Love in the Time of Communism
Intimacy and Sexuality in the GDR

This pioneering study explores the surprising extent and limits of the GDR's forgotten sexual revolution.

Josie McLellan (Author)

9780521727617, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 1 September 2011

250 pages, 21 b/w illus. 7 tables
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.5 cm, 0.41 kg

'McLellan … delivers superbly on her promise of a rounded history. Her book covers all major topics in the history of East German sexuality. Each chapter not only examines its theme from above and from below but discusses interactions between state policy and popular attitudes. The book offers well-grounded multi-causal explanations of developments. The result is a realistic, fair portrayal of sexuality in the GDR that critically assesses change and continuity over time.' Donna Harsch, German History

In the aftermath of the reunification of Germany one former dissident recalled nostalgically that under the East German regime 'we had more sex and we had more to laugh about'. Love in the Time of Communism is a fascinating history of the GDR's forgotten sexual revolution and its limits. Josie McLellan shows that under communism divorce rates soared, abortion become commonplace and the rate of births outside marriage was amongst the highest in Europe. Nudism went from ban to state-sponsored boom, and erotica became common currency in both the official economy and the black market. Public discussion of sexuality was, however, tightly controlled and there were few opportunities to challenge traditional gender roles or sexual norms. Josie McLellan's pioneering account questions some of our basic assumptions about the relationship between sexuality, politics and society and is a major contribution to our understanding of the everyday emotional lives of postwar Europeans.

1. Introduction: the East German sexual revolution
2. 'A bit of freedom': sex and young people
3. Marriage and monogamy
4. 'The dictatorship of love': sex, love, and state hypocrisy
5. Gay men, lesbians, and the struggle for the public sphere
6. The naked republic: nudism
7. Picturing sex: East German erotica
8. Conclusion: space for love?

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], European history [HBJD]