Search

The article discusses attempts to promote and protect East German culture through the German Democratic Republic's (GDRs) Socialist Unity Party's (SEDs) emphasis on reconstructing German musical life through cultural policies in order to create a new "socialist national culture" that would be separate from the American-influenced music of West Germany. How intertwining forces of Soviet-imposed socialism and German nationalism determined party music policy in the GDR is described. The SED made no effort to foster new music for the proletariat, but instead attempted to make art music and elite musical institutions accessible to the working class. East Germany's political relationship with the Federal Republic of Germany affected party music policies and the activities of the Composers' Union.

The article discusses the political success and failure of schooling cadres designed to promote the socialist policies of the Socialist Union Party (SED) of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) of East Germany. The disparity between the GDR's ideological perception of itself as anti-fascist and the reality that nationalist sentiments survived the collapse of Nazism and included members of the SED is analyzed. The SED's conception of patriotism is examined. The mobilization of cadres at communist party schools under the umbrella organization the "National Front for Democratic Germany" intensified the campaign for German unification.

The article examines case of the Greek Civil War refugees arriving in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the years 1949 and 1950. In January and February 1949, the new support committee hosted the visit of a delegation of the Greek communist provisional government led by minister of social affairs and education, Petros Kokkalis. The Greek delegation raised the topic of evacuating Greek children from the Balkans to the GDR, and the German side indicated its willingness to host 150 children permanently in orphanages, to give apprenticeships in enterprises to another 75 youths and to receive annually 1000 children for several weeks of holidays.