Title
Struggles in "The Stronghold of World Imperialism": East German ''People's Friendship'' as Nontraditional Diplomacy in the United States, 1961–1989
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2019
Abstract
This article centers on the League of People’s Friendship of the German Democratic Republic. The League, composed of a main organization in East Berlin and national partner societies scattered around the globe, served as a tool of nontraditional diplomacy for East Germany’s ruling communist party across much of the Cold War. This article sketches out the activities of the League’s partner organizations in the U.S.—the first analysis to do so—arguing first that given the variety of challenges and problems the League and its partner organizations faced, the limited success of these groups in the U.S. is, in the end, rather remarkable. Second, this essay argues that these organizations offer further evidence that East Germany was not exactly a puppet state.
Identifier
10.3167/gps.2019.370202
Publisher
Berghahn Books
Repository Citation
Johnson, J. (2019). Struggles in "The stronghold of world imperialism": East German "People's friendship" as nontraditional diplomacy in the United States, 1961-1989. German Politics and Society, 37(2), 23-43. doi: 10.3167/gps.2019.370202
Publication Information
German Politics and Society