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The Luther Anniversary in East Germany

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2011

Robert F. Goeckel
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Extract

In 1983 two events focused international attention on East and West Germany. One was the collapse of talks on intermediate range missiles in Geneva and the consequent deployment of the missiles by NATO. The other was the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther. The Luther anniversary cast the spotlight particularly on communist East Germany, which revised its previously negative interpretation of Luther and not only marked his birth with elaborate festivities but also extended unprecedented assistance to the Lutheran church for its celebration. Yet, just as many wondered if inter-German detente would survive the I.N.F. deployment, so, too, many wondered at the nature of the church-state cooperation in the G.D.R., and if it would survive the Luther Year. The present analysis examines the character and direction of this churchstate relationship, using the Luther Year experience as evidence.

Type
Research Article
Information
World Politics , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , October 1984 , pp. 112 - 133
Copyright
Copyright © Trustees of Princeton University 1984

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References

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