ABSTRACT
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) is largely a product of the collapse of the Third Reich and the subsequent division of Europe into hostile spheres of influence. Long viewed in the West as merely “the Soviet occupation zone,” the GDR has experienced diplomatic isolation, economic discrimination, and political penetration. The socialist impulse of Marxism-Leninism proceeds from similar assumptions, but there are also very important differences both in principle and in practice. A distinguishing feature of Marxism has always been its ecological, or systemic, view of human development. However, in the late 1960s a more comprehensive view of social change began to surface in authoritative writings. The problem of uncertain national identity is epidemic, affecting large nations and small, rich and poor. Such government support for cultural activity continues an older German tradition, but it acquires added meaning in the search for national identity.
