Abstract
The leadership of the German Democratic Republic (DDR) has been faced with the problem of legitimising its rule. It is argued that legitimacy depends of the level of support for the ideology of the leadership, Marxism-Leninism. The acceptance of this ideology by East Germans has been hindered by affect for the liberal democracy of the Federal Republic of Germany. The concept of ideological demarcation, defined as a defence mechanism for the protection of ideological socialisation within the DDR, is the central element of the thesis. It is suggested that ideological demarcation has been principally concerned with countering the demand from East German citizens for the national unity of the two German states. The DDR leadership initially claimed that it alone represented the German nation, and, when this policy failed, proclaimed a separate East German nation. Between 1970 and 1973 the DDR emerged from its relative isolation from the Federal Republic. The function of ideological demarcation at this time is evaluated.