Winner of the Social Science History Association President’s Book Award
East Germany was the first domino to fall when the Soviet bloc began to collapse in 1989. Its topple was so swift and unusual that it caught many area specialists and social scientists off guard; they failed to recognize the instability of the Communist regime, much less its fatal vulnerability to popular revolt. In this volume, Steven Pfaff identifies the central mechanisms that propelled the extraordinary and surprisingly bloodless revolution within the German Democratic Republic (GDR). By developing a theory of how exit-voice dynamics affect collective action, Pfaff illuminates the processes that spurred mass demonstrations in the GDR, led to a peaceful surrender of power by the hard-line Leninist elite, and hastened German reunification. While most social scientific explanations of collective action posit that the option for citizens to emigrate—or exit—suppresses the organized voice of collective public protest by providing a lower-cost alternative to resistance, Pfaff argues that a different dynamic unfolded in East Germany. The mass exit of many citizens provided a focal point for protesters, igniting the insurgent voice of the revolution.
Pfaff mines state and party records, police reports, samizdat, Church documents, and dissident manifestoes for his in-depth analysis not only of the genesis of local protest but also of the broader patterns of exit and voice across the entire GDR. Throughout his inquiry, Pfaff compares the East German rebellion with events occurring during the same period in other communist states, particularly Czechoslovakia, China, Poland, and Hungary. He suggests that a trigger from outside the political system—such as exit—is necessary to initiate popular mobilization against regimes with tightly centralized power and coercive surveillance.
Exit-Voice Dynamics and the Collapse of East Germany: The Crisis of Leninism and the Revolution of 1989
Steven Pfaff
352 pages (May 2006)
10 tables, 17 figures
Steven Pfaff
352 pages (May 2006)
10 tables, 17 figures
Cloth - $89.95 | 0-8223-3752-5 |
| [ISBN13 978-0-8223-3752-2] | |
Paperback - $24.95 | 0-8223-3765-7 |
| [ISBN13 978-0-8223-3765-2] | |
“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
Steven Pfaff is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Contents
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
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
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
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
Related subjects:
European Studies
Sociology
Political Science, European