The aim of this project is to write a history of the engineering profession in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The investigation focuses on the professional ethos and social identities of East German engineers, as well as on the ways in which the state remolded the engineering profession after 1949 and used it to pursue its own technological and economic goals. Though revolutionary changes took place in the engineering profession after 1949, the professional ethos of many GDR engineers was still framed by a memory of what the engineering profession had been up to 1945 and what it still was in West Germany. Drawing on archival materials, interviews, and sociological studies conducted in the GDR, the study will examine five main themes: (1) the recruitment, education and deployment of engineers; (2) professional concerns, such as earnings, professional power, career placement, and on-the-job training; (3) the actual work experience of engineers, particularly in research and development; (4) the relationship between the engineer and the Socialist Unity Party; (5) the social ties, status, and family life of engineers. Throughout, the analysis will be informed by an awareness that, despite official efforts to ensure equality for women, those of working-class origins, and young people, that such characteristics continued to be important determinants of power, authority, and status.
