Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990

In Beyond the Wall, acclaimed historian Katja Hoyer delves into the history of East Germany, a country that ceased to exist in 1990 when the Iron Curtain fell. For over four decades, East Germany presented a radically different German identity shaped by socialist solidarity, secret police, central planning, and barbed wire. Hoyer offers a fresh and kaleidoscopic view of this vanished state, tracing its origins from the bitter experiences of German Marxists exiled by Hitler, to the creation of a distinctive socialist society under Stalin’s influence. From the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 to the relative prosperity of the 1970s and the eventual collapse in the 1980s, the book highlights the rich political, social, and cultural landscape of East Germany. Far from the Cold War caricatures, Hoyer paints a dynamic portrait of a society that, despite oppression and hardship, was far more complex and vibrant than often portrayed in the West. This definitive history is brought to life through a wealth of never-before-seen interviews, letters, and records, offering a comprehensive and humanizing look at the “other Germany” beyond the Wall.