wiki. It draws upon published and unpublished primary sources, including twentyfive interviews with oppositionists, movement participants and. The former east germany, gdr, ddr 170 books goodreads. They are the highest denominations ever printed by east germany and were some of the last banknotes ever printed by east germany. Exactly 70 years after the foundation of east germany, and 30 years after the peaceful revolution that. Nevertheless, as early as 1956 east germanys prussian heritage asserted itself in the nva.
The stasi, which infiltrated every walk of east german life, suppressed political opposition, and caused the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of citizens, proved to be one of the most powerful secret police and espionage services in the world. New listing east german germany military enlisted uniform visor hat peaked cap nva 55. Because you have a choice of material, which is either from fanatical communists who loved the ddr, or from ddrhating westerners who only state the bad things and make us out to be bad people. I learned a lot about parts of germany i had never heard of. Red love, a memoir of east germany the new york times. Since reunification in 1990, some restoration work has helped rebuild parts of the historic inner city. David mckenna surveys the history, topography, people, and culture of east germany, with an emphasis on its current economy, industry, and place in the world. This intriguing but frustrating memoir, a bestseller in germany, portrays the disorientation of her generatio. For me, the east is one of the best hotels ive ever been to in whole germany.
Ostdeutschland, was founded on 7 october 1949, after world war ii. East german stasi files open to public online for first time. What book is considered the definitive history of the ddr. The east german handbookmultilingual 9783836571883.
Nov 07, 2014 germany lacks 120,000 nursery personnel a consequence, no doubt, of the miserably low wages they receive. Dissertation, university of california, san diego 1992. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. This process, when east germany was taken over by the west, is known also the wende in germany.
Many east germans believed that communism was fairer than capitalist west german. Jeffrey kopstein, university of toronto, author of the politics of economic decline in east germany 19451989. The propagandas of nazi germany and the german democratic republic east lansing. Not just a product of ostalgie a combination of ost east and nostalgie nostalgia, these staple products for everyday life in germany. Apr 14, 2014 wolf said east germany was a dictatorship of civil servants who had betrayed socialism, mr. He may have heard about east and west germany, but that only through history books as the two parts of germany existed separately for 45 years from 1945 till 1990, when the berlin wall, the physical border of the two germanys, was brought down, and the two united again. With the anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall just around the corner, theres no better time to do a bit of reflecting about what this divisive structure meant for the city and the people who lived there. Berlin is both the german capital and the biggest city in germany. Want to share your favourite books about east germany written in english. T he night the berlin wall came down, maxim leos parents watched an item about new travel regulations on east german news, decided there would be nothing happening at the wall, and went to bed.
It was, and largely remains, a taboo to suggest that the west, the winner of the cold war, had any lessons to learn from the east. It was formed from part of the soviet occupation zone of germany, including part of the city of berlin. Anne said there were definitely big problems, but they could be overcome. Even today, its particularly popular in eastern germany. A year rife with conversations about walls, 2019 also marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. Jump back in time to the 1950s in east germany following the life of kia as she plans to cross the board into the west. The dark side of german reunification germany will mark the 20th anniversary of its reunification on october 3 but not everyone in germany will be celebrating two decades together. Jan 09, 2015 the files of the stasi, communist east germanys notorious secret police, have been made generally available for the first time on a german government website. Nov 08, 2019 the well publicized escapes so shook east germanys secret police, the stasi, that they installed listening devices across the death strip and monitored the ground for tunneling activity 247. Reunification has proved a rocky road with many west german companies taking over from their eastern counterparts, but a few select products have toughed out the integration phase and made it to nationwide prominence in the 21st century. This book is really interesting because it focuses mostly on actual east germany, not just east berlin, which never seems to happen.
The files of the stasi, communist east germany s notorious secret police, have been made generally available for the first time on a german government website. What book is considered the definitive history of the ddrgdr. Lessons from the former east germany the new york times. Isbn 9783863310509 author and book info on holzweissig, gunter.
Harrowing flight from east germany the washington post. Although germany existed as a loose polity of germanicspeaking peoples for millennia, a united german nation in roughly its present form dates only to 1871. The 40 years of urban development under east germany considerably changed the face of the city. This lighthearted and helpful guide details the dos and donts of being german. Michigan state university press, 2004 provides an analysis of much of the material on the german propaganda archive. After the collapse of east germany the notes were put into storage in old nazi bunkers. Originally divided into five states, east germany was reorganized into 15 districts bezirke in 1952. Rita vogt is a radical west german terrorist who abandons the revolution and settles in east germany with a new identity provided by the east german secret service. He may have heard about east and west germany, but that only through history books as the two parts of germany existed separately for 45 years from 1945 till 1990, when the berlin wall, the physical border of the two germanys, was brought down, and the two united. We get a glimpse at the ways in which the stagnating economy of east germany impacted peoples lives in as equal measure as the sexier or. In east germany, the profession was respected and, comparatively, decently compensated. Europe germany the world factbook central intelligence.