she still can?t shake the idea that East Germany is part of Germany. It is like
Austria; they speak German, but they are another country, they have their
own struggles and we have ours.(7)
These sentiments even in my last visit in 1995 were still prevalent, people are glad
the wall is down, but they still often refer to East German?s and West German?s as
if they are from differing nations. The different city?s through the wall era
developed different cultures, and economies. Many citizens of the West Berlin
background do not believe it is their responsibility to bring East Berlin into the
Twentieth century. When a person enters East Berlin they can observe vast
differences. But these differences are changing East Berlin is today the construction
Mecca of Europe.
While the west was building West Berlin into a monument to capitalism, East
Berlin became a very cosmopolitan and modern city, by communist standards.
However a striking contrast in the two cities? living standards remained. West
Berliners had access to a vast array of goods from all over the world, while the East
Berlin shopping district, Alexanderplatz, comprised of dingy shops selling a poor
selection of low quality goods. could only sell goods created in East Germany, or
other communist nations.
Mercedes and BMWs were common in West Berlin, while Trabis, the East
German-built, three-cylinder car that easterners waited up to ten years to get
crowded Berlin streets. These cars were made of fibers, when the masses left after
the wall collapsed the streets were flooded with abandoned Trabis. The government
began to burn these. Or sell them cheaply. When I was stationed in Germany I
bought one of these for fifty dollars. It had a two stroke engine in which I had to
mix my gas with oil, like a chain-saw. The car ran good, and was a parking dream.
It could only reach seventy-five Kilometers an hour, which was slow on the
Autobahn, but it got me around without having to rely on the public transportation
system, that I had trouble understanding.
THE U-BAHN AND GERMAN SOCIETY SINCE THE FALL
When I took a ride on the Berlin U-Bahn I was shocked when I entered the
Eastern side and saw that there stations were not like the streets. These stations
were decorated lavishly, they made the stations in the Western side look bad. In the
Mohrenstrasse station I observed lavish red marble pillars and walls. I found myself
wondering how a devastated economy could afford such extravagances. These
were the most lavish sub-way stations I had ever seen. Where did these elaborate
decorations come from?
they didn?t pay for the marble they looted it from Hitler?s demolished
chancellery, just across the road. Everything else of expense in East Berlin
in these first few years was from Hitler,(7).
These stations were newly opened, even in 1990 on the walls they had posters from
the late 1950?s. The posters I observed were of Berlin decadence, they were of the
Berlin city opera, and cultural events that during the wall era people in East Berlin
never had a chance to experience. The entire generation never knew of the cities
once greatness.
Berlin when the wall was built did have an underground railway system. the
railway system was begun to be built in 1896, These lines before the wall. did go
to East and West Berlin freely. After the wall they only had to split one line and
close part of its length. Some of the Eastern lines that went north and south did
cross under underneath West Berlin. In these areas the stations were closed and
concrete collars were set in the roof and sides of the tunnel. The trains due to this
could just fit through the tunnel with little room on top or either side. Escape in the
tunnels would be impossible a person attempting to stand by the wall in a tunnel
would be ultimately crushed.
Where there were abandoned stations, they put up armed guards. And on
station platforms on the East side there were constantly strolling armed guards.
These guards were not like guards along the wall. They were armed, and had dogs,
many were Soviet soldiers who had no second thought to shoot first and ask
questions later. .
Since the fall of the wall Berlin has taken its place among other German cities
Frankfurt is the financial capital, Dusseldorf is the media capital, Hamburg is
the high-tech capital, and Berlin stands as the cultural capital once again.(7)
This fact tells that Berlin is back as a center of German society. The capital of all of
German has been moved from Bonn, back to Berlin. The Berlin skyline is a vast
expansion of new skyscrapers and new buildings. The German government hopes
the resurgence of Berlin will put them back on top as a world leader. They also
hope that by rebuilding their economy and show city they will have a great say in
where the capital of the new European Union will be. Germany is one nation
hoping to be the capital of the new union.
CONCLUSION
The Berlin Wall succeeded in creating two different cities, that lasted a
generation. Berlin lies in the northwest of Germany, It is divided by the Spree
River. It is 174 miles from Hamburg, and 318 miles from Frankfurt, and 243 miles
from Nuremberg. The city was isolated by distance before the wall and today
remains isolated.
Berlin has a population of 3.5 million people. Access to the city can be by
three ways; Air, Train, and by road. Berlin has three airports, Tegel International is
the largest. The rail way has two main stations the Bahnof Zoo (station) and the
Hauptbahnof from the south. By road the autobahn has four routes into Berlin, these
roads still aren?t in good shape.
Berlin is an isolated city within German society. The simple distance from
other major cities attributes to its differing society. East Berlin, and West Berlin,
both developed differently. The two cities, were two cities. The Wall only added to
this division. The Wall was not the sole reason for this split. The allies when they
divided up this once great capital contributed more.
The Soviets in wanting to control their sector for a longer period, contributed
the most to the division of the city of Berlin. The Wall only gave there intentions, a
physical structure to serve as a symbol. In November 1989, this symbol was
destroyed. The government, did do one intelligent thing upon tearing down the wall
they sold many parts as souvenirs.
East & West Berlin, became two very different cities during the Wall
Generation. Now the German government with the coming European Union hope
their once great capital will become the capital again. East Berliners today have
created a slogan, they put on bumper stickers and billboards. ?Give West Berliners
A Chance!? This is a gesture that all of Germany should adhere to.
Bibliography
ENDNOTES (1). Pinckney D. After the Wall was Over. Times Litery Supplement, Feb. 24 1995 p10(3)
(2) Judt T Nineteen Eighty-nine: The End of Which European Era?. Berlin Ed Diddles
1994 V 123 n 3
(3) Hankiss E European Paradigms: East and West, 1945-1994. Berlin Deadalus V 123 n
3 p. 166
(4) Schlegel N. Berlin Rebuilds and Redefines. Europe May 1995 n 3 p. 31 (6) Cover
Story
(5) Isaac J. the Meaning of 1989. Central and Eastern Europe: Gains and Losses in the
Transition to Democracy, Social Research, V. 63 n 2 pg. 127
(6) Yosefa L Inverting Images of the 40?s The Berlin Wall and Collective Amnesia.
Journal of Communication V. 45 Spring 95 pg. 101
(7) Shpakov Y How the Berlin Wall Collapsed. Moscow News, Nov. II 1994 n 45 pg. 1