Scholars trained to deal with the Soviet realm or more generally with the communist phenomenon have not typically included the DDR within their purview. A study of East German educational systems is of value since the decisions any society makes about its own educational system are revealing indicators both of where the society has been and where it is going and is of value to politicians, educators, and social scientists. This document covers East German postwar reconstruction and Soviet occupation; the higher education establishment, including routes to higher education, the worker's and peasants, faculties, teacher training, adult education, foreign students, religious education, military education, the state; the party and higher education, including, the constitutional basis, state and party apparatus, academic institutions of the Socialist Unity Party (SED), the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB), and the Free German Youth Research (FDJ); higher educational policy; the new reform movement; higher education and the economy; scholarship and research; and conclusions. Appendices contain a bibliography, academic credentials, statistical chronology and related documents. (Author/KE)