THE PEOPLE’S DRINK: THE POLITICS OF BEER IN EAST GERMANY (1945 - 1971)

Abstract

This thesis charts beer’s development as a political subject in the Soviet Occupation Zone and German Democratic Republic from the end of the war in 1945 until the tenure of Erich Honecker in 1971. It argues that the cultural significance of beer in German society played a decisive role in determining the regime’s policies in the brewing industry and the rhetoric surrounding beer in the media. An examination of economic statistics, government archival records, and daily East German newspapers demonstrates a clear push by the leadership to rebuild and revitalize the brewing industry in the GDR, as well as a rhetorical campaign to utilize beer as a symbol of shared cultural values with the population. Overall, the Socialist Party of East Germany publicly adapted German beer traditions to suit the ideological tenants of socialism so that it could retain the beverage’s cultural capital while eliminating supposedly regressive drinking habits.