The Image of the German Democratic Republic in the British Press 1972-1989

The image of the German Democratic Republic in the British press 1972-1989 Nicole Sparwasser Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of Languages, Cultures and Societies March, 2016 II The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his/her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. © 2016 The University of Leeds and Nicole Sparwasser III Acknowledgements The writing of this dissertation has been one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced. Without the support of the following people, this project would not have been completed. First, I would like to express my gratitude for the academic and technical support given by University of Leeds and its staff, and in particular for the award of an Arts and Humanities Research Scholarship that provided the necessary financial support for this project. Moreover, I would like to extend my thanks to all of the members of staff in the German department, and in particular to Professor Ingo Cornils, Dr Ingrid Sharp, Dr Helen Finch, Dr Chris Homewood, Dr Giles Harrington and Dr Jane Wilkinson for their encouragement, guidance and support. My special thanks go to my former colleagues Mandy Poetzsch and Thomas Jochum-Critchley, whose door was always open for me. I would also like to show my greatest appreciation to my supervisors Professor Paul Cooke and Dr Moritz Foellmer for their invaluable support, guidance and encouragement. Professor Cooke has been the model of an inspiring researcher, and has always challenged me so that I may become a better researcher myself. I cannot thank him enough for his unceasing belief in me and his constant encouragement that I could do it. I particularly wish to thank Dr Foellmer for helping me at the start of this difficult journey with his historic knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject. I am incredibly grateful to the former and, in some cases, still active journalists who shared their time and memories of a journalist’s life in the GDR in the 1970s and 80s. They answered all of my questions patiently and offered insights which no book or newspaper article could ever provide. I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge WIGS and the German History Society for their generous financial support in awarding me travel grants to access significant sources during my research trips. I would equally like to thank the helpful members of staff at the Bundesarchiv and the Archive of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records in Berlin and those working at The Guardian and Observer Archive in London. IV Moreover, I am thankful to Miriam Brandt, Kate Rothery and Laura Owen for their valuable critique and proofreading. Outside of the academic world, so many of my friends have accompanied me on my PhD journey. I would like to say a special Danke to Sandy and Steffi for their friendship and the thousands of emails which made sure that I never felt alone at my desk in the often lonely research world. I cannot thank my family enough for their support. They have taught me that I can achieve anything, and that hard work will always pay off. Most of all, I would like to thank the most important person in my life, the one who has always been there for me. At times I thought that it would be impossible to continue and he reminded me not to worry, ‘cause every little thing is gonna be all right.’ I would like to dedicate this thesis to him. V Abstract The image of the German Democratic Republic in the British press 1972-1989 Despite growing interest in British-East German relations in recent years, little academic attention has thus far been paid to the British perception of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) during its existence. This thesis therefore aims to broaden this still rudimentary academic discourse by exploring the image of the second German state in the British quality press between 1972 and 1989. As an active contributor to the shaping of the GDR’s image in Britain, the press has thus far been predominantly ignored by academic scholars. Using discourse analysis, it will be demonstrated that the substantial level of British press coverage was able to present a more detailed picture of the GDR, and with it, a more multifaceted image of the country than was detectable in other discourses of the time. In particular, the inclusion of several newspapers with differing political biases helps to show the range of opinions which existed in British society. This study investigates the five main subject areas that received the most attention from the press: identity, foreign policy, opposition, the Wall and sport. In order to offer a comprehensive picture of the press discourse, this thesis additionally investigates the working conditions of British journalists in the GDR. For this purpose, qualitative interviews with nine journalists who reported for British quality newspapers and the news agency Reuters have been conducted. VI Table of Contents Acknowledgements III Abstract V Table of Contents VI Introduction 1 A. How did other discourses present the GDR before 1989? 3 B. Image and perception of the GDR in contemporary research 7 B.1 The GDR and the press – cliché-ridden and ignorant? 9 C. A brief history of British-East German relations 11 D. Thesis outline 14 E. Theoretical background and methodology 17 E.1 Discourse Analysis 17 E.1.1 Press discourse 19 E.2 Methodology 20 E.2.1 Choice of data 24 Chapter 1: Reporting on the GDR 26 1.1 The British press and its significance in British society 27 1.1.1 Newspapers – a general overview 28 1.2 General information about the interviews 33 1.3 The GDR’s attitude towards Western journalists 35 1.3.1 Legal framework 38 1.4 Working routine and conditions 39 1.4.1 Consequences of East German restrictions: Berlin was VII Mordor 42 1.5 Between influence, manipulation and surveillance 44 1.5.1 Foreign journalists and the State Security: ‘It was just like Das Leben der Anderen.’ 44 1.5.2 Working with and around restrictions 48 1.6 ‘Gathering information in Eastern Europe was never easy.’ 50 1.7 East German strategies to influence Western journalists 54 1.8 The GDR as a subject of news coverage 56 1.9 British attitudes vs. newspaper readers 58 Chapter 2: The GDR – a kaleidoscope of images 63 2.1 The GDR’s struggle for identity 66 2.2 Images in the British press 67 2.2.1 Prussian roots between East German self-portrayal and British perception 67 2.2.2 The good Germans? – East Germans in the British press 78 2.2.3 The GDR – a country far, far away 88 2.2.4 Myths: antifascism 96 Chapter 3: Between the Federal Republic and the Soviet Union – The GDR on the international stage 107 3.1 The press’ view on relations between the Soviet Union and the GDR 109 3.1.1 Ally or colony? – A more complex view 110 3.1.2 The GDR’s risky fight against reforms in the light of the press 126 3.2 The German Question – between pretence and reality 132 3.2.1 Academic discourse on the German Question during the VIII 1970s and 80s 133 3.2.2 The press discourse on the German Question and the Role of the GDR 136 3.2.2.1 Honecker predicts reunification under socialism 138 3.2.3 No British angst 142 3.2.4 State visits in the eyes of the British press – 1984 and 1987 145 Chapter 4: Opposition as a factor for a changing image of the GDR 155 4.1 1976-1978: Dissidents in the GDR 161 4.1.1 The perception of East Germans in opposition, 1976-1978 162 4.1.1.1 The case of Oskar Brüsewitz 162 4.1.1.2 The case of Wolf Biermann 164 4.1.2 Reporting Perspective: Presenting the failure of dissent 170 4.1.3 The GDR = Berlin 172 4.2 1982/83 – The appearance of a movement 174 4.2.1 The perception of East Germans in opposition, 1982/83 175 4.2.2 Changing perspective 183 4.2.3 Geography: The discovery of a country beyond East Berlin 185 Chapter 5: When the Berlin Wall reached Great Britain - The image of the Wall in the British press 190 5.1 Representation of the GDR and the Wall during the early 1970s 195 5.1.1 1974 – British readers discover the Wall through a British woman 201 5.1.2 Guilty? – An unimportant question 210 5.1.3 Alan Watson – similar case but a different story 213 IX 5.2 The border during the second half of the 1970s 215 Chapter 6: Sport as an important aspect of the East German image in the British press 224 6.1 Successful presentation of the GDR 230 6.1.1 The GDR as a superpower? 231 6.1.2 Team GB against the East Germans – an inverted relationship 234 6.1.3 ‘Outstanding’ – ‘Exciting’ – ‘Magnificent’: A language analysis 236 6.2 East German sport and the minor importance of doping in the press coverage 238 6.2.1 20 years of doping and the GDR in the press 240 6.2.2 Language as a reflection of uncertainty 247 6.2.3 Alternative explanation for success 249 6.3 Female athletes – the heart and face of East German sport 251 6.3.1 ‘Communism has never been so attractive’ – Katarina Witt in the British press 256 Conclusion 262 Bibliography 267 1 Introduction ‘a newspaper cannot live in the past.

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