Hello,
I am looking for a good book on the history of the GDR that cover its politics, ideology, relations with other countries, state surveillance, economy, a bit of daily life… Basically, I want to get a full picture of the country.
I have found some interesting books, but they only cover a limited range of topics (e.g. Stasi, Berlin Wall, etc.). I’m looking for something like “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” but dealing with the GDR.
Thanks a lot!
While this isn't the point of your question, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is more a work of journalism than academic history and would not today be considered a standard text.
That said, I would recommend as good survey texts Mary Fulbrook's Anatomy of a Dictatorship: Inside the GDR 1949-1989 and The People's State: East German Society from Hitler to Honecker, and J. M. (Mike) Dennis's The Rise and Fall of the German Democratic Republic 1945-1990. Though narrower in scope, Frederick Taylor's The Berlin Wall: A World Divided 1961-1989 is very accessible. If you can read German or find translations, start with Hermann Weber.