Honecker's Children : Youth and Patriotism in East(ern) Germany, 1979–2002

During the final decade of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), young citizens found themselves at the heart of a rigorous programme of socialist patriotic education, yet following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the emphasis of official state rhetoric, textbooks and youth activities changed beyond recognition. For the young generation growing up during this period, ‘normality’ was turned on its head, leaving a sense of insecurity and inner turmoil. Using a combination of archival research, interviews, educational materials and government reports, this book examines the relationship between young people and their two successive states in East(ern) Germany between 1979 and 2002. This time-span straddles the 1989/1990 caesura which often delimits historical studies, and thus enables not only a detailed examination of GDR socialisation, but, crucially, its influence in unified Germany. Exploring the extent to which a young generation's loyalties can be officially regulated in the face of cultural and historical traditions, changing material conditions and shifting social circumstances, the book finds GDR socialisation to be influential to post-unification loyalties through its impact on the personal sphere, rather than through the official sphere of ideological propaganda. This study not only provides insight into the functioning of the GDR state and its longer-term impact, but also advances our broader understanding of the ways in which collective loyalties are formed. The first study of its kind in the English language, providing insight into questions of identity formation which have hitherto been unexplored. It straddles the latter years of the GDR's existence and the first decade following German unification. During the final decade of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), young citizens found themselves at the heart of a rigorous programme of socialist patriotic education, yet following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the emphasis of official state rhetoric, textbooks and youth activities changed beyond recognition. For the young generation growing up during this period, 'normality' was turned on its head, leaving a sense of insecurity and inner turmoil. Using a combination of archival research and interviews, together with educational materials and government reports, this book examines the relationship between young people and their two successive states in East(ern) Germany between 1979 and 2002. This unusual time-span straddles the 1989/1990 caesura which often delimits historical studies, and thus enables not only a detailed examination of GDR socialisation, but crucially also its influence in unified Germany. Anna Saunders explores the extent to which a young generation's loyalties can be officially regulated in the face of cultural and historical traditions, changing material conditions and shifting social circumstances, and finds GDR socialisation to be influential to post-unification loyalties through its impact on the personal sphere, rather than through the official sphere of ideological propaganda. At a time of globalisation, this lucid study not only provides unique insight into the functioning of the GDR state and its longer-term impact, but also advances our broader understanding of the ways in which collective loyalties are formed. It will be of particular interest to those in the fields of German History and Politics, European Studies and Sociology Front matter Contents List of tables and figures Acknowledgements List of abbreviations and key terms Introduction: Honecker’s Germany –a world of the past? The parameters of patriotism Young people of the 1980s: a generation of loyal patriots? October 1989–October 1990: the rise and fall of a GDR identity Civic loyalties in the wake of unification Conclusion: death of the GDR – rebirth of an eastern identity? Select bibliography Index This book examines the shifting identities and state loyalties of young people in East(ern) Germany during a unique period straddling the last decade of the GDR and the first decade of united Germany. It provides insight into the functioning of the GDR state, the process of German unification and the formation of national and regional identities. -- . Examining the shifting identities and state loyalties of young people in East(ern) Germany during 1979-2002, this text provides insight into the functioning of the GDR state, the process of German unification, and the formation of national and regional identities