Nie Wieder? Laughter and forgetting in East Germany

Article Abstract:

East German Heike Weber, a lecturer at the University of Leipzig, embodies the disillusionment felt by persons like her over the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Weber's father and grandfather were impassioned communists, a result of their experience as victims of Nazi persecution. Weber became a member of the East German SED (Communist Party). She admitted her lack of commitment to party ideals because as a little girl who spent some years in Austria, she knew what life was in a capitalist system. She vows never again to join any political party, saying that her experience with the East German SED had inoculated her against anything political.

Author: Rodden, John
Social aspects, Personal narratives, Socialism, East Germany, Germany, East

User Contributions:

Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:

CAPTCHA


A revolutionary in love with the past: a grandmother's Sternstunden

Article Abstract:

Annaliese Saupe, an 84-year-old German grandmother and a revolutionary of the pre-unified German era, chronicled the turbulent events of German history. Saupe was hunted by the Nazis, dismissed for revolutionary work by the Communist Party of East Germany, and admired by the intelligentsia for her positive role in spear-heading society against the Honecker rule in the 'Revolution of 1989.' Saupe, in the aftermath of the unification of Germany, bemoans the loss of family and moral values of early 20th century Germany.

Author: Rodden, John
Saupe, Annaliese

User Contributions:

Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:

CAPTCHA


Zarathustra's clan

Article Abstract:

Friedrich Nietzsche's stature is on the rise in post-Communist Germany after decades of neglect because of his philosophy's alleged advocacy of Nazism. The identification of Nietzsche's views with Nazism was largely a product of his sister Elisabeth's adoption of fascism and national socialism and her marketing of Nietzsche's works. Nietzsche had been long dead during the height of Hitler's power. This revelation is contained in the book 'Zarathustra's Clan' written by Nietzsche's niece, Frau Sigismund.

Author: Rodden, John
Philosophers, Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm

User Contributions:

Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:

CAPTCHA


Subjects list: Appreciation
This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.