"Christian Joppke's study of the East German dissidents deserves to
be a classic in political sociology. The author's mastery of the
relevant theoretical literature is dazzling. Add to this his
meticulous research and complete command of a complex empirical
case, and you have all the ingredients for a truly exceptional
book. Joppke's work is as relevant to the student of modern Germany
as it is to those interested in the comparative politics of social
movements, the European left and nationalism. Rarely have I seen a
case study of such far-reaching theoretical as well as political
implication as Joppke's."
--Andrei S. Markovits, Professor and Chair Board of Studies in
Politics University of California, Santa Cruz
"An excellent book. Joppke not only succeeds in presenting a
very nuanced, and clearly written, account of the social and
intellectual forces that led to the GDR's fall. He also provides an
admirable synthesis of much of what we know about the East European
expression of Leninism, from the big experiments of the 1950s to
the big bang of 1989."
--A. James McAdams, University of Notre Dame
While the dissident movements of Eastern Europe were abandoning
communism in pursuit of visions of liberal democracy, the East
German movement continued to struggle for reform within the
communist movement. In "East German Dissidents and the Revolution
of 1989," Christian Joppke explains this anomaly in compelling
narrative detail. He argues that the peculiarities of German
history and culture prevented the possibility of a national
opposition to communism. Lured by the regime's proclaimed
antifascism, East German dissidents had to remain in a paradoxical
way loyal to the opposedregime.
The definitive study of East German opposition, Joppke's work
also presents an overview of opposition in communist systems in
general, providing both a model of social movements within Leninist
regimes and a balance to current revisionist histories of the GDR.
"East German Dissidents and the Revolution of 1989" will be of
interest to scholars and students of social movements, revolution,
German politics and society, the East European transformation, and
communist systems.
General
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