State, Society and Memories of the Uprising of 17 June 1953 in the GDR

On 17 June 1953 almost one million East Germans took to the streets to demand the removal of the ruling communist regime and better living conditions, before Soviet steel and lead put an end to the unrest. Condemned as an attempted 'fascist putsch' in the East, the communist regime attempted to shape how citizens remembered the uprising, fearing that memories and awareness of the uprising might inspire further opposition and a possible repeat of the unrest. Utilising interviews with former East German citizens as well as archival research, this book examines the extent to which the East German regime succeeded in shaping citizens' memories of the uprising and thus the extent to which it was able to 'control' its citizens.

Richard Millington is Visiting Lecturer in German at the University of Chester, UK.

1. Introduction
2. Day X: Fascists, Spies and Thugs
3. Tales of that Day
4. Watching the West
5. Remembering and Discussing the Uprising of 17 June 1953
6. 17 June 1953: A Symbolic Talisman of Opposition?
7. Remembering 17 June 1953 in 1989
8. Conclusion
Appendix A
Appendix B