Making sense of history

It’s hard to know what to say about the fall of the Berlin Wall, whose 20th anniversary we celebrated here this week. Where does one even begin to describe arguably the most important single event of the last half century? We’ve heard for months about the celebrations being planned, and naturally it’s been the hot topic here all year. We’ve also had lots of people asking us about the mood here in Berlin. So I’ve been asking a lot of people what the Mauerfall (wall fall) means to them, and oddly enough, the opinions are all over the place, depending on whether you ask a man or woman, twenty-something or a retiree, and most importantly, a Wessi (former west German) or an Ossi (former east German). Their reactions cover a full range of emotions: joy, pride, confidence, relief, liberation, and optimism but also disappointment, frustration, uncertainty, disillusionment, and confusion. This latter set of emotions has for a long time struck me as odd, and it was only until recently that I began to understand it for myself.

The Mauerfall for many Germans seems not to represent a single moment in history but the start of a long and often painful process that most non-Germans simply don’t grasp. Millions of Ossis lost their jobs, their ideological system, their national anthem and flag, their schools and textbooks, their favorite consumer products, currency (and with it their savings), and their identity as a people. For the Wessis, there often is resentment that they’ve had to pay for the adjustments in the East with little to show for it. And even though the Ossis love freedom as much as the Wessis, many seem disillusioned with the promises of the West and the way things have (or rather not) progressed. Wessis, conversely, often read this as ungratefulness. This complicates feelings, leading to a strange nostalgia for the old days when the two Germanys were still divided (described here and here and here). Many say that while the Berlin Wall has fallen, the wall still remains in the minds of many Germans. What I find interesting is that so many Germans have been willing to discuss this openly with me.

Thus the reason for the array of emotions that the Mauerfall creates over here in Berlin, which I’ve tried to describe as best I could. It’s been a truly priceless experience - not only to be a part of all the incredible festivities that transpired on Monday, but also to witness the living history that is still slowly working itself out, even twenty years later.