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Bezirke on Scale: Regional and Local Actors in East German 'Democratic Centralism'

Bezirke on scale: regionale und lokale Akteure im ostdeutschen 'demokratischen Zentralismus'
[journal article]

Kuhl, Lena
Werner, Oliver

Abstract

The article examines the potential of the scale approach in the analysis of the former socialist dictatorships in Middle- and Middle-East-Europe based on the case of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Obviously, the communist claim to power always relied on highly centralised chains of command. N... view more

The article examines the potential of the scale approach in the analysis of the former socialist dictatorships in Middle- and Middle-East-Europe based on the case of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Obviously, the communist claim to power always relied on highly centralised chains of command. Nevertheless, regional state functionaries were occasionally able to realize their specific interests by scalar strategies like forming horizontal alliances or ‘jumping’ over the official channels through vertical personal networks. Focussing on processes with different patterns of top-down- and bottom-up-interactions, the scale approach reveals the fragile construction of the GDR’s ‘Democratic Centralism’: By taking responsibility for regional or local interests and trying to streamline them with central politics, state functionaries at the same time stabilized and undermined the political system. Despite gaining temporary leeway for acting in their own interests, regional and local authorities remained bound to the directives from the central leadership till the end of the GDR in 1989/90.... view less

Keywords
centralization; zoning; German Democratic Republic (GDR); democratic centralism; regional planning; socialism; spatial planning; municipal administration; housing construction

Classification
Political System, Constitution, Government
General History
Area Development Planning, Regional Research

Free Keywords
politics of scale; dynamics of administration

Document language
English

Publication Year
2017

Page/Pages
p. 243-266

Journal
Historical Social Research, 42 (2017) 2

Issue topic
Spatial Dimensions of Governance in 20th Century Political Struggles

DOI
https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.42.2017.2.243-266

ISSN
0172-6404

Status
Published Version; peer reviewed

Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0


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© 2007 - 2025 Social Science Open Access Repository (SSOAR).
Based on DSpace, Copyright (c) 2002-2022, DuraSpace. All rights reserved.