Two Halves make a Hole

L.K.

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TWO HAVLES MAKE A HOLE Federal Republic of Germany National Pavilion INTA411_Danielle Abreu e Lima Semester One 2013

“we should be more conscious that we are talking about the remaining effects of Germany’s division, not the consequences of its reunification”

The East

German Democratic Republic After the Berlin Wall was bulit on the 13th of August, 1969, people from the communist East were soon trapped within the regeme, often trying and failing to break out to the West or other parts of Europe. People seen as suspicious to the Government were watched by the ‘Stasi’, the secret police, leaving the people living under constant opression. Although change was fast compared to other communist countrys, it was slow in comparison to the consumer driven, allie fued West Germany.

The West

Federal Republic of Germany West Germany was a counrty of quick change and developement fuelled by the allies during the Cold War. During its seperation from the East the West underwent a ‘Wirtschaftswunder”, an“economic miracle” in which inflation halted, the values of international trade doubled and huge economic upturn occured with help from the allies, America in particular. Along with this people were also free to express themselves as they wished, with ‘punk’ filtering in from London.

Reunified Yet Divided

1989 saw the fall of the Berlin wall after 40 years of separation under opposing governing structures and cultures that developed through this. Germans agreed to reunification with open arms hoping it would solve their problems to create a happier life. It soon became apparent that this was only a honeymoon phase and problems such as unemployment, rising prices, a looming recession and East Germans being treated as second rate citizens caused divisions between the East and West. These aversions to one another still divide the country mentally with over half of the population feeling the country isn’t united.