The Role of the Masses in the Collapse of the GDR (New Perspectives in German Political Studies)

This book examines the role of the masses in the collapse of the East German regime and state in 1989 in the northern district of Schwerin. It shows the extent to which citizens of the GDR dictatorship were instrumental in their state's demise. The 'bottom-up' approach employed, in contrast to the study of power wielding elites and 'opposition', explores the shift in mood and behaviour of citizens which brought about the internal collapse of the state. Contents 8 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 11 List of Abbreviations 12 Acknowledgements 14 Introduction: the Collapse of the GDR; the Role of the Masses 16 Part I 22 1 Approaches to the GDR's Collapse 24 Competing approaches 24 A complementary 'bottom-up' approach 33 The original Hirschman model 33 Use of the Hirschman paradigm by other researchers 36 The longevity of the regime and the concept of conditional loyalty 37 The niche society, Sozialvertrag and enforced Anpassung 38 2 Exit and Voice in Historical Context 42 Introduction 42 Exit in its historical context 43 Voice in its historical context 48 The antagonism between exit and voice 55 Part II 58 3 Schwerin: A Case Study of the Collapse of the GDR 60 Introduction 60 Schwerin 61 Voice in Schwerin up to autumn 1989 62 The deterioration of the economy 63 Public reactions to the ban of Sputnik and its long-term consequences for the GDR 72 Growing voice in the form of Eingaben, readers' letters and non-voting 77 The role of the Church as facilitator of voice in Schwerin 83 4 Exit in Schwerin 87 Introduction 87 Analysis of Schwerin city exit contingent, 1985–89 87 Exit turns to voice: the significance of the Rosa Luxemburg–Karl Liebknecht demonstration, 17 January 1988 93 The relevance of the Cathedral for exit 101 The SED anti-exit campaign and citizens' responses to it 103 5 The Wende in Schwerin 114 Introduction 114 The impulse for New Forum in Schwerin 114 Embryonic mass voice on 2 October 115 Escalation of voice in Schwerin: 6 of October in the Paulskirche 119 Reactions to Schwerin's first mass voice and its consequences for the Bezirk leadership 130 The relationship between the Church, dissident grass-roots groups and the masses 136 Part III 140 6 Conclusions 142 Introduction 142 Moving towards a conjunction of forces 143 The breakdown of conditional loyalty and the conjunction of exit and voice 146 Regional specificity in the collapse of the GDR 148 Discovering patterns 161 The interplay between external and internal factors behind the GDR's demise 168 Conclusion 170 Appendixes 173 Chronology of Schwerin's Wende in 1989 173 Map of Schwerin Bezirk 174 Notes 175 Bibliography and Sources 212 Index 224 A 224 B 224 C 224 D 224 E 224 F 224 G 224 H 225 J 226 K 226 L 226 M 226 N 226 O 226 P 226 R 226 S 226 T 228 U 228 V 228 W 228 Machine generated contents note: Introduction: the Collapse of the GDR; the Role of the Masses 1 Part I 1 Approaches to the GDR's Collapse Competing approaches 9 A complementary 'bottom-up' approach 18 The original Hirschman model 18 Use of the Hirschman paradigm by other researchers 21 The longevity of the regime and the concept of conditional loyalty 22 The niche society, Sozialvertrag and enforced Anpassung 23 2 Exit and Voice in Historical Context Introduction 27 Exit in its historical context 28 Voice in its historical context 33 The antagonism between exit and voice 39 Part II 3 Schwerin: A Case Study of the Collapse of the GDR Introduction 45 Schwerin 46 Voice in Schwerin up to autumn 1989 47 The deterioration of the economy 48 Public reactions to the ban of Sputnik and its long-term consequences for the GDR 57 Growing voice in the form of Eingaben, readers' letters and non-voting 62 The role of the Church as facilitator of voice in Schwerin 68 4 Exit in Schwerin Introduction 72 Analysis of Schwerin city exit contingent, 1985-89 72 Exit turns to voice: the significance of the Rosa Luxemburg-Karl Liebknecht demonstration, 17 January 1988 78 The relevance of the Cathedral for exit 86 The SED anti-exit campaign and citizens' responses to it 88 5 The Wende in Schwerin Introduction 99 The impulse for New Forum in Schwerin 99 Embryonic mass voice on 2 October 100 Escalation of voice in Schwerin: 6 of October in the Paulskirche 104 Reactions to Schwerin's first mass voice and its consequences for the Bezirk leadership 115 The relationship between the Church, dissident grass- roots groups and the masses 121 Part III 6 Conclusions Introduction 127 Moving towards a conjunction of forces 128 The breakdown of conditional loyalty and the conjunction of exit and voice 131 Regional specificity in the collapse of the GDR 133 Discovering patterns 146 The interplay between external and internal factors behind the GDR's demise 153 Conclusion 155 Appendixes: Chronology of Schwerin's Wende in 1989 158 Map of Schwerin Bezirk 159. Jonathan Grix's Study Shows The Extent To Which Citizens Of The Gdr Dictatorship Were Instrumental In Their State's Demise. The Book's Publication Coincides With The Tenth Anniversary Of The Collapse Of The East German Regime. Introduction: The Collapse Of The Gdr; The Role Of The Masses -- Approaches To The Gdr's Collapse -- Competing Approaches -- A Complementary 'bottom-up' Approach -- The Original Hirschman Model -- Use Of The Hirschman Paradigm By Other Researchers -- The Longevity Of The Regime And The Concept Of Conditional Loyalty -- The Niche Society, Sozialvertrag And Enforced Anpassung -- Exit And Voice In Historical Context -- Exit In Its Historical Context -- Voice In Its Historical Context -- The Antagonism Between Exit And Voice -- Schwerin: A Case Study Of The Collapse Of The Gdr -- Schwerin -- Voice In Schwerin Up To Autumn 1989 -- The Deterioration Of The Economy -- Public Reactions To The Ban Of Sputnik And Its Long-term Consequences For The Gdr -- Growing Voice In The Form Of Eingaben, Readers' Letters And Non-voting -- The Role Of The Church As Facilitator Of Voice In Schwerin -- Exit In Schwerin -- Analysis Of Schwerin City Exit Contingent, 1985-89 -- Exit Turns To Voice: The Significance Of The Rosa Luxemburg-karl Liebknecht Demonstration, 17 January 1988 -- The Relevance Of The Cathedral For Exit -- The Sed Anti-exit Campaign And Citizens' Responses To It -- The Wende In Schwerin -- The Impulse For New Forum In Schwerin -- Embryonic Mass Voice On 2 October -- Escalation Of Voice In Schwerin: 6 Of October In The Paulskirche -- Reactions To Schwerin's First Mass Voice And Its Consequences For The Bezirk Leadership -- The Relationship Between The Church, Dissident Grassroots Groups And The Masses -- Moving Towards A Conjunction Of Forces. Jonathan Grix. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 197-208) And Index. This work examines the role of the masses in the collapse of the East German regime and state in 1989 in the northern district of Schwerin. It shows the extent to which citizens of the GDR dictatorship were instrumental in their state's demise. The "bottom-up" approach employed, in contrast to the study of power wielding elites and "opposition," explores the shift in mood and behavior of citizens which brought about the internal collapse of the state. 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