The Human Rights Dictatorship

By Ned Richardson-Little,

Book cover of The Human Rights Dictatorship: Socialism, Global Solidarity and Revolution in East Germany

Book description

Richardson-Little exposes the forgotten history of human rights in the German Democratic Republic, placing the history of the Cold War, Eastern European dissidents and the revolutions of 1989 in a new light. By demonstrating how even a communist dictatorship could imagine itself to be a champion of human rights, this…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Human Rights Dictatorship as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ned Richardson-Little explores the mostly forgotten history of the human rights discourse in a Communist dictatorship. Believe it or not, East Germany tried to pose as a promoter of human rights in international and domestic affairs. It spent much effort and many resources on constructing an alternative to Western-dominated human rights debates. Even if Communist Germany disappeared in 1989/90, its warped human rights discourse beforehand had exerted a major influence on dissidents and their increasing opposition to the authoritarian police state in which they were living.

From Lorenz's list on Cold War history published recently.

Want books like The Human Rights Dictatorship?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Human Rights Dictatorship.

Browse books like The Human Rights Dictatorship

Book cover of Migration in the Time of Revolution: China, Indonesia, and the Cold War
Book cover of Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China
Book cover of Latin America and the Global Cold War

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,188

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in politics, human rights, and East Germany?

Politics 772 books
Human Rights 70 books
East Germany 30 books