ABSTRACT
Lecturing and doing research were not the only activities, and sometimes not even the main ones, of East German Marxist scholars; they were also expected to be involved in educating the population in a much broader sense. Olof Klohr and the other specialists in atheism, in Rostock (1957–1962) and Jena (1963–1968), were very active as speakers in broad public conferences organised by enlightenment and cultural associations. The very sophisticated system of continued Marxist-Leninist training for all university students, scholars and employees at Jena proved a rather ineffective tool for talking about atheism. Very quickly, the scientific atheists concentrated on training teachers, the youth organisation and other intermediaries to introduce atheism and religious issues and spread atheism in various contexts, beyond the small group of scholars. They also acted as experts for political decision-makers on a regional and even national level, arguing in favour of a certain type of atheist propaganda. Investigating the reasons for their success or lack of influence at these different levels offers insight into how the East German Party-State tried, or did not try, to promote atheism among its population.
