Imposed Unity or Social Harmony? On the Socialist Construction Influence on the Forming of the East German Identity

Whether Germans were able to maintain their national unity during the years of postwar “disengagement” remains an ongoing question today. The painful adaptation of East Germany to the realities of the market economy led to the dismantling of the GDR's value system, and the historical memory of the GDR was also subjected to significant revision, which was facilitated by the promotion of the image of the GDR as the “SED dictatorship” in the official historiography and socio-political discourse of the FRG. These factors combined led to the social alienation of Germans in the two parts of Germany united in 1990. Today, we can see from the growing popularity of “ostalgic” sentiments in the “new” federal states that the “gains of socialism” have proved to be a stronger bond than previously imagined, which is especially evident in the context of the crisis of multiculturalism. Active socio-economic changes and cultural transformations aimed at strengthening the sovereignty of the GDR contributed to the consolidation of the ideologues underlying the concept of socialist construction in the public consciousness, which promoted the notion of a special East German otherness. In this respect, the problem of the influence of the socio-economic model on the formation of national identity requires serious research, since the results of such a study can be applied not only to German history, but will also reveal the mechanisms of self-determination of the society.

Keywords

GDR, SED, FRG, USSR, German question, socialist construction, historical memory, national identity, East German identity, economy, socialism, ostalgia

Received

09.06.2024

Publication date

30.09.2024

Number of characters

45366

Cite

GOST	Yablokov B. Imposed Unity or Social Harmony? On the Socialist Construction Influence on the Forming of the East German Identity // ISTORIYA – 2024. – V. 15. – Issue 9 (143) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840032796-4-1 (circulation date: 17.05.2025). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840032796-4
MLA	Yablokov, Boris "Imposed Unity or Social Harmony? On the Socialist Construction Influence on the Forming of the East German Identity." ISTORIYA 15.9 (143) (2024) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840032796-4
APA	Yablokov B. (2024). Imposed Unity or Social Harmony? On the Socialist Construction Influence on the Forming of the East German Identity. ISTORIYA 15(9 (143)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840032796-4

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