Coffee, East Germans and the Cold War World, 1945-1990
COFFEE, EAST GERMANS AND THE COLD WAR WORLD, 1945-1990 COFFEE, EAST GERMANS AND THE COLD WAR WORLD, 1945-1990 By ANDREW KLOIBER, M.A., B.A. (Hon.) A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © by Andrew Kloiber, August 2017 McMaster University DOCTOR OF ARTS (2017) Hamilton, Ontario (History) TITLE: Coffee, East Germans and the Cold War World, 1945-1990 AUTHOR: Andrew Kloiber, M.A., B.A. (Hon.) (McMaster University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Pamela E. Swett NUMBER OF PAGES: 300 ii Lay Abstract This investigation contributes to studies of post 1945-Europe and the Cold War by examining the culture, economics and politics surrounding the consumption of a single commodity in East Germany, coffee, from 1945-1989. Coffee was associated with many cultural virtues and traditions which became tied to the GDR‘s official image of Socialism. When the regime‘s ability to supply this good was jeopardized in 1975-77, the government sought out new sources of coffee in the developing, so-called ‗Third World.‘ East Germany entered into long- term trade and development projects with countries like Angola, Ethiopia, Laos and Vietnam, to secure sufficient beans to supply its own population. These trade deals connected East Germany to a much broader, globalizing economy, and led to some lasting effects on the world coffee trade. iii Abstract Placing coffee at the centre of its analysis, my dissertation reveals the intersections between consumption, culture, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR)‘s involvement in the developing world.
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