• Constructing East Germany: Interpretations of GDR History since Unification

      Dennis, Mike (2004)
      This book: The system transformation after German unification in 1990 constituted an experiment on an unprecedented scale. At no point in history had one state attempted to redesign another without conquest, bloodshed or coercion but by treaties, public policy and bureaucratic processes. Unification was achieved by erasing the eastern political and economic model. However, in the meantime it has become clear that the same cannot be said about social transformation. On the contrary, social and cultural attitudes and differentiation have continued and resulted in deep divisions between West and East Germany. After unification, the injustices of politics seemed to have been replaced, in the eyes of most former GDR citizens, by unexpected injustices in the personal spheres of ordinary people who lost their jobs and faced unknown realities of deprivation and social exclusion. These are the main concerns of the contributors to this volume. Incorporating new research findings and published data, they focus on key aspects of economic, political, and social transformation in eastern Germany and compare, through case studies, each area with developments in the West.
    • Soccer Hooliganism in the German Democratic Republic

      Dennis, Mike (London: Routledge (Taylor & Francis), 2005)
      This topical book provides unprecedented analysis of football's place in post-war and post-reunification Germany. The expert team of German and British contributors offers wide-ranging perspectives on the significance of football in German sporting and cultural life, showing how it has emerged as a focus for an expression of German national identity and pride in the post-war era. Some of the themes examined include: footballing expressions of local, regional and national identity; ethnic dynamics, migrant populations and Europeanization; German football’s commercial economy; women’s football. Key moments in the history of German football are also explored, such as the victories in 1954, 1972 and 1990, the founding of the Bundesliga, and the winning bid for the 2006 World Cup. (Routledge)
    • The Stasi: Myth and Reality; themes in modern German history

      Dennis, Mike; Laporte, Norman (London: Longman/Pearson, 2003)
      The Stasi were a central institution of the GDR, and this book illuminates the nature and operation of the entire East German regime, addressing one of the most important topics in modern German history. Its emphasis is primarily on the key years under Erich Honecker, who was Head of State from 1976 and ousted in 1989.The book looks at all aspects of the control, operation and impact of the security police - their methods, targets, structure, accountability, and in particular the crucial question of how far they were an arm of the ruling communist party or were themselves a virtually autonomous political actor.
    • United and Divided: Germany Since 1990

      Dennis, Mike; Kolinsky, Eva (Berghahn Books, 2008)
      The system transformation after German unification in 1990 constituted an experiment on an unprecedented scale. At no point in history had one state attempted to redesign another without conquest, bloodshed or coercion but by treaties, public policy and bureaucratic processes. Unification was achieved by erasing the eastern political and economic model. However, in the meantime it has become clear that the same cannot be said about social transformation. On the contrary, social and cultural attitudes and differentiation have continued and resulted in deep divisions between West and East Germany. After unification, the injustices of politics seemed to have been replaced, in the eyes of most former GDR citizens, by unexpected injustices in the personal spheres of ordinary people who lost their jobs and faced unknown realities of deprivation and social exclusion. These are the main concerns of the contributors to this volume. Incorporating new research findings and published data, they focus on key aspects of economic, political, and social transformation in eastern Germany and compare, through case studies, each area with developments in the West.
    • Vietnam: Netzwerke zwischen Sozialismus und Kapitalismus

      Weiss, Karin (Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 2005)
      In 1955-56, within the framework of the GDR's Solidarity programme, 348 Vietnamese pupils arrived in the GDR for education and training. They were the second group to do so after a group from North Korea. The Vietnamese were located in Dresden and Moritzburg. Arriving as children aged 10 to 14 years, most were adults on returning to Vietnam. Despite their diverse biographies, they have retained a close bond with their life in the former GDR, calling themselves the 'Moritzburgers' and meeting regularly in Vietnam. Through their various occupations and social positions they exercise considerable influence on the development of their country, as is exemplified in the detailed biographical study of Mirjam Freytag. The 'Moritzburgers' were soon followed by further groups of Vietnamese as part of inter-governmental training schemes. For example, from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s, many students, pupils and apprentices from Vietnam took part in a special training programme, 'Solidarity means to be victorious', designed as a form of aid for socialist fraternal countries. The unification of the two Vietnamese states allowed for the continuation of educational and occupational training courses in the GDR for schoolchildren, students, apprentices and scientists.