Fear as a Driving Force and Blockade
German “Cultural Cadres” in the Grip of Stalinism
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In the Stalinist Soviet Union, fear was the defining emotional state – even among the German “cultural cadres,” KPD members from the cultural sphere who had sought refuge from the National Socialists in the “Fatherland of the Working People.” They had expected the fulfillment of communist promises there, yet reality proved otherwise. Fear, employed as a technique of rule, shaped their behavior, oscillating between submission and idealisation, aggression and fascination. Absolute party discipline was intended to safeguard against any challenges to or doubts about the communist ideal.
(Osteuropa 7/2026, pp. 57–84)