Abstract
The former German Democratic Republic (GDR) was generally regarded as the most economically developed and politically stable country of Eastern Europe. While I was often struck by the tragedies of the GDR during my Fulbright Lectureship at Humboldt University in 1988-1989, I also felt that it had a tremendous potential if it could somehow achieve a genuine socialist democracy. Despite the enthusiasm of many GDR citizens for developments in the Soviet Union, particularly glasnost, the Socialist Unity Party (SED) elites systematically tried to suppress their impact. Many East Germans asked, "Where is our Gorbachev?" and looked forward to the day when a more youthful, reform-minded leadership would work for socialism with a human face. While many GDR citizens expressed their dissent by retreating into a private world, others whom I met hoped for and struggled to create a socialist society. None of them expected that the GDR would move toward reunification with the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) about a year later, although many hoped the Wall would be dismantled.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
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