In East Germany during the 1950s and 1960s young people were a constant problem for the communist authorities - and in particular for the communist youth organization, the Free German Youth (FDJ). This book provides the first in-depth study of the often troubled relationship between the FDJ and East German youth during this important period. It studies the response of the young to political crises such as the June 1953 uprising and the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961, while at the same time examining wider socio-cultural trends, most notably the impact of Western popular culture inside East Germany.