Loose bricks in the wall: Underground press and political opposition in non-democracies

Abstract This study utilizes locations of underground publications, known as samizdat , to analyze the impact of access to political knowledge on shaping institutional change in the German Democratic Republic during 1989–1990. Survival analysis reveals that regions with greater underground press activity were significantly more likely to experience protests following the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. This delay can be attributed to the increased repression of dissent. However, support for regime change did not necessarily translate into support for rapid German reunification, as evidenced by the voting results of the 1990 democratic elections. Although samizdat did not appear to coordinate the initial protests, it played an informational role in shaping preferences toward gradual institutional change. Finally, in addition to its information function, underground press activities were instrumental in forming opposition that challenged the non-democratic regime, thereby determining the onset of democratization.