Life for the masses was generally bearable under Soviet rule during the Cold War writes historian Dr. Mary Fulbrook in her book “The People’s State: East German Society from Hitler to Honecker.” Dr. James Martin, chairman of Campbell University’s Department of Government, History and Justice, reviewed the book for a 2006 edition of “History: Reviews of New Books.” Based on recently opened archives, Fulbrook’s work points out that, contrary to western belief, East Germans under Soviet rule led fulfilling, productive lives. Although the upper echelons of pre-1945 German regimes may have experienced persecution, the class identity of the masses worked to their advantage in a Marxist state. Even the erection of the Berlin Wall is seen as a necessary means for terminating the East German “brain drain” and ending the “hot period” of the cold war insofar as Europe was concerned. East German authorities provided housing, leisure, health care, youth activities, job security and greater gender equality, although these benefits varied in quantity and quality. “All in all, “The People’s State” represents a convincing, balanced assessment of East German society and one finds little in the work to criticize,” Martin writes. “I recommend this work for both undergraduate and graduate classes.” A cum laude graduate of Duke University, Dr. James Martin received a Master of Arts degree from East Carolina University and a Ph.D. from Emory University. A past president of the Association of Historians in North Carolina, Martin joined the Campbell University faculty in 1991. The focus of Martin’s historical research is Jewish settlements in North Carolina and how the Jewish community contributed to the civic, professional and cultural climate. Martin is currently working on a book about the small town Jewish community in North Carolina.
Martin reviews book on East German Society in history journal