Literatur in den Farben der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik

Walter Ulbricht and Erich Honecker did not only differ slightly in their leadership styles, but also in their interest in culture – with far-reaching consequences. So far, however, policy analysis has been neglected in the research on autocracies in general and in GDR research in particular. Comparative studies are also scarce. This functionary-centered study analyzes and compares the changes in cultural policy during the two dictators’ terms of office, especially in relation to the field of fiction literature, which the SED gave special attention to. It differentiates theoretically between functionaries, concepts and control instruments in the policy area of "culture" during various phases. Based on extensive documentary material, the study illustrates and highlights the specific responsibility of senior officials in formal and informal decision-making. The study’s focus, therefore, is the point of view of state officials, not of writers, as is the case in many other studies.