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After The Wall: Eastern Germany Since 1989 book cover

1st Edition

After The Wall Eastern Germany Since 1989

By Patricia J. Smith Copyright 1998
    368 Pages
    by Routledge

    372 Pages
    by Routledge

    Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Germany has faced complex challenges. The rapid introduction of political, economic, and social union in 1990 joined East and West in an experiment without precedent, as the former German Democratic Republic adopted the structures of the Federal Republic of Germany. Related issues include the adoption of a market economy, the opening of security police files, the role of the former Communist Party in the political system of the unified Federal Republic, and the incorporation of the East German military into that of the West.What has happened during the transition period? Focusing on the situation in eastern Germany today, almost eight years after unification, specialists from Germany, Great Britain, and the United States assess the institutional, social, and cultural changes that have occurred and speculate on prospects for the future. One of the few English-language books to concentrate on how unification has affected eastern Germany and East Germans, After the Wall: Eastern Germany Since 1989 addresses impacts on East German society, including elites, workers, and women. Discussion of institutional changes and the marginalization of East Germans recurs throughout the volume, along with a focus on concrete achievements and successes since unification. The section on politics and economics looks at changes in local government, the Communist Party, the radical right, and economic structures. Chapters in Part Two cover changes in political culture, religion, the media, and literature. In the final section, chapters assess the integration of the East German military into the military structures of the Federal Republic (and NATO) and analyze the foreign policy of a united Germany.

    List of Tables, Preface, About the Editor and Contributors, Map of the Federal Republic of Germany, Introduction, PART ONE Politics and Economics, Institutional Destruction and Reconstruction in Eastern Germany, Local Government and Politics since the Wende, The Party of Democratic Socialism in the German Unification Process, 1989-1997, Xenophobia and Rightwing Extremism in Germany: The New Bundesliinder, The Shadow of the Stasi, The Illusory Economic Miracle: Assessing Eastern Germany's Economic Transition, PART TWO Culture, Society, and Religion, Shock Therapy and Mental Walls: East Germany as a Model for Post-Communist Political Culture?, The Situation of Religion in Eastern Germany After 1989, Structure and Eigensinn: Transformation Processes and Continuities of East German Women, Radio and Television in the East: A Continuing Odyssey of Change, Literature as Social Memory: On the Role of Literature in the New German States, PART THREE Foreign Policy and Security, The German Soldier and National Unity, German Foreign Policy Between Tradition and Innovation: The Geopolitical Imperative of Scharnierpolitik, Epilogue, List of Acronyms and Abbreviations, Glossary, Index

    Biography

    Patricia J. Smith is visiting lecturer in political science and international studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, and west coast director for Partnership Initiatives, a non-profit organization using video-conferences for international discussions. She taught political science and international relations in Romania from 1995-97 and spent 1991-92 in Berlin on an IREX fellowship. Smith received her Ph.D. in 1995 and is now revising her dissertation entitled "Democratizing East Germany" for publication. She previously worked in government as a legislative analyst, planner, and program administrator.

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