Moscow, Nauka Publishing House. 1975. Circulation 8200. 487 pages. Price 2 p. 34 k.

In recent years, Soviet researchers have published a number of collective monographs devoted to the history of socialist countries1 . The first work in Soviet historiography on the history of the GDR is one of these generalizing works, which, based on the achievements of the historical science of the USSR and the fraternal socialist countries, covers the stages of building socialism in these countries .2
In the preface to the book, Academician E. M. Zhukov emphasizes that the history of the GDR "is extremely important for understanding the profound revolutionary changes that took place in the world under the influence of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the victory of the Soviet Union and its partners in the anti-Hitler coalition over nazi Germany and the creation of the world socialist system. The birth and successful development of the German socialist state in the center of Europe is a clear evidence of the irreversibility of the historical process of transforming the world on new, socialist principles " (pp. 5-6).

The book examines the main stages of the GDR's formation, its domestic and foreign policy, and provides a reasoned periodization of the GDR's history.

The authors study the events that preceded the formation of two German states on German soil. "The military and political defeat of fascism," the book emphasizes, " opened up the possibility for the German people to choose a new path. This was not an easy task for German society. The difficulty of solving it was largely determined by the fact that fascism was not an accidental or alien phenomenon for imperialist Germany (although it was not fatally inevitable). It grew up on fertile soil, richly fertilized by militaristic and chauvinistic ideologies and reactionary traditions. This ideology had deep historical roots" (p. 12). The authors analyze these historical roots.

The book shows that after the defeat of fascism from the very beginning, two lines were revealed in the approach to solving the German problem. While the Soviet Union in its zone of occupation strictly observed the decisions of the Potsdam Conference of the three great Powers on carrying out profound social transformations on German soil, on a united democratic Germany, the Western powers from mid-1946 took the path of openly disrupting the agreements reached on these issues (p. 21). In the first post-war years, the authors write, "virtually none of the major issues of the quadrilateral agreements on Germany received a complete and consistent solution in the western zones of occupation" (p. 28). It is characteristic that to the same conclusion

1 "History of Hungary", Vol. III, Moscow, 1972; " History of Romania. 1918-1970". Moscow, 1971. Previously published: "History of Poland". Vol. III. M. 1958; "Essays on the history of people's Poland". M. 1965; "History of Bulgaria". T. P. M. 1955; "History of Czechoslovakia". Vol. III. M. 1960; "History of Yugoslavia". T. P. M. 1963; "German history in the Soviet Union". novoe i sovremennoe vremya [new and modern times], vol. 2, Moscow, 1970.

2 Editorial Board: V. D. Kulbakin (ed.), B. A. Aizin, I. S. Galkin, I. I. Zhigalov, A. I. Martynov, M. P. Pavlova-Silvanskaya, M. A. Poltavsky, [S. D. Skazkin], V. T. Fomin, V. I. Tsapanov. Authors ' collective: S. I. Viskov, [A. L. Dymshits], E. M. Zhukov, A. F. Zaletny, V. D. Kulbakin, N. E. Ovcharenko, M. A. Poltavsky, P. V. Polyakov, N. I. Salekhov, S. R. Sukhorukov, V. T, Fomin, V. I. Tsapanov, V. I. Chernov.

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Many bourgeois historians also came, including D. Fleming, D. Warburg, F. Neal, S. Lenz, E. Morin, G. Schweppenheuser, and others. It was the Western Powers, with the active assistance of the big bourgeoisie of West Germany, that split the country and promoted the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany in August 1949. This fact was also recognized by some West German bourgeois historians, such as G. Schweppenheuser, P. Windsor, and others (see pp. 29 and 104).

In the east of Germany, with the support of the Soviet Union, revolutionary democratic transformations were initiated by the KKE. The authors paid much attention to the results of reforms in the field of agriculture, industry and finance, in the field of public education and cultural construction in East Germany. The book highlights the crucial role that overcoming the split in the labor movement and creating the Socialist United Party of Germany (SED)played in consolidating the hegemony of the German working class in the struggle for anti-fascist-democratic transformation and creating the prerequisites for socialist construction in East Germany (p. 48-50).

The authors deeply reveal how the anti-fascist-democratic system developed in East Germany during the course of revolutionary transformations and in the fierce class struggle, which was in its content a revolutionary-democratic dictatorship of workers and peasants. The successive democratic reforms carried out in 1945-1949 prepared the conditions for the transformation of this part of Germany into a socialist state of workers and peasants. On October 7, 1949, an event that marked a turning point in German and European history took place: the German Democratic Republic was formed. On October 15, 1949, the Soviet Union was the first in the world to declare international legal recognition of the GDR and establish diplomatic relations with it.

In due time, F. Engels proudly wrote that the German people also have their own revolutionary tradition. In the course of the anti-fascist - democratic revolution of 1945-1949, the workers of East Germany, following this tradition, under the leadership of the SED, and with the unselfish help of the Soviet people, solved the tasks of the bourgeois-democratic revolution, completing the work begun by the revolution of 1848-1849 and the November Revolution of 1918 in Germany, and began socialist transformations. The GDR, pointed out E. Honecker, General Secretary of the SED Central Committee, "embodied the best traditions of German history - the traditions of the peasant uprisings of the Middle Ages, the struggle of the revolutionary democrats of 1848, the German workers' movement founded by Marx and Engels, Bebel and Liebknecht, and the traditions of the courageous anti-Fascist struggle " (pp. 440-441).

The formation of the GDR was of great international importance: It was an important link in the creation of the world socialist system, a process initiated by the Great October Socialist Revolution. In the east of Germany, the authors emphasize, a strong bastion of peace has emerged, which has become an integral part of the commonwealth of socialist countries, a Western outpost of peace and socialism in Europe (p.110).

The book examines in detail the course of implementation in the GDR of such tasks as strengthening the foundations of workers 'and peasants' power, such as strengthening the dictatorship of the working class during the outgrowth of the anti-fascist-democratic one. the transformation of the first stage of the revolution into a socialist stage, the consolidation of the alliance of the working class with the working peasantry and all the progressive forces of the people, the suppression of the resistance of the deposed exploiting classes, the implementation and improvement of the economic, organizational, cultural and educational functions of State power. The successes achieved by the working people of the GDR allowed the Fourth Congress of the SED (30.III. - 6.IV.1954) to conclude that the program of anti-fascist-democratic transformations had been implemented, and the foundations of socialism were being successfully built in the republic (p.172). The GDR ranked 5th in Europe along with Italy in terms of total volume and level of industrial production (p. 211). By the beginning of the 1960s, socialist relations of production had won a decisive victory in all spheres of the GDR's national economy.

Much attention is paid to the study of the course of socialist construction in the GDR in the 50s and 60s. The transition from capitalism to socialism in the republic was carried out in close cooperation with the USSR and other socialist countries: At the heart of this transition lay the laws that operated in the Russian Federation.

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in other socialist countries. Consequently, the development of the GDR, with all its historical peculiarities, was characterized by the same basic features as the development of the fraternal socialist states (p. 274). The authors point out the crucial importance of the sixth SED Congress (January 1963) in developing new strategic and tactical guidelines, in deciding on the transition to building a mature, developed socialist society in the GDR. The decisions of the sixth and seventh (April 1967) SED Congresses and the new Constitution of the GDR adopted in 1968 defined the tasks and ways of building a developed socialist society in the GDR. The book describes in detail the significance of the eighth Congress of the SED (June 1971), which defined the tasks of further building a developed socialist society. Successful fulfillment of the tasks of the five-year plan for 1966-1970 allowed the Congress to formulate the main task of the national economy development for 1971-1975: further improvement of the material and cultural standard of living of the people on the basis of high rates of development of socialist production, increasing its efficiency, scientific and technological progress and increasing labor productivity.

The authors devoted a lot of space to the analysis of the GDR's foreign policy, organically linking the success in the socialist construction of the republic with the strengthening of its international positions. "The international position of the GDR," the book says, " is determined primarily by its place in the world socialist system... Strengthening friendship, solidarity and all-round cooperation with the socialist countries is an invariable principle of the GDR's policy. On the other hand, the further strengthening of the socialist system, unity and cooperation of fraternal countries contributes to the success of building socialism in the GDR" (p.438). The material presented by the authors convincingly shows that the Soviet Union and other countries of the socialist community provided disinterested assistance to the working people of the GDR from the very first days of its existence in the struggle for the consolidation of the new social system and the development of the national economy. Of great importance for the development of the GDR's economy was its admission to the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (September 1950).

For the sake of socialism in the GDR, they tried to place the forces of reaction from outside. Therefore, it was accompanied by an incessant, and at times sharply escalated, class struggle. The book reveals the course of this struggle. Thus, using the open borders in Berlin, in June 1953, aggressive imperialist circles tried to provoke a civil war in the GDR and use it for armed intervention in the affairs of the republic. The workers of the GDR, with the support of the Soviet Union, gave a worthy rebuff to the counter-revolutionaries. When in May 1955 the European socialist countries united in a military-political union-the Warsaw Pact Organization, participation in it gave the GDR a full guarantee of independence and significantly strengthened its international authority. The authors note that the republic's position was also strengthened by the signing of the Treaty on Relations between the GDR and the USSR on September 20, 1955, which established the sovereignty of the GDR and its freedom to resolve all issues of domestic and foreign policy, including in the field of its relations with the Federal Republic of Germany (p.193).

The book examines in detail the German problem, the relations between the two German states, the positions of the GDR, the USSR and other socialist countries, as well as the Western powers in their approach to solving these issues. The authors point out that the SED and the GDR government gave a clear answer to the attempts of some circles of the Federal Republic of Germany to substantiate the thesis of the so-called "special intra-German relations". In conditions where there are two German states belonging to different world social systems, there are no and cannot be any "special intra-German relations", only relations of peaceful coexistence can take place between the GDR and the FRG on the basis of strict compliance with all the principles of international law (pp. 356, 436).

The beginning of the 60s was marked by the further strengthening of the GDR, its new successes in socialist construction, and the strengthening of the republic's position in the international arena. All this provoked the anger of the republic's enemies, who did not hide their intentions to destroy the socialist system in the GDR. Under these circumstances, its Government, in coordination with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries, was forced to take the most energetic measures in the face of the looming danger. On the night of August 12-13, units of the National People's Army of the GDR joined forces-

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but with workers ' fighting squads and the People's Police, they closed the border with West Berlin. The book describes the measures taken to strengthen the state borders of the GDR in the West, as a result of which the plans of the revanchists were dealt a crushing blow. By protecting its sovereignty, the GDR demonstrated to the whole world that socialism in the German workers 'and peasants' state is inviolable.

The authors cover the foreign policy of the GDR in the 60s and early 70s. Its invariable principles were and remain: socialist internationalism, strong friendship with the Soviet Union, constant strengthening of the commonwealth of socialist States, solidarity with young national States, peaceful coexistence with States of a different social system. Close friendship with the Soviet Union, the book repeatedly notes, is based on the common interests of the peoples of both countries in the struggle for the victory of socialism and communism (pp. 286, 332-334). On October 7, 1975, the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the USSR and the GDR was signed in Moscow. The Program of the SED, adopted by the Ninth Party Congress in May 1976, states that the full strengthening of the socialist community, closely united around the Soviet Union, and the development of fraternal relations between the GDR and the USSR occupy a dominant place in the foreign policy goals of the SED.

The book clearly shows that together with the USSR and other fraternal countries, the GDR contributes to the active struggle for peace, freedom, national independence and social progress, for defusing international tensions and improving relations with all countries, including Germany. On December 21, 1972, the Treaty on the Foundations of Relations was signed The agreement between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, which was an important step towards further normalization of relations between the two German states on the basis of peaceful coexistence, to improve the situation in Europe as a whole. Thanks to the consistent and persistent struggle of the GDR and the fraternal socialist countries, the attempts of the reactionary forces to isolate the republic were thwarted by the entire progressive world community. In September 1973, the GDR took an equal place in the UN and currently maintains diplomatic relations with 121 States.

The brief conclusion summarizes the results of the socialist transformations in the GDR over 25 years (it is now one of the 10 most developed countries in the world), highlights the republic's major achievements in foreign policy, and once again emphasizes that the socialist community, of which the GDR is an integral part, is firmly following the path of socialism and communism.

The authors made extensive use of project materials from the USSR and the GDR, extensive publications of documents from both countries, and Soviet and foreign literature. The appendices to the book contain an overview of the works of Soviet scientists on the history of the GDR, a list of sources and literature used, as well as a chronology of the history of East Germany-the GDR (1945-1973). All this undoubtedly increases the scientific significance of the work.

The leading historical journal of the GDR, Zeit-schrift fur Geschichtswissenschafb, evaluating this work of Soviet scientists, rightly concluded that it confirms the complete coincidence of the views of historians of the GDR and the USSR on the history of the German socialist state .3
One of the disadvantages of the book is that the historiographical review does not consider the works of historians of the GDR, as well as historians of other countries. The authors 'team did not manage to achieve a uniform style of presentation in all chapters and sections, not all parts of the work are "joined", repetitions occur, the chronological sequence in the presentation is not always observed, the names of the same books are sometimes given inaccurately (see pages 102 and 445, as well as 60, 73, 447, etc.). There are also some factual inaccuracies. Thus, on June 16, 1970, the GDR established diplomatic relations not with the Republic of Sri Lanka (as this state was called only in May 1972), but with Ceylon (p. 478). A typo has crept into the name of the Republic of Maldives, with which the GDR established diplomatic relations in May 1970 (ibid.).

However, all these shortcomings are of a private nature. The entire content of the book refutes the fabrications of bourgeois history falsifiers who try to misrepresent the internal and foreign policy of the GDR. Abundance of facts-

3 "Zeitschrift fur Geschichtswissenschaft", 1976. N 7, S. 811.

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a correct assessment of the main stages of socialist construction and the prospects for the development of the GDR, the historical significance of the domestic and international successes of the first workers 'and peasants' state on German soil-all this testifies to the scientific value and political relevance of the new collective work of Soviet scientists on the history of the fraternal socialist country.

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