This book provides an accessible, up-to-date introductory text for non-historians studying German at undergraduate level, providing a chronological overview of the major political and social changes in Germany and Austria since 1814 so that students can gain the historical context necessary to understand contemporary Germany.
This groundbreaking work examines East Germany's postwar development from the defeat of Nazism to the stabilization of a new socialist by 1968. Using a wide range of often previously unexamined contemporary documents, the book investigates how ordinary East Germans experienced this extraordinary political and social upheaval, and how central policy decisions were translated into the reality of everyday life in the provinces.
Designed for combined Language and Social Science 2nd and 3rd year courses on Germany found in departments of German, Politics, Modern Language and European Studies.