Heinrich Bortfeldt interviews, 2001-2006

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Summary

Creators:
Bortfeldt, Heinrich
Abstract:
Sound recordings and transcripts of interviews of leaders of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands and of the Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus, and of other German political and cultural figures, relating to political conditions in East Germany and in reunified Germany.
Extent:
3 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes (2.4 Linear Feet)
Language:
German
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Heinrich Bortfeldt interviews, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Heinrich Bortfeldt Collection consists of several series of oral history interviews conducted by Bortfeldt, a German historian, between 2001 and 2006. These interviews were a follow-up to an earlier series of interviews conducted in the former East Germany during the period of transition following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification in 1990. These earlier interviews, in which Bortfeldt and a number of others participated, can be found in the GDR Oral History Collection in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives. The oral history interviews are available as sound recordings on audio cassette tapes.

For the latter interviews that are represented in this collection, Bortfeldt initially sought to interview leading East German political and governmental figures, such as Egon Krenz, Hans Modrow, Lothar de Maizière and Herbert Häber, as well as West German business and political leaders whose work brought them into contact with East Germany during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Edzard Reuter, Lothar Späth, Kurt Biedenkopf and Björn Engholm. The last major series of interviews in this collection focused on intellectual and artistic figures from the former East Germany, who reflected on their experiences in that country, including the novelist Christoph Hein, the artist Walter Womacka, screenwriter Wolfgang Kohlhaase, theatrical producer Manfred Wekwerth, and actress Gisela May, among others. In addition, a handful of subsequent interviews were conducted with former East German governmental leaders, including the chief of the foreign espionage division of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi), Markus Wolf.

With a few exceptions, transcripts were provided by Bortfeldt for all of the recorded interviews. The first series in this finding aid, the transcripts, is arranged by chronologically-grouped subseries, according to when the interviews were conducted, and then alphabetically within each subseries.

Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2002.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Heinrich Bortfeldt interviews, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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