Stalin's unwanted child : the Soviet Union, the German question, and the founding of the GDR

How did Germany come to be divided during the Cold War? The renowned German historian Wilfired Loth has examined the archives of the Eastern side and comes to fascinating conclusions. He demonstrates that Stalin wanted neither a separate state on the soil of the Soviet Occupation Zone nor a socialist state in Germany at all. Instead, Stalin sought a joint administration of Germany by the victorious powers, a Germany along the lines of the Weimar Republic. The socialist separate state of the GDR is primarily the product of Walter Ulbricht's revolutionary zeal, which was able to unfold in the context of the Western walling-off policy. How did Germany come to be divided during the Cold War? Renowned German historian Wilfried Loth has examined the archives of the Eastern side. Here he demonstrates that Stalin wanted neither a separate state on the soil of the Soviet Occupation Zone nor a socialist state in Germany at all. Instead he sought a joint administration of Germany by the victorious powers, a Germany along the lines of the Weimar Republic. The socialist separate side of the GDR is primarily the product of Walter Ulbricht's revolutionary zeal, which was able to unfold in the context of the Western walling-off policy. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii A Programme for Germany....Pages 1-21 First Setbacks....Pages 22-47 From Paris to London....Pages 48-71 The Cominform Line....Pages 72-94 Zigzag to the Eastern State....Pages 95-120 Between Two Goals....Pages 121-146 Ulbricht’s Revolution....Pages 147-170 Back Matter....Pages 171-234