Beyond the usual paths, Jens Schöne tells the story of the GDR. Not only are party functionaries, state security, and active opposition against the illegitimate rule of the SED discussed, but also everyday situations, small villages, and completely ordinary people. The richly illustrated book spans from the founding of the supposed workers' and farmers' state, through the popular uprising of 1953 and the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, all the way to the Peaceful Revolution and the German reunification. Additionally, it raises the question of what place the GDR holds in German history.