Huff, Tobias. Natur und Industrie im Sozialismus: Eine Umweltgeschichte der DDR. Umwelt und Gesselschaft, edited by Christof Mauch and Helmuth Trischler, vol. 13. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co, 2015.
Should East Germany be considered a “failed state” from an ecological perspective? Images of polluted cities, landscapes devastated by mining, and sludge pits have become icons representing the environmental destruction of the former East German state. Tobias Huff offers a more nuanced picture, pointing out growing ecological awareness and efforts to protect the forest and clean the air. His study challenges common conceptions that portray the environmental history of East Germany as one of decline, as well as the idea the state and environmentalism were in direct opposition to one another. Instead, he shows that there were advocates of environmental measures within the socialist party, even while the party determined which voices and issues were heard and discussed.(Text adapted from Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht and the Rachel Carson Center)
Read an excerpt here.