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The Society and Its EnvironmentGerman relations vis-a-vis East Germany and more generally in superpower relations.) East German thinking on the " German question " likewise changed from affirmation of one indivisible nation, to the idea of two states within one nation, and finally to the declaration of two separate nations.The 1949 constitution of East Germany referred to Germany as " an indivisible democratic republic " and noted that there was " only one German citizenship. " Throughout the 1950s, East Ger- many and the Soviet Union kept open the door of reunification and even made political overtures for closer cooperation with the West. In 1952 the Soviets were prepared to support a united but neutral Germany in order to deter West Germany from rearming and entering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). East Germany and the Soviet Union continued efforts to draw West Germany into some sort of " national compromise " even after the latter joined NATO in 1955. East German proposals were never seriously considered; Western policy dictated the international iso- lation and nonrecognition of East Germany.During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, the East Ger- man regime began to focus on internal socialist development as a prerequisite for unification. The success of the socialist system became the test " of every real German patriot. " Socialist develop- ment meant the collectivization of agriculture, the nationalization of industry, and the implementation of a highly centralized plan- ning system modeled after the Soviet system. The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 to stop the outflow of talented and skilled labor, and the New Economic System was launched in 1963. The coun- try consequently began to enjoy a period of relative prosperity.The new self-confidence of the regime was reflected in the chang- ing official attitudes toward and pronouncements on the German question. Confederation was still advanced as an option in the early 1960s, but later in the decade officials began to speak of the exist- ence of two separate states within one German nation. East Ger- man citizenship was established in 1967. The state secretariat for all German affairs became the state secretariat for West German affairs. Finally, a new constitution was promulgated in 1968, institutionalizing the change in policy. East Germany became " a socialist state of the German nation " (Article 1), " faithful to the interests of the German people and the international obligations of all Germans " (Article 6). It sought equality in recognition and international status and supported " the step-by-step rapproche- ment of the two German states until the time of their unification on the basis of democracy and socialism " (Article 8).75
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About this Item

Title
East Germany : a country study
Contributor Names
Burant, Stephen R., 1954-
Library of Congress. Federal Research Division.
Created / Published
Washington, D.C. : Federal Research Division, Library of Congress : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1988.
Subject Headings
-  Germany (East)
Notes
-  "Research completed July 1987."
-  Supercedes the 1982 ed. of East Germany : a country study, edited by Eugene K. Keefe.
-  Includes bibliographical references (p. 381-411) and index.
-  Also available in digital form.
Medium
xxxiii, 433 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Call Number/Physical Location
DD280.6 .E22 1988
Library of Congress Control Number
87600490
Language
English
Online Format
image
online text
pdf
Description
"Research completed July 1987." Supercedes the 1982 ed. of East Germany : a country study, edited by Eugene K. Keefe. Includes bibliographical references (p. 381-411) and index. Also available in digital form.
LCCN Permalink
https://lccn.loc.gov/87600490
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Sample format for citing a Country Study:

Metz, Helen Chapin, ed. Turkey:  A Country Study. Washington, DC: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1996.

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Chicago citation style:

Burant, Stephen R, and Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. East Germany: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O, 1988. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/87600490/.

APA citation style:

Burant, S. R. & Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. (1988) East Germany: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/87600490/.

MLA citation style:

Burant, Stephen R, and Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. East Germany: a country study. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O, 1988. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/87600490/>.

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