The Rise and Fall of a Socialist Future

Ambivalent Encounters Between Zanzibar and East Germany in the Cold War

Bibliographic Data

ID20040641
AuthorsG Thomas Burgess (corresponding author)
Year2021
Pages169-192
Publication date2021-05-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeCHAPTER
VenueSocialist Encounters (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherDe Gruyter (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/9783110623543-006
OpenAlexW3164838648
ISBN9783110623543
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited7

Ambivalent EncountersB etween Zanzibar and East Germany in the Cold War Less thanamonth into its existence, the People'sR epublic of Zanzibar in January 1964 openedarelationship with the German Democratic Republic thatwould have far-reaching consequences, particularlyfor Zanzibaris. In competition with the Chinese, who also sawt heir relationship to the incipient island state as a means by which to break out of their diplomatic isolation, East Germanyoffered ag enerous package of aid and expertise. Although in late April 1964 Zanzibar federated with Tanganyika-its much largern eighbor on the East African mainland-and although this meantt he downgrading of the newly-established East German embassy in the islands, the new union did not short-circuitG DR-Zanzibar relations.Throughout the 1960s Zanzibar retainedmostofthe accoutrements of an independent state: its own president,ruling party,bureaucracy,and security forces. Zanzibar alsoc ontinued to enjoy some autonomyi nforeigna ffairs. And so with ar elativelyf reeh and,i slanders leaned heavily on East German aid and advice,w hich playeda ni nfluential role in shapingZ anzibar'sr evolutionary experiment

Ambivalence · Berlin wall · Cold war · Development economics · Economic history · Economics · Fall of man · Political science · Politics · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · African history and culture analysis · African history and culture studies · Gender Studies · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Law · Psychology

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