Kooperativer Bibliotheksverbund

UID:

Umfang: 1 online resource (432 p.)

ISBN: 9780822381754

Inhalt: On the night of November 9, 1989, an electrified world watched as the Berlin Wall came down. Communism was dead, the Cold War was over, and freedom was on the rise—or so it seemed. We Were the People tells the story behind this momentous event. In an extraordinary series of interviews, the key actors in the drama that transformed East Germany speak for themselves, describing what they did, what happened and why, and what it has meant to them. The result is a powerful firsthand account of a rare historical moment, one that reverberates far beyond the toppled wall that once divided Germany and the world.The drama We Were the People recreates is remarkable for its richness and complexity. Here are citizens organizing despite threats of bloody crackdowns; party functionaries desperately trying to survive as time-honored political prerogatives crumble beneath their feet; an oppressed people discovering the possibilities of power and freedom, but also the sobering strangeness of new political realities. With their success, East Germans encountered the overpowering might of thie Western neighbor--and stand perplexed before the onslaught of real estate agents, glossy consumer ads, political professionalism--and the discovery that a lifetime of social experience has suddenly lost all usable context. They became, in the words of one participant, a people "without biography."Over all the recent events and unlikely turns recounted here, one thing remains paramount: the sweep of the initial democratic conception that animated the East German revolution. We Were the People brings this movement to life in all its drama and detail, and vividly recovers a historic moment that altered forever the shape of modern Europe.Some Voices of the PeopleBärbel Bohley/ "Mother of the Revolution"Rainer Eppelmann/ Protestant PastorKlaus Kaden/ Church Emissary to the OppositionHans Modrow/ Former Communist Prime MinisterLudwig Mehlhorn/ Opposition TheoristIngrid Köppe/ Opposition RepresentativeFrank Eigenfeld/ New ForumHarald Wagner/ Democracy NowSebastian Pflugbeil/ Democratic StrategistEast German WorkersCornelia Matzke/ Independent Women's AllianceAndré Brie/ Party Vice-ChairmanGerhard Ruden/ Environmental ActivistWerner Bramke/ Party Academic

Anmerkung: Frontmatter -- , Contents -- , Acknowledgments -- , List of Abbreviations -- , Introduction -- , PART I • A Long Time Coming: Roots of Dissent and Opposition in the German Democratic Republic -- , 1. The Troubled Emergence of an Idea -- , 2. The Party, the Workers, and Opposition Intellectuals -- , 3. The Many Meanings of "Reform" -- , PART II • Democracy-Now or Never -- , 4. Struggles with Self-Censorship: Deciding How Much to Seek -- , 5. The Constraints of a Party-Centered Perspective -- , 6. Workers in the "Workers' State" -- , 7. Democratic Visions: A Question of Scope, A Question of Possibility -- , PART III • Taking Stock: The Search for a Historical Perspective -- , 8. Between Opportunity and Failure -- , Epilogue -- , Chronology of East German History, 1945-1990 -- , Selected Bibliography -- , Index , In English.

Sprache: Englisch

Fachgebiete: Politologie

DOI: 10.1515/9780822381754

URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822381754

URL: https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780822381754

UID:

Umfang: 1 online resource (434 p.)

ISBN: 1-282-90422-1 , 9786612904226 , 0-8223-8175-3

Serie: e-Duke books scholarly collection.

Inhalt: On the night of November 9, 1989, an electrified world watched as the Berlin Wall came down. Communism was dead, the Cold War was over, and freedom was on the rise-or so it seemed. We Were the People tells the story behind this momentous event. In an extraordinary series of interviews, the key actors in the drama that transformed East Germany speak for themselves, describing what they did, what happened and why, and what it has meant to them. The result is a powerful firsthand account of a rare historical moment, one that reverberates far beyond the toppled wall that once divided Germany and

Anmerkung: Description based upon print version of record. , PART 1: A Long Time Coming: Roots of Dissent and Opposition in the German Democratic Republic, The Troubled Emergence of an Idea. Frank Eigenfeld, New Forum, and Harald Wagner, Democracy Now. Rainer Eppelmann, Protestant pastor, prominent oppositionist. Cornelia Matzke, Independent Womens Alliance. Ludwig Mehlhorn, Opposition theorist. Hans Modrow, Last communist prime minister. The Party, the Workers, and Opposition Intellectuals. Werner Bramke, Party academic. East German Workers, Joint interview. Barbel Bohley, ''Mother of the revolution." The Many Meanings of "Reform." Klaus Kaden, Church emissary to the opposition. Sebastian Pflugbeil, Democratic strategist. Gerhard Ruden, Environmental activist. Andre Brie, Party vice-chairman. Ingrid Koppe, Opposition representative at the Central Round Table. -- PART 2: Democracy-Now or Never. Struggles with Self-Censorship: Deciding How Much to Seek. Ludwig Mehlhorn. Klaus Kaden. Frank Eigenfeld. Harald Wagner. Rainer Eppelmann. Cornelia Matzke. The Constraints of a Party-Centered Perspective. Hans Modrow. Werner Bramke. Andre Brie. Workers in the "Workers' State." East German Workers, Joint interview. Wolfgang K, Newly elected union secretary, Democratic Visions: A Question of Scope, A Question of Possibility. Barbel Bohley. Sebastian Pflugbeil. Ingrid Koppe -- PART 3: Taking Stock: The Search for a Historical Perspective. Between Opportunity and Failure. Sebastian Pflugbeil. Klaus Kaden. Frank Eigenfeld, Harald Wagner. Barbel Bohley. Hans Modrow. Werner Bramke. Andre Brie. Ludwig Mehlhorn. Wolfgang K. -- Epilogue: Chronology of East German History, 1945-1990. , English

Weitere Ausg.: ISBN 0-8223-1294-8

Weitere Ausg.: ISBN 0-8223-1282-4

Sprache: Englisch

Fachgebiete: Politologie

DOI: 10.1515/9780822381754