Historical Berlin

Children playing on the Berlin Wall

As I have stated in a previous blog post, Germany is a young country in spite of its rich culture and history.  After watching BBC’s documentary on Berlin, I realized how interesting their approach to their own history is.  Most know that Germany has a troubled past historically, many people still associate Germany with Nazis and the Holocaust no matter how many decades have passed.  Of course, Germany has grown and changed significantly since these days, although the name tag still sticks.  Despite this rather unfair association, Germany does not hide their past.  Artwork from the time of Red Berlin can still be seen around the city.  Although the times of that particular social movement have passed, the Germans have not covered up the artwork, or their association with the movement.  Keeping the artwork on display shows acceptance with their past, even if their is not pride felt in it.   Many concentration camps also remain open to the public for visitation.  There is no shame in Germany for their association with the Holocaust, because the nation realizes that they have moved past that.  Matt Frei says in the documentary that Germans “acknowledge rather than deny their history”.  Compared to American culture, which often covers up distasteful history(such as slavery, Native American relations, or the dropping of the atomic bombs), Germany understands that the nation has made mistakes in their past and leaves these mistakes open to the public, so that everyone might learn from them.  

An example of Socialist Realist art in East Berlin

The differing idea of freedom is another interesting concept that seems to have been analyzed several times in Berlin’s history.  Of course, the largest symbol against freedom in Berlin appears to be the Berlin Wall.  However, it was interesting to hear in the documentary that many people felt more freedom when the wall was erected.  At one point in the documentary, it was stated that West Berlin, which was completely encased by the wall, had a sense of freedom inside.  Although the Wall kept many Germans from going anywhere, many West Berliners did not feel as if they had many limitations.  

An interview with a North Vietnamese man, who found refuge in Germany, also felt more free when the Berlin Wall was in place.  He stated that he felt more acceptance when the wall was up, and once it came down, the German Youth made him feel less apart of Germany.  It changed the way his place of refuge accepted him.   

For East Berlin, the Wall allowed the Socialist party to continue.  They feared that the West still had Nazi associations and decided to cut off that part of Germany from East Berlin.  This allowed them to expand their socialist ideas without the fear of “Nazi” intervention.  

Berlin today, a city aware of its past and present!

Of course, for many Berliners the Berlin Wall was the ultimate example of dissipating freedom.  For a generation, families and friends were kept from each other.  The documentary also speaks of all the attempts of escape from East Berlin.  While some East Berliners felt free to practice their ideologies within the wall, others could think of nothing but escaping.  Guards who stood in front of the Berlin Wall were ordered to shoot anyone who attempted to move past the Berlin Wall.  

The Berlin Wall meant something different to everyone in Germany.  For some it was about freedom, for others it was control.  For others it meant being kept from family and friends.  The tearing down of the Wall had even more mixed reactions.  Some weren’t sure how to approach the freedom in front of them, while others felt unsafe.  This important point in German history shows the world how freedom is an idea that is still being worked out, and how difficult it can be to find a freedom that works for every person.  

Brandenburg Gate--an important part of Berlin's history!

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