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Review
"'... a fresh, flowing, thoughtful account... an immensely readable book... Above all, this empathetic account puts East Germans back into their own history. As such, it will surely act not only as a standard work on GDR society, but also as a model for the emerging social history of post-war Europe.' Josie McLellan, Reviews in History / History in Focus 'One does applaud Mary Fulbrook for writing a book that is extremely rich in detail and one that is certainly different from other works on the German Democratic Republic. It provides an excellent framework for further debate on the pros and cons of the first socialist experiment on German soil.' Peter Hylarides, Contemporary Review"
Josie McLellan, Reviews in History/History In Focus, April 29 2006
'...a standard work on GDR society, but also a model for the emerging social history of post-war Europe.'
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I thoroughly enjoyed this work - I read it for interest rather than for studies. It describes the ordinary East germans perception of every day life in East Germany, the good and the bad. It also describes the genuine attempts by the Party members some way below the "magic circle" to improve and assist the difficult aspects of life in the GDR with the exception of foreign travel- which was beyond their control.It describes the hard life of the non - government party members who had to live up to high ideals, work punishing hours, deal with all the complaints but without access to the perks of the Politbureau. Even the leadership had its aspirations for the people and improving their lives - again these seem to be genuine - but the cost of fully implementing the majority of this paternalistic strategy was economically impossible to achieve. It answers for me why there has been an outbreak of ostalgie and why some look on the old days with real affection. Comparisons are also usefully made with other western countries - the chapter on health reminds me of the NHS in the 60s!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I supposed my greatest praise of this book lies in two main areas
1. Firstly you really get a feel of what East German society and life were like, very much removed from the usual stereoypyes that are so often the norm. But please don't think this author is an apologist for the regime or makes any partisan political viewpoints either way. The book is grounded on excellent and paintaking research and this shows up all the way. Hence you do end up agreeing with her conclusions of normal everyday life in the GDR
2. Although the writer is a respected academic and as mentioned the book is thoroughly well-researched it reads very well indeed and doesn't get bogged down as some texts of this nature do. This is one of the main highlights of the book together with its highly interesting subject matter. Combining academic rigour with readability is a real skill and is to be applauded in this case.
I got this book from my local library, but would certainly not begrudge buying it - and theres plenty of times when you could'nt say that!
1. Firstly you really get a feel of what East German society and life were like, very much removed from the usual stereoypyes that are so often the norm. But please don't think this author is an apologist for the regime or makes any partisan political viewpoints either way. The book is grounded on excellent and paintaking research and this shows up all the way. Hence you do end up agreeing with her conclusions of normal everyday life in the GDR
2. Although the writer is a respected academic and as mentioned the book is thoroughly well-researched it reads very well indeed and doesn't get bogged down as some texts of this nature do. This is one of the main highlights of the book together with its highly interesting subject matter. Combining academic rigour with readability is a real skill and is to be applauded in this case.
I got this book from my local library, but would certainly not begrudge buying it - and theres plenty of times when you could'nt say that!
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Yes, many of us suspected that life behind the iron curtain couldn't have been quite the absolute hell it was described in the west, before and after the collapse of communism.
Surely GDR survived for four decades not only because the iron hand of the regime was too heavy to fight but also because this very hand was creating a social environment where most citizens of the country could lead a "perfectly ordinary life"
Excellent work by the author, shows that historical books can be more authoritative when they present both sides of the argument.
Surely GDR survived for four decades not only because the iron hand of the regime was too heavy to fight but also because this very hand was creating a social environment where most citizens of the country could lead a "perfectly ordinary life"
Excellent work by the author, shows that historical books can be more authoritative when they present both sides of the argument.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Too dense
Monotonous, dense, repetitive, no change of pace.....
There may be some good material here but this author's inability to put it across in a readable, interesting, way... Read more
There may be some good material here but this author's inability to put it across in a readable, interesting, way... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Stargazer
Facinating
Comprehensive and well written. Makes, what appears to be, a fair assessment on not just the political aspects (so often reported) of the former East Germany, but the social ones.
Published 15 months ago by S. A. Richmond
The face of the dictatorship
This book chronicles (by theme) the development of East Germany from 1949 to 1989 through the medium of society. Read more
Published on 16 April 2010 by Darren McCormac
Interesting but not an easy read
I have read several other books on this topic and I did appreciate the way the author presents some good points about the GDR, especially the feeling of security people gained from... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by Mum of 3
Brilliant read
It may seem strange to describe a book about the GDR as a 'brilliant read', but this is what it is. Mary Fullbrook has certainly done a lot of research into the workings of the... Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2008 by Mr. P. J. Phillips
Not convincing at all
Well, yes it is a well documented book and as one reader very rightly said it.. This is NOT an easy read.. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2006 by Bernard M. Abel
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