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Creator
Fraser, Sybille
Call number
MssCol 17778
Physical description
2.03 linear feet (5 boxes)
Preferred Citation

German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakian political ephemera, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

This collection contains printed material and ephemera documenting the political activities of youth groups, churches, women's groups, peace organization, leftist associations, and other organized political parties in East Germany and Czechoslovakia during the fall of communism in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Biographical/historical information

After years of social and political unrest, the communist German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) became destabilized in 1989. After the fall of the Berlin wall on November 9, 1989, a wave of political protests, know as the Peaceful Revolution, led to the first East German free elections on March 18, 1990. Completing what Germans termed "Die Wende" (The Change), the East German leadership held negotiations with West Germany and reunified the two nations on October 3, 1990 (Deutsche Einheit). Many political parties and groups, including the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED) and the Grünen Partei, contributed to and documented this time of upheaval.

Scope and arrangement

This collection consists of various political newspapers, magazines, posters, flyers, newsletters, clippings, and ephemera (pins, stickers, flags) documenting the end of communism in East Germany and Czechoslovakia primarily from 1988 to 1992. The largest portion of material relates to the governing Socialist Unity Party of Germany (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED), which became the Party of Democratic Socialism (Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus, PDS) after German reunification. Also present are political publications created by student groups, the Green Party (Die Grünen Partei), environmental organizations, leftist and Marxist parties, women's groups, church groups, anti-reunification voices, and other political parties.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by political party or publication name, with miscellaneous items, organized by genre, located at the end.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Sybille Fraser, 1997

Processing information

Compiled by Philip Heslip.

This is a synthetic collection that was organized into folders by political party or publication with some miscellaneous material foldered separately. These groupings and labels have been maintained.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright retained by any document's creator.