The development of a GDR identity

Question 1

Which historian should you mention when talking about national identity?

Answer 1

Dietrich Orlow

Question 2

Dietrich Orlow’s overall argument

Answer 2

“nation building under the maxims of Marxism-Leninism ignored the importance of the fundamental ingredients that make up national identities”

Question 3

What is a national identity characterised by?

Answer 3

A national identity is characterised by a connection or attachment to a personal ancestry, tradition, culture and language - and not necessarily to the state a person was born and lives in”

Question 4

By ignoring the “ingredients” that make up national identities…

Answer 4

the citizens of East Germany were never fully convinced of their socialist system’s superiority. In contrast, they envied the West Germans and their reputedly weak and reactionary societal structure”

Question 5

What did the lack of a national identity make it impossible for the GDR to do?

Answer 5

To preserve its legitimacy and maintain power, a long-term and systemic factor contributing to its ultimate collapse

Question 6

Throughout their roughly half century rule in the GDR, the Communists worked hard to construct a new sovereign identity which was hoped to be…

Answer 6

“socialist, antifascist and progressive”

Question 7

Orlow argues that establishing any sort of original national identity after the Second World War was an…

Answer 7

“all but impossible task” - in post-war Germany the extremes of Nazi hyper-nationalism had “rendered German pride and identity absurd notions”

Question 8

This complex historical legacy led to…

Answer 8

The “cultural war”

Question 9

What did the “cultural war” aim to do?

Answer 9

It aimed to rewrite German history in line with Leninist principles

Question 10

Who did the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) employ under the “cultural war”?

Answer 10

The SED employed historians with the job of administering the past to validate the East German version of national identity

Question 11

What example does Orlow give regarding the propaganda used under the “cultural war”?

Answer 11

The East German government communicated that the cause of the Second World War stemmed from the monopoly capitalists succeeding in their venture to bring Hitler to power

Question 12

How did the process of rewriting history under the “cultural war” lead to the fall of the GDR?

Answer 12

By seeking to create a distinct national identity contingent upon a selective interpretation of history, the regime inadvertently emphasised the confines of its own ideology and paved the way for the fall

Question 13

Historian Daniel Smith quote about rewriting German history under the “cultural war”

Answer 13

“Absolution of the German people meant denying opportunities for popular self-critique, creating an atmosphere which unwittingly condoned the Romantic national myth”

Question 14

Evaluate this quote: “Absolution of the German people meant denying opportunities for popular self-critique, creating an atmosphere which unwittingly condoned the Romantic national myth”

Answer 14

This quote illuminates the detrimental impact of exonerating the German people of their responsibility for the war and its aftermath

It hindered a comprehensive introspective analysis of their actions and obstructed a critical examination of the past - ultimately perpetuating a distorted national identity

Question 15

How was the formation of a national identity in the GDR manipulated?

Answer 15

National identity was exhausted as a means to an end rather than a means in itself

Question 16

How was national identity was exhausted as a means to an end rather than a means in itself?

Answer 16

The government manipulated national identity to validate their rule and strengthen the idea that socialism was the only viable political system

Question 17

The concept of a Socialist national identity in East Germany was not an organic development but…

Answer 17

an “artificial Soviet creation” (Dietrich Orlow)

Question 18

Why was national identity in the GDR an “artificial Soviet creation”?

Answer 18

It was not the consequence of sincere and authentic popular sentiment, but an external imposition

Question 19

How did the geographical proximity of East Germany to West Germany hinder the development of a distinct national identity?

Answer 19

The FRG exposed GDR citizens to conflicting ideas and values that made it difficult for them to fully embrace socialism and their developing national identity

Question 20

What was the most infamous propaganda programme on television in the GDR?

Answer 20

The Black Channel

Question 21

What was Von Schnitzler’s regular opening gambit on The Black Channel?

Answer 21

“Poverty, unemployment, breached human rights, lies and state sanctioned murder, the FRG today”

Question 22

What did West German television emphasise?

Answer 22

The appeal of capitalism - particularly the wide variety of enticing products to be purchased in such an economy and by criticising the regime’s human rights violations and economic woes

Question 23

Why did East Germany encounter difficulties in combating West German influences?

Answer 23

They relied on the FRG for economic support and political legitimacy - as the country struggled to address the challenges of its underdeveloped economy and retain control over a restive population

Question 24

East Germany struggled to establish a unique national identity since it was always in the shadow of…

Answer 24

the more prosperous and influential West Germany

Question 25

The view of political scientist Anne-Marie Le Gloannec on how the GDR compromised its own national identity

Answer 25

The GDR compromised its own national identity and independence by surrounding their citizens with a wall and suppressing their rights - this “kept the national question afloat” which led to an increased reliance on West Germany as their exclusive gateway to the world

Question 26

International success at sport was judged as…

Answer 26

a sure-fire way of engendering pride in GDR achievements

Question 27

The GDR enrolled promising young athletes into…

Answer 27

special schools

Question 28

What was the purpose of enrolling promising young athletes into special schools?

Answer 28

To produce an elite of disciplined communists who could demonstrate the superiority of communism while acting as heroes and role models for the East Germans who would therefore take more pride and identify more closely with the regime

Question 29

The GDR’s avowed belief in sexual equality ensured women would be encouraged to participate in sport as much as men - although they were discouraged from taking part in what were considered…

Answer 29

male preserves

Question 30

What are some examples of male preserves?

Answer 30

football and contact sports such as judo

Question 31

On the surface women athletes were hugely successful - what shows this?

Answer 31

In the 1989 Olympics, they constituted 36% of the GDR team but won 47% of the GDR medals