Beyond the Wall
East Germany, 1949-1990
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Beyond the Wall
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Narrated by:
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Sam Peter Jackson
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By:
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Katja Hoyer
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Longlisted for The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2023.
The definitive new history of East Germany by an acclaimed historian
In 1990, a country disappeared. For the previous forty-one years, East Germany had existed in Western minds as more of a metaphor than a place, more of a grey communist blur than a land of real people with friends and families, workplaces and homes. As Germany once again became a single state, the history of the GDR was simplified and politicised. It was nothing but Stasi spies and central planning, nothing but a wall in Berlin.
In Beyond the Wall, acclaimed historian Katja Hoyer looks past these outdated conceptions and toward a more comprehensive history, one that acknowledges border guards, secret police and brutal repression, as well as comprehensive welfare, unprecedented gender equality, and the deconstruction of class privilege. There were those who were silenced, she argues, and also those who felt they had been given a voice for the first time. Both deserve to be heard today.
Based on first-hand accounts and extensive new research, Hoyer presents the history of the GDR as never before—as a kaleidoscope of perspectives, experiences and stories. From the ashes of the Second World War to the fall of the USSR, this is the definitive story of the other Germany, the one beyond the Wall.
©2023 Katja Hoyer (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Beyond the Wall
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- P M D Edgington
- 30-08-23
Fascinating and well researched
Covering all aspects of life in the GDR from war recovery to unification this is a comprehensive and interesting book. The author uses voices from the times and places mentioned effectively. The book is narrated clearly and with expression.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Pogo
- 02-05-23
Very well Researched, Detailed and Interesting
I have a deep passion of all things German in the 20th century so this really sparked my interest. The story is so fascinating anyone with a basic grasp of history and politics would definitely also enjoy.
Sam Peter Jackson's performance is flawless, can't wait to read Katja Hoyer's next book, well done all!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Neil Ward
- 02-05-24
Fascinating book
The bringing to life of the real story warts and all of the history and struggles of the people of East Germany
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Border Collie
- 03-05-23
An excellent listen. Refreshingly sympathetic to DDR
I thoroughly enjoyed this listen, a great insight and narrative of East Germany. I particularly enjoyed the background stories of the founders of the new state. The book’s view that Stalin was happy for a neutral, unified Germany is a new one for me and I’d like to see more sources for that. Overall the book goes easy on the DDR and doesn’t quite explain the absolute fear of living under such a regime. The author could have mentioned details of how the East German Army recruited former Wehrmacht Generals and adopted Nazi uniform and goose-step. A much needed book, highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Oliver Dunn
- 13-12-23
Quality
Excellent good information and good reading. A must listen to for Cold War enthusiasts and researchers
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jon-Pol
- 09-01-24
Excellent
Katja Hoyer at her very best - this history of the DDR with emphasis on its human face is a welcome addition to the country’s historiography
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Robin Cross
- 10-03-24
Fascinating multi-faceted dive into the GDR
This book delves into the history of East Germany from political, industrial, cultural and personal angles, and gives a fuller understanding of life beyond the wall and a brief look at the dificulties that came after its fall. Fantastic listen. German initialisms etc. could have been read in English though.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Louis & Victoria Alexander
- 10-06-23
Colourful and unforgettable
This is a totally engrossing story of a country that lived and breathed for 40 years and suddenly ceased to exist. Brilliantly written and narrated, many episodes will linger in my brain for years to cone.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark
- 21-08-23
Balanced, fascinating and memorable
This history of East Germany is so interesting because Katja Hoyer grew up there but seems to have no ideological biases about the country. She recounts the repression, the failures of state planning and the horrors of the Berlin Wall. But, she also reports on the extraordinary gender equality, the subsidised rents and child care, the early economic successes and the surprising space for some kinds of protest. Overall, I could see why so many tried to escape but also why so many in the current Eastern länder miss some aspects of life in the German Democratic Republic. I learned a lot.
In an audiobook, the narrator matters almost as much as the author. The narrator here obviously speaks excellent German (or is fully bilingual) but also reads extremely well without amateur dramatics but with feeling and engagement. A great job
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Graham
- 24-08-23
An illuminating history of a poorly understood place and time in history
I first visited East Berlin in 1978 and returned on the night of Reunification. This book helps explain what I saw and the changes in between.
Importantly it also frames East Germans far less as victims and more as people who were (are) proud of their homeland despite being locked in.
Equally important is the light the book shins on the present day attitudes of a significant minority of German voters to Russia.
The book is very well written by a very talented historian and deserves to be widely read. I will certainly re-read it.
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