Title: Tailoring truth : politicizing the past and negotiating memory in East Germany, 1945-1990 /
Authors: Olsen, Jon Berndt,
Year: 2015
Subjects: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands History.; Collective memory Political aspects Germany (East) History.; Memorialization Political aspects Germany (East) History.; Historiography Political aspects Germany (East) History.; Historical museums Political aspects Germany (East) History.; Political culture Germany (East) History.; Social control Germany (East) History.; Germany (East) Historiography.; Germany (East) Politics and government.; Germany (East) Social conditions.
Abstract: "By looking at state-sponsored memory projects, such as memorials, commemorations, and historical museums, this book reveals that the East German communist regime obsessively monitored and attempted to control public representations of the past to legitimize its rule. It demonstrates that the regime's approach to memory politics was not stagnant, but rather evolved over time to meet different demands and potential threats to its legitimacy. Ultimately the party found it increasingly difficult to control the public portrayal of the past, and some dissidents were able to turn the party's memory politics against the state to challenge its claims of moral authority"--Provided by publisher.
Contents: Mobilizing memory in the Soviet occupation zone -- The politics of state memory -- Emotional bonds -- Broadening the historical roots of the state narrative -- The erosion of state memory culture in the GDR.