Suchergebnisse

Social, economic, and cultural aspects of German reunification. Contents: The conflation of National Socialism and the Socialist Unity Party; The colonization of the GDR and the construction of a dual society.

"The book explores the relationship between the shrinking process and architecture and urban design practices. Starting from a journey in former East Germany, six different scenes are explored in which plans, projects, and policies have dealt with shrinkage since the 1990s. The book is a sequence of scenes that reveals the main characteristics, dynamics, narratives, reasons, and ambiguities of the shrinking cities' transformations in the face of a long transition. The first scene concerns the demolition and transformation of social mass housing in Leinefelde - Worbis. The second scene deals with the temporary appropriation of abandoned buildings in Halle-Neustadt. The third scene, observed in Leipzig, shows the results of green space projects in urban voids. The scene of the fourth situation observes the extraordinary efforts to renaturize a mining territory in the Lausitz region. The fifth scene takes us to Hoyerswerda, where emigration and aging process required a reduction and demolition in housing stock and social infrastructures. The border city of Görlitz the sixth and last scene, deals with the repopulation policies that aim to attract retirees from the West"--

East German science fiction enabled its authors to create a subversive space in another time and place. One of the country's most popular genres, it outlined futures that often went beyond the party's official version. Many utopian stories provided a corrective vision, intended to preserve and improve upon East German communism. This study is an introduction to East German science fiction. The book begins with a chapter on German science fiction before 1949. It then spans the entire existence of the country (1949-1990) and outlines key topics essential to understanding the genre: popular literature, socialist realism, censorship, fandom, and international science fiction. An in-depth discussion addresses notions of high and low literature, elements of the fantastic and utopia as critical narrative strategies, ideology and realism in East German literature, gender, and the relation between literature and science. Through a close textual analysis of three science fiction novels, the author expands East German literary history to include science fiction as a valuable source for developing a multi-faceted understanding of the country's short history. Finally, an epilogue notes new titles and developments since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

There has been a long tradition of thinking on Civic Education in Western Germany, mainly after World War II. Aims and means have been discussed thoroughly, experiences in teaching politics (the most common name for the school subject) have been reported on. After the (re-)union of the two Germanies in 1990, Western concepts were brought to and adopted by Eastern Germany. Transformation of civic education (politische Bildung) faces the problem that the democratic system is open to conflicts and competition and does not lead and direct the citizen in an authoritative manner. Democracy asks for different abilities on the side of its citizens than an authoritarian system does. Research data show the difficulties of learning for democracy.

ABSTRACT**: The analysis of the experience of privatization in Eastern Germany shows that the boundaries between the private and public sectors will become increasingly blurred, with the public sector becoming more like the private sector. One may also expect that employment will fall and productivity greatly increase. The legislature's urge to regulate everything will ultimately subside but the public sector will continue to be of vital importance for the economy as a whole. A modernized public sector will be able to deploy its services to make an important contribution to economic growth and employment.

Based on doctoral thesis--University of Toronto.

In 1983 two events focused international attention on East and West Germany. One was the collapse of talks on intermediate range missiles in Geneva and the consequent deployment of the missiles by NATO. The other was the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther. The Luther anniversary cast the spotlight particularly on communist East Germany, which revised its previously negative interpretation of Luther and not only marked his birth with elaborate festivities but also extended unprecedented assistance to the Lutheran church for its celebration. Yet, just as many wondered if inter-German detente would survive the I.N.F. deployment, so, too, many wondered at the nature of the church-state cooperation in the G.D.R., and if it would survive the Luther Year. The present analysis examines the character and direction of this churchstate relationship, using the Luther Year experience as evidence.

The situation of women in East Germany since WWII is reviewed. Four historical periods are distinguished: 1945-1949, the postwar period; 1949-1963, the founding of the German Democratic Republic; 1963-1971, when central planning was fully established & efforts were made to integrate women fully into the LF; & post-1971, when conflicts in women's roles & the slowness of progress became evident. Women are a major element in the LF, with 87% of women aged 16-60 participating; but their participation involves them in dual roles that often create stress. Family life remains oriented to the nuclear family & resistant to change in sex roles. Women have difficulty gaining leadership positions & have little representation in politics. The absence of a women's movement & the lack of tolerance for autonomous social movements have led to the expression of women's concerns with this situation primarily through literature, particularly the works of Christa Wolf & Irmtraud Morgner. W. H. Stoddard