Transformation of East German media during the reunification of Germany on the example of the newspaper Leipziger Volkszeitung

Roslova Galina

The article deals with the history of the SED newspaper "Leipziger Volkszeitung" in the period from the summer of 1989 to the spring of 1990. This is the first time in Russian historical science when it was shown how this newspaper reacted to political events in the Republic and the district, as well as what was happening at that time in the editorial office itself. Through the use of a variety of sources and a unique interview with the newspaper's employee Kostas Kipuros, it was possible to trace the dynamics of the editorial office's relationships with the district leadership and its readers and answer the main question: did the newspaper take a leading position in the struggle for democratic transformation, which its readers persistently demanded, or was it driven and unable to change?

Keywords:German reunification, press of the East Germany, mass media, Socialist Unity Party of Germany, Leipzig, Leipziger Volkszeitung