Constructing Socialism: Technology and Change in East Germany, 1945-1990(Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology)

Trabant cars carried many East Germans westward after the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989. The car's 1950s design, obvious environmental incorrectness and all-plastic body became a symbol of the technological limitations of East German communism. But as Raymond G. Stokes points out in this text, eastern Germany in 1945 was one of the most highly developed, technologically sophisticated industrial areas in the world. Despite the evident failings of its technology by the late 1980s, the German Democratic Republic maintained advanced technological capability in selected areas. If the system itself was fundamentally flawed, what explains successes under the very same system? Why could the successes not be repeated in other areas? And if examples of success are so isolated, how did East Germany last as long as it did? To answer these questions, Raymond Stokes examines the system of innovation that delivered some minimal level of technological excellence into the East German economy and industry. Focusing on success rather than failure, Stokes offers a general history of East German technology between 1945 and 1990. He combines an overview and synthesis of emerging scholarly literature with an examination of newly opened archival material in order to explore issues that include automation, standardization, technology transfer and technological tourism, and espionage. The study investigates specific technologies and machines but also emphasizes the people who designed and implemented them and the cultural context and meanings of technological systems.

About the Author :
Raymond G. Stokes is a reader in the Department of Economic History at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of Divide and Prosper and Opting for Oil.

Review :
"ÝRaymond G. Stokes's¨ book is marked by unconventional and fresh ideas, and it is highly readable. His inquiry into the GDR's potential for innovation from a history-of-technology perspective has remarkably enriched our understanding of the rise and the failure of state socialism." -- Karin Zachmann, Technology and Culture "[Raymond G. Stokes's] book is marked by unconventional and fresh ideas, and it is highly readable. His inquiry into the GDR's potential for innovation from a history-of-technology perspective has remarkably enriched our understanding of the rise and the failure of state socialism." -- Karin Zachmann, Technology and Culture "A fine work of scholarship: well researched, well written and well organized, and accessible even to readers who know nothing about technology. Stokes is not afraid to take on big issues and his analysis provides a plausible and convincing explanation of an important dynamic of GDR history... fascinating in its detail and important in its thesis." -- Gareth Pritchard, German History "Stokes delivers a beautifully nuanced and seductive economic history of technology from Societ Zone to the fall of the Berlin Wall." -- C. A. J. Chilvers, British Journal for the History of Science "Stokes has produced a valuable and eminently readable overview of East Germany's technological development. Although the general contours of the story are not new, many of the facets he investigates, and the nuances he presents, are." -- Raymond Bentley, American Historical Review "The first major attempt at a comprehensive history of technology of East Germany in English... This is a major work that makes a useful contribution to the growing field of East Germany history, combining original research with a discussion of the secondary literature." -- Dolores L. Augustine, German Studies Review "The uniqueness of the research found in Constructing Socialism is its ability to present a clear and sophisticated analysis that explains the small successes and systematic stability that the GDR achieved... The importance of this book moves well beyond simple documentation. Stoke's book gives us an empirically real-life battle over the philosophical and political implications of technology in society." -- Daniel B. Wilson, Historian "This book deals convincingly with an important subject... well argued, well written and well structured." -- Monika Dickhaus, Business History "The uniqueness of the research found in "Constructing Socialism" is its ability to present a clear and sophisticated analysis that explains the small successes and systematic stability that the GDR achieved... The importance of this book moves well beyond simple documentation. Stoke's book gives us an empirically real-life battle over the philosophical and political implications of technology in society."--Daniel B. Wilson, "Historian" "[Raymond G. Stokes's] book is marked by unconventional and fresh ideas, and it is highly readable. His inquiry into the GDR's potential for innovation from a history-of-technology perspective has remarkably enriched our understanding of the rise and the failure of state socialism." -- Karin Zachmann, Technology and Culture "A fine work of scholarship: well researched, well written and well organized, and accessible even to readers who know nothing about technology. Stokes is not afraid to take on big issues and his analysis provides a plausible and convincing explanation of an important dynamic of GDR history... fascinating in its detail and important in its thesis." -- Gareth Pritchard, German History "Stokes delivers a beautifully nuanced and seductive economic history of technology from Societ Zone to the fall of the Berlin Wall." -- C. A. J. Chilvers, British Journal for the History of Science "Stokes has produced a valuable and eminently readable overview of East Germany's technological development. Although the general contours of the story are not new, many of the facets he investigates, and the nuances he presents, are." -- Raymond Bentley, American Historical Review "The first major attempt at a comprehensive history of technology of East Germany in English... This is a major work that makes a useful contribution to the growing field of East Germany history, combining original research with a discussion of the secondary literature." -- Dolores L. Augustine, German Studies Review "The uniqueness of the research found in Constructing Socialism is its ability to present a clear and sophisticated analysis that explains the small successes and systematic stability that the GDR achieved... The importance of this book moves well beyond simple documentation. Stoke's book gives us an empirically real-life battle over the philosophical and political implications of technology in society." -- Daniel B. Wilson, Historian "This book deals convincingly with an important subject... well argued, well written and well structured." -- Monika Dickhaus, Business History