Bowling for communism : urban ingenuity at the end of East Germany
Bowling for Communism illuminates how civic life functioned in Leipzig, East Germany's second-largest city, on the eve of the 1989 Revolution by exploring acts of "urban ingenuity" amidst catastrophic urban decay. Andrew Demshuk profiles the creative activism of local communist offici...
| 1. Verfasser: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | E-Book |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
Ithaca, [New York] London : Cornell University Press,
[2020]
|
| Mit dem übergeordneten Werk verknüpfte Titel: | Russian and Eurasian studies
|
| Schlagworte: | Architecture and state Urban renewal Communism and architecture City planning POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism Leipzig Altstadt Baufälligkeit Stadtplanung Schwarzbau mehr... |
| Umfang: | 1 Online-Ressource (xvi, 253 Seiten) |
| Zusammenfassung: | Bowling for Communism illuminates how civic life functioned in Leipzig, East Germany's second-largest city, on the eve of the 1989 Revolution by exploring acts of "urban ingenuity" amidst catastrophic urban decay. Andrew Demshuk profiles the creative activism of local communist officials who, with the help of scores of volunteers, constructed a palatial bowling alley without Berlin's knowledge or approval. In a city mired in disrepair, civic pride overcame resentment against a regime loathed for corruption, Stasi spies, and the Berlin wall.Reconstructing such episodes through interviews and obscure archival materials, Demshuk shows how the public square functioned in Leipzig before the fall of communism. Hardly detached or inept, local officials worked around centralized failings to build a more humane city. And hardly disengaged, residents engaged in black market construction to patch up their surroundings.Because such "urban ingenuity" was premised on weakness in the centralized regime, the dystopian cityscape evolved from being merely a "idian grievance to the backdrop for revolution. If, by their actions, officials were demonstrating that the regime was irrelevant, and if, in their own experiences, locals only attained basic repairs outside official channels, why should anyone have mourned the system when it was overthrown? Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction: Can Leipzig Still Be Saved? -- 1. Survival and Despair in Dystopia -- 2. Urban Ingenuity in the System -- 3. Utopian Visions in 1988 -- 4. Urban Ingenuity Underground -- 5. The City as Stage in Revolution -- Epilogue: Continuities in “the Saved City” -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index |
|---|---|
| Beschreibung: | Gesamttitelangabe vom Umschlag |
| Beschreibung: | 1 Online-Ressource (xvi, 253 Seiten) |
| Format: | Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web. |
| ISBN: | 9781501751684 1501751689 9781501751677 1501751670 9781501751660 1501751662 |
| DOI: | 10.1515/9781501751684 |
| Zugangseinschränkungen: | Restricted Access |