Brezhnev and Honecker share a moment.
The Fall of the Wall back in '89 was one of the most important events of the 20th century, and not just for Germany. Within a year, Germany was once again united, and by 1990, the Soviet Union had collapsed. What I find astonishing is that, after 40 years of separation and Cold War, this revolution was peaceful. It began quietly, but by the end of the night, the world was changed and at least this one particular form of oppression was shattered. That it happened without bloodshed is an all-to-rare testament of the capacity of humanity for peace.
There are still problems. One of the debates going on when I was there this summer had to do with Social Security being paid to East Germans who had not contributed their own money to the system, and this is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to the challenges of turning two countries into one. "Ostalgie," or nostalgia for the East, persists, and despite our Western/Capitalist bias over here, I can understand it. Worldwide, the question remains: who is responsible for Wiedervereinigung? The answers continue to reflect the hostilities of the Cold War, as they generally look to Reagan or Gorbachev (that "or" is important, because of course it couldn't have been both). Despite these, the vast majority of the population agrees that Reunification was a good thing, and Germans and the rest of the world have worked hard in the intervening two decades to reshape Europe and learn from their Cold War histories.
I'm by no means an expert, but I am trying to understand the impact both of separation and reunification in Germany. It's complicated. But I think we should use this anniversary as an opportunity to take stock of the state of the world and reevaluate our progress. In twenty years, the world has become a drastically different place, but the old wounds haven't healed. In order to move forward, we have to look back.
I'll close with a quote from the German newspaper Die Welt today:
"Die Mauer sei jedoch 'nicht gefallen.' 'Sie wurde eingedrueckt. Von Menschen, und zwar von Osten nach Westen. Sie wurde umgestuerzt, abgetragen niedergerissen, in einer friedlichen Revolution.'" (Guido Westerwelle, Die Welt)
If we take nothing else from today, I hope it will at least be a reminder that change isn't passive. People are responsible for the evil in the world, but they are also responsible for overthrowing it. As Westerwelle said, the wall didn't fall.
The Fall of the Wall back in '89 was one of the most important events of the 20th century, and not just for Germany. Within a year, Germany was once again united, and by 1990, the Soviet Union had collapsed. What I find astonishing is that, after 40 years of separation and Cold War, this revolution was peaceful. It began quietly, but by the end of the night, the world was changed and at least this one particular form of oppression was shattered. That it happened without bloodshed is an all-to-rare testament of the capacity of humanity for peace.
There are still problems. One of the debates going on when I was there this summer had to do with Social Security being paid to East Germans who had not contributed their own money to the system, and this is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to the challenges of turning two countries into one. "Ostalgie," or nostalgia for the East, persists, and despite our Western/Capitalist bias over here, I can understand it. Worldwide, the question remains: who is responsible for Wiedervereinigung? The answers continue to reflect the hostilities of the Cold War, as they generally look to Reagan or Gorbachev (that "or" is important, because of course it couldn't have been both). Despite these, the vast majority of the population agrees that Reunification was a good thing, and Germans and the rest of the world have worked hard in the intervening two decades to reshape Europe and learn from their Cold War histories.
I'm by no means an expert, but I am trying to understand the impact both of separation and reunification in Germany. It's complicated. But I think we should use this anniversary as an opportunity to take stock of the state of the world and reevaluate our progress. In twenty years, the world has become a drastically different place, but the old wounds haven't healed. In order to move forward, we have to look back.
I'll close with a quote from the German newspaper Die Welt today:
"Die Mauer sei jedoch 'nicht gefallen.' 'Sie wurde eingedrueckt. Von Menschen, und zwar von Osten nach Westen. Sie wurde umgestuerzt, abgetragen niedergerissen, in einer friedlichen Revolution.'" (Guido Westerwelle, Die Welt)
If we take nothing else from today, I hope it will at least be a reminder that change isn't passive. People are responsible for the evil in the world, but they are also responsible for overthrowing it. As Westerwelle said, the wall didn't fall.
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