The Closed World of East German Economists: Hopes and Defeats of a Generation

by Till Düppe

Overview

History is replete with examples of scientists and social scientists working under the yoke of oppressive regimes. In The Closed World of East German Economists, Till Düppe tells the story of a generation of economists whose entire careers coincided with the forty-one-year existence of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In a micro-historical fashion, he examines the world of East German economists through the formative episodes in the lives of five different economists from this “hope” generation. Using both the perspective of the actors as expressed in interviews and archival material unknown to the actors, the book follows East German economics from the early days of the acceptance of Marxism-Leninism through to its interaction with Western economics and its eventual dissolution following the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It is fascinating insight into the challenges faced by economists in a unique period of European history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781009233071
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/11/2023
Series:	Historical Perspectives on Modern Economics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Till Düppe is professor at the département des sciences économiques, and member of the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie (CIRST), both at the Université du Québec à Montréal. For periods of this research, he was visiting researcher at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), and at the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History in Potsdam.

Table of Contents

Introduction: East Germany's hope generation; Part I. Growing Into a Socialist Germany: 1. Socialist awakening; 2. Socialist role models; Part II. Becoming of Age During the Thaw: 3. Staging a scientific debate; 4. Negotiating socialist statistics; Part III. Reforming reforms towards bailout: 5. Ulbricht's modernist reforms; 6. Honecker's bourgeois reforms; Part IV. Letting Go: 7. Diverting West during the détente; 8. Saving socialism from the GDR; 9. Conclusion: Retiring with the state; References; Index.