Constructing Socialism: Technology and Change in East Germany 1945-1990Trabant cars carried many East Germans westward after the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989. The car's 1950s design, obvious environmental incorrectness and all-plastic body became a symbol of the technological limitations of East German communism. But as Raymond G. Stokes points out in this text, eastern Germany in 1945 was one of the most highly developed, technologically sophisticated industrial areas in the world. Despite the evident failings of its technology by the late 1980s, the German Democratic Republic maintained advanced technological capability in selected areas. If the system itself was fundamentally flawed, what explains successes under the very same system? Why could the successes not be repeated in other areas? And if examples of success are so isolated, how did East Germany last as long as it did? |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Defining a Socialist System of Innovation in the GDR 19451958 | 13 |
Socialist Technology at the Crossroads 19581961 | 55 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
activities Allied appeared beginning Berlin bloc BStU capacity capitalist central chemical clearly computing considerable construction continued cooperation countries crisis despite early East German eastern economic effect efforts electronics engineers especially establish existence factories figures foreign GDR's Group Hannover impact important increased indicated industry innovation instance institutions late later least Leipzig Leipzig Trade Fair less limited machine major manufacture materials ment norms official organization party percent period personnel planning plant political possible practice Press problems production reasons relatively remained Republic result SAPMO scientific scientists Second sectors semiconductor social socialist Soviet Union standards Stasi system of innovation tech technical tion trade fair traditions United University Wall West western Zeiss zone
Bibliographic information
| Title | Constructing Socialism: Technology and Change in East Germany 1945-1990 Johns Hopkins Introductory Studies in the History Series Johns Hopkins studies in the history of technology, ISSN 2470-2773 |
| Author | Raymond G. Stokes |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | 3 Nov 2007 |
| ISBN | 0801863910, 9780801863912 |
| Length | 260 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |