Abstract
With the collapse of the Third Reich, sport in Germany faced a troubled future. Not only was infrastructure in ruins in most cities but sport’s reputation was sullied by its close connections with the National Socialist regime. In addition to severe and widespread material damage and heavy loss of life late in the Second World War, the occupation zone under Soviet control, the later GDR, would experience a mass influx of refugees, social disorder and malnutrition, and suffer onerous reparations payments to the USSR.1 Major centres of sport such as Dresden, Berlin, Magdeburg and Leipzig were devastated by bombing raids and invasion forces. Gymnasia were turned into emergency shelters, sports grounds into allotments, and sports equipment was commandeered by the Red Army.2
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
Dennis (2000) The Rise and Fall of the German Democratic Republic, 1945–1990, pp. 7–9.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport. Die politische Instrumentalisierung des Sports in der SBZ und DDR 1945–1957, p. 19.
Weise (2006) Sport und Sportpolitik in der DDR zwischen Anspruch und Realität, p. 18.
Cited in Dennis (2000) The Rise and Fall of the German Democratic Republic, p. 16.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, p. 21.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, p. 20.
Teichler (2002) Die Sportbeschlüsse des Politbüros. Eine Studie zum Verhältnis von SED und Sport mit einem Gesamtverzeichnis und einer Dokumentation ausgewählter Beschlüsse, pp. 19–22. The Sektor was upgraded to an Arbeitsgruppe Sport in 1959 and later to an Abteilung (Department). A small group, its many tasks — such as regular meetings concerning sport with various bodies, discussions with SED officials, dealing with letters and complaints from the general public and so forth — made it virtually impossible for it to exert full control over sport and to have a realistic view of everyday sport at ground level. The head of the Group/Department since 1959 was Rudi Hellmann (1926–2005), a member of the DTSB Federal Executive (1961–1990) and Vice-President of the NOK (1973–1989). He had gathered experience in sport as an official in the SV Lokomotive, the GST and the SED Halle Regional Executive.
Teichler (2002) Die Sportbeschlüsse des Politbüros, pp. 26, 33.
Ibid., p. 32.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, p. 27
Teichler (2002) Die Sportbeschlüsse des Politbüros, p. 35; Weise (2006) Sport und Sportpolitik in der DDR, p. 11.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, pp. 31–2.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, pp. 27, 29.
Teichler (2002) Die Sportbeschlüsse des Politbüros, p. 41; Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, p. 30.
Balbier (2007) Kalter Krieg auf der Aschenbahn, p. 59.
Weise (2006) Sport und Sportpolitik in der DDR, p. 24.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, pp. 65–8.
The Politbüro directive is printed in Teichler (2002) Die Sportbeschlüsse des Politbüros, pp. 296–7, 302–3; see also Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, p. 59.
Kühnst (1982) Der mißbrauchte Sport, pp. 59–60.
Ibid., p. 85.
Teichler (2002) Die Sportbeschlüsse des Politbüros, pp. 45–6, 55–6; Balbier (2007) Kalter Krieg auf der Aschenbahn, pp. 42–3, 47.
Teichler (2002) Die Sportbeschlüsse des Politbüros, especially pp. 262, 265–76, 282–3.
Ibid., pp. 282–3.
Balbier (2007) Kalter Krieg auf der Aschenbahn, p. 43.
Spitzer et al. (1998) Schlüsseldokumente zum DDR-Sport, pp. 101–2.
Holzweißig (1988) Sport und Politik in der DDR, pp. 35–6.
Holzweißig (1988) Sport und Politik in der DDR, pp. 35–8.
See Weise (2006) Sport and Sportpolitik in der DDR, p. 17 for the 1989 figures.
Balbier (2007) Kalter Krieg auf der Aschenbahn, pp. 69–71.
Ibid., pp. 97–8.
Ritter (2003) Wandlungen in der Steuerung des DDR-Hochleistungssports in den 1960er und 1970er Jahren, pp. 90–1, 101; Reinartz (1998) ‘Der Apparat in der Wendezeit vor München’, pp. 72–3.
Balbier (2007) Kalter Krieg auf der Aschenbahn, pp. 71–2, 99, 140–1.
Ritter (2003) Wandlungen in der Steuerung des DDR-Hochleistungssports, pp. 104, 124–5.
Ritter (2003) Wandlungen in der Steurung des DDR-Hochleistungssports, p. 126, Spitzer (1998a) ‘Anfang und Ende des Lex Ewald’, p. 269.
Balbier (2007) Kalter Krieg auf der Aschenbahn, pp. 143–5.
See Spitzer et al. (1998) Schlüsseldokumente zum DDR-Sport, p. 147, for Ulbricht’s approval at a meeting at Oberdorf in December 1967 of Ewald’s wish to focus resources even more strictly on a limited number of Olympic sports.
Green and Houlihan (2006) Elite Sport Development. Policy Learning and Political Priorities, pp. 11–12, 23–5, 29.
Weise (2006) Sport und Sportpolitik in der DDR, pp. 37–40; Teichler (1999d) ‘Nachwuchsleistungssport’, pp. 116–20, 124–7; Pfister (2002) Frauen und Sport in der DDR, pp. 90–1.
Pfister (2002) Frauen und Sport in der DDR, pp. 88, 95–9.
Weise (2006) Sport und Sportpolitik in der DDR, p. 21; Röder (2008) at: www.sport-ddr-roeder.de/sportwissenschaft_02.html (accessed on 15 April 2011).
Weise (2006) Sport und Sportpolitik in der DDR, p. 22; Krebs (1995) ‘Die politische Instrumentaliserung des Sports in der DDR’, pp. 1357–8.
Spitzer (1998a) Doping in der DDR. Ein historischer Überblick zu einer konspirativen Praxis, pp. 411–12.
Spitzer (2005) Sicherungsvorgang Sport. Das Ministerium für Staatssicherheit und der DDR-Spitzensport, p. 195.
Teichler and Reinartz (eds) (1999) Das Leistungssportsystem der DDR in den 80er Jahren und im Prozeß der Wende, p. 595, footnote 2.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2012 Mike Dennis and Jonathan Grix
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dennis, M., Grix, J. (2012). The Development of East German Elite Sport. In: Sport under Communism. Global Culture and Sport. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230369030_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230369030_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-30980-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-36903-0
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social Sciences CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)