This interdisciplinary volume provides a range of perspectives on the collective memory of the German Democratic Republic in contemporary Germany. Individual essays examine the controversial commemoration of the victims of state socialism, memories of the GDR state's institutions (e.g. The National People's Army and the State Security Police), museums and the debates they inspire, the memories of the GDR's former elites, memories of everyday life in the GDR, and the contested legacies of antifascism and socialism. Taken as a whole, the collection explores the parallels between coming to terms with the GDR past and continuing debates about memories of National Socialism.

Memories of and attitudes to the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or East Germany, within contemporary Germany are characterized by their variety and complexity, whilst the debate over how to remember the GDR tells us a lot about how Germans see themselves and their future. This volume provides a range of international perspectives.