Judging by surveys conducted in 1990, East German protesters overestimated the probability that they would succeed in changing their regime, the distinguished German sociologist argues in this reply to Susanne Lohmann’s article in The Independent Review last fall. Analysis of survey data tells us much more about the protesters’ actual attitudes than does Lohmann’s formal model, with its unrealistic assumptions and lack of empirical input.

Karl-Dieter Opp is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Leipzig in Germany and Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington.
Economic History and DevelopmentEconomyEuropeInternational Economics and Development
Other Independent Review articles by Karl-Dieter Opp
Winter 1996/97 One for All: The Logic of Group Conflict