“In discussing the changes in ownership…and administrative organization…[the author]relies mostly on vast, rarely examined archives of official reports and assessments…Extensive source references, bibliography…and an adequate index are included.” • Choice “I genuinely enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it as worthwhile reading for scholars and general readers interested in the history of the GDR, the dynamics of collectivization, rural histories, and/or state formation and interactions between states and their citizens. Last’s work is tremendously useful for understanding the tools and processes that enabled socialist states to develop legitimacy and authority… [It] makes an important contribution in drawing our attention to the fascinating history of collectivization and in revealing the complex interactions between state and society that characterized collectivization in the GDR.” • German Politics & Society “In this impressive work, George Last makes an important contribution to GDR studies. Historians have devoted relatively little attention to the agricultural and rural history of postwar eastern Germany…[This book] fills a gap in the literature, and it provides another illustration of the complex relationships between state and society in the GDR.” • H-Net Reviews “Last’s book is a balanced account of a hitherto neglected field of research. It highlights the close, though conflict-ridden interaction and communication that characterized the relationship between party rule and society in the GDR.” • German Studies