East German Craftspeople in the Transition from Communism to Democracy. A social history, 1980-2000

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Thomas Schaarschmidt
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 444136534

Public debates on the outcome of economic and social transition in East Germany are extremely polarized. On the one hand it is seen as a successful transformation of a communist state-run economy into a competitive market economy with the prospect of ”flourishing landscapes” as promised by former federal chancellor Helmut Kohl; on the other, the result is the deindustrialisation of the former GDR by the machination of the Treuhandstalt without any prospect of being on equal level with their Western counterparts.The research project aspires to overcome these two perspectives on the transition period by focusing on East German craftspeople. It intends to deal with a segment of non-industrial labour, which a) has been widely neglected by researchers before and after 1989/90, which b) has been surprisingly successful in both periods, which c) in many regions became the backbone of local economies after the demise of state-owned industries, and which d) were not affected by the activities of the Treuhand as their workshops had been privately owned or co-operatives. Investigating the lives of East German craftspeople contributes to the analysis of conflicts, arrangements and the erosion of local communities in late socialism (BAHR 2016; WEIß / BRAUN 2019). Researching the history of private workshops and artisanal co-operatives sheds new light on negotiation processes, scopes of action, networks and social mobility in the transition from communism to democracy which changed the whole fabric of politics, economy and social relations with consequences to the present day.If one considers their social and economic impact it is incomprehensible why non-industrial labour and craftspeople in particular have been widely neglected by most historians. Dealing with their history offers news insights into the transformation of labour and new dimensions of social inequality in the last years of the GDR and after the fall of Communism. Up to now radical change and in consequence of that widespread de-industrialisation, master-minded by the Treuhandanstalt, feature prominently when we are talking about the transition from planned to market economy. Compared to this grim scenario, an approach which focuses on East German craftspeople, their ability to cope with new challenges and their networks offers alternative perspectives on continuity and change in local communities which can explain relative social stability as well as new conflicts.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants