Popular Protest in East Germany (Routledge Advances in European Politics)

An incisive new study of dissent and protest in the German Democratic Republic, focusing on the upheaval of 1989-1990. The author, an active participant both in the 'Citizens' Movement' and in the street protests of that year, draws upon a vast array of sources including interviews, documents from the archives of the old regime and the Citizens' Movement and his own diary entries, to explore the causes and processes of the East German revolution. The book is at once a lucid and vibrant narrative history and a pioneering contribution to research in this field.

Popular Protest in East Germany is an incisive new study of dissent and protest in the German Democratic Republic, focusing on the upheaval of 1989-1990.

Gareth Dale, an active participant both in the 'Citizens Movement' and in the street protests of that year, explores the causes and processes of the East German revolution by:

· Drawing upon interviews with participants and functionaries, as well as previously untapped archive material.
· Includes detailed studies of the popular uprising of June 1953; industrial relations; youth subcultures; church-linked 'grassroots groups' of the 1980s.
· Proposes new interpretations of the 1953 uprising, the 'socio-ethical' movements of the 1980s, and of the divergence between 'citizens movements' and the mass protests in the autumn of 1989.
· Includes a rebuttal of the dominant interpretations of 1989 as the consummation of the 'aborted revolution' of 1953.

This lucid and vibrant narrative history acts as a pioneering contribution to research in this field. It will be of particular interest to students of German Politics/History, European Politics and International Studies.

Mass movements in the GDR's early years The June 1953 uprising Labour heritage and collective action, 1945-53 Infra-political resistance and social movements, 1954-1988 Techniques of domination, arts of resistance Helsinki and Bohemia: emigration and youth rebellion 'Politics in the bell jar': socio-ethical movements in the 1980s The formation of political opposition The revolution of 1989 The summer crisis The autumn uprising Intellectuals and workers.