Illustrations  ix

Preface and Acknowledgements  xi

Introduction  1

1. Exit-Voice Dynamics and Collective Action  14

2. Blocked Voice, Demobilization, and the Crisis of East German Communism  31

3. No Exit: The Niche Society and the Limits of Coercive Surveillance  61

4. Dona Nobis Pacem: Political Subcultures, the Church, and the Birth of Dissident Voice  81

5. Triggering Insurgent Voice: The Exiting Crisis and the Rebellion against Communism  107

6. Fight or Flight? A Statistical Evaluation of Exit-Voice Dynamics in the East German Revolution  142

7. Why Was There No Chinese Solution in the GDR?   165

8. Activists of the First Hour: New Forum and the Mobilization of Reformist Voice  190

9. Reunification as the Collective Exit from Socialism  224

Conclusion  254

Appendix: Quantitative Data and the Statistical Analysis of County-Level Exit and Voice Relationships  267

Notes  275

Bibliography  299

Index  325

“[A]n important and impressive contribution to the analysis of the crisis and transformation processes in East Germany. . . . By combining the skeleton of a "social mechanism" with the flesh of "event history" it provides a "dense description" of post-totalitarian state crises, popular protest movement and "revolution" following the best traditions in historical sociology. In doing so, the study is also worth reading for students who do not favour the collective action theory or related Rational Choice approaches. It transcends the single case of East Germany and will stimulate broader debate in the field.”—Raj Kollmorgen, Canadian Journal of Sociology Online

“[T]his is a fine study that breaks new empirical and theoretical grounds in political science. It shines illuminating light on the continuing problem of racial inequality. In a sharp manner, it raises the thorny question of whether political equality is possible without economic parity. This book shows that rhetorical tricks claiming colorblindness dry up like a raisin in the sun when confronted with historical and structural realities.”—Jamie K. McCallum, Mobilization

“Pfaff has produced a vital and important work, impressively underscoring, above all, the key role played by the flight and emigration movement in the decline of the GDR . . . . [A] masterpiece of historical sociology and the study of communism.”—Jens Gieseke, Central European History

“Pfaff’s work contributes to our understanding of both exit-voice dynamics and the complexities of that revolution.”—Michael L. Hughes, German Studies Review

“The book should be read closely by students of Germany for its fine grained analysis and by those interested in methodological insights into the application of quantitative and qualitative approaches.”—John K. Glenn, Contemporary Sociology

“This work of sociology by Steven Pfaff adds to our understanding of why East Germans became so suddenly, so forcefully, and so effectively oppositionist in the autumn of 1989. . . . Readers will revel in the detailed descriptions of political and social phenomena.”—John K. Cox, Ph.D., International Social Science Review

“Pfaff’s theoretical synthesis is both ingenious and intuitively plausible. . . . Exit-Voice Dynamics is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how emigration and protest can conspire to undo tyranny just when it seems most stable.” —Jeremy Staughn, American Journal of Sociology

“This is an excellent study is several respects: it provides a very rich and vivid account of the German revolution. It sometimes reads like a suspenseful thriller. The mixture of statistical analysis and narrative evidence from a great variety of sources . . . is rarely found in literature. . . . My recommendation is: if you want to read a fascinating narrative of a unique revolution with a sound empirical and theoretical underpinning, then Steven Pfaff’s book is a ‘must’.”—Karl-Dieter Opp, Social Forces

“. . . a very engaging book. . .”—Feiwel Kupferberg, Slavic Review

“[A]n important and impressive contribution to the analysis of the crisis and transformation processes in East Germany. . . . By combining the skeleton of a "social mechanism" with the flesh of "event history" it provides a "dense description" of post-totalitarian state crises, popular protest movement and "revolution" following the best traditions in historical sociology. In doing so, the study is also worth reading for students who do not favour the collective action theory or related Rational Choice approaches. It transcends the single case of East Germany and will stimulate broader debate in the field.”—Raj Kollmorgen, Canadian Journal of Sociology Online

“[T]his is a fine study that breaks new empirical and theoretical grounds in political science. It shines illuminating light on the continuing problem of racial inequality. In a sharp manner, it raises the thorny question of whether political equality is possible without economic parity. This book shows that rhetorical tricks claiming colorblindness dry up like a raisin in the sun when confronted with historical and structural realities.”—Jamie K. McCallum, Mobilization

“Pfaff has produced a vital and important work, impressively underscoring, above all, the key role played by the flight and emigration movement in the decline of the GDR . . . . [A] masterpiece of historical sociology and the study of communism.”—Jens Gieseke, Central European History

“Pfaff’s work contributes to our understanding of both exit-voice dynamics and the complexities of that revolution.”—Michael L. Hughes, German Studies Review

“The book should be read closely by students of Germany for its fine grained analysis and by those interested in methodological insights into the application of quantitative and qualitative approaches.”—John K. Glenn, Contemporary Sociology

“This work of sociology by Steven Pfaff adds to our understanding of why East Germans became so suddenly, so forcefully, and so effectively oppositionist in the autumn of 1989. . . . Readers will revel in the detailed descriptions of political and social phenomena.”—John K. Cox, Ph.D., International Social Science Review

“Pfaff’s theoretical synthesis is both ingenious and intuitively plausible. . . . Exit-Voice Dynamics is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how emigration and protest can conspire to undo tyranny just when it seems most stable.” —Jeremy Staughn, American Journal of Sociology

“This is an excellent study is several respects: it provides a very rich and vivid account of the German revolution. It sometimes reads like a suspenseful thriller. The mixture of statistical analysis and narrative evidence from a great variety of sources . . . is rarely found in literature. . . . My recommendation is: if you want to read a fascinating narrative of a unique revolution with a sound empirical and theoretical underpinning, then Steven Pfaff’s book is a ‘must’.”—Karl-Dieter Opp, Social Forces

“. . . a very engaging book. . .”—Feiwel Kupferberg, Slavic Review

“With a simple yet incisive theoretical perspective, Steven Pfaff casts a bright light on the crisis of East German Communism, the ‘exiting crisis’ and popular rebellion of 1989, the marginalization of leftist activists, and the turn to nationalism and German reunification. This is the best theoretical analysis of the East German revolution that I have read. Pfaff’s model of exit-voice dynamics is also a major contribution to the literature on collective action and revolutions.”—Jeff Goodwin, author of No Other Way Out: States and Revolutionary Movements, 1945–1991

“Exit-Voice Dynamics and the Collapse of East Germany is a highly original contribution to the study of Communism’s collapse and the role of collective action in political change. Its mixture of quantitative and qualitative evidence is unprecedented.”—Jeffrey Kopstein, author of The Politics of Economic Decline in East Germany, 1945–1989

“Steven Pfaff offers a bold sociological explanation of the collapse of Communism in East Germany. On the basis of detailed protest data, he explores the dynamics of ‘exit’ and ‘voice’ in eroding popular ‘loyalty’ to the Marxist dictatorship.”—Konrad H. Jarausch, editor of Dictatorship as Experience: Towards a Socio-Cultural History of the GDR

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