Media History in the Cold War

The project analyses the history of mass media relations and interdependencies in the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR until the end of the Cold War. Which reflexes, competitions and cooperations characterised their relationship, and how did it evolve? Was it primarily a propaganda war or did the mass media – especially public broadcasting – create a “bridge over troubled water” in the conflict between the two Germanys? How did the collapse of Communism affect this relationship?
Previous narratives have usually focussed on the national frame and the political dimension of the mass media. In contrast, the approach in this project follows the dynamic development of public broadcasting in the second half of the 20th century. It examines the interaction of the binary political logic of the Cold War and transnational developments such as mediatisation and commercialisation.