20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Wall

Neither rainstorms nor traffic jams dented the good mood of both the locals and prominent guests last Monday in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. The rows of VIPs, had they been quizzed, would all -- like the hallowed JFK -- have called themselves Berliners.

Twenty years ago I was also standing at the window of the Adlon Hotel near the Brandenburg Gate, watching there and on television the crumbling of the wall. I was fascinated to listen to what tunes the young people near and on the wall sang and danced: sentimental favorites of the past, tangos and American pop. The orchestras near the VIP grandstand played no military marches, not even classics by Haydn or Handel; no trace of triumph -- on the contrary, triste tones of Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves. Nowhere else in the world would such a potpourri be thinkable on such a day.

Berlin 2009 was a bivouac of peace. From numerous conversations, table talk and podium discussions there sprang a feeling of relief -- relief at being able to leave a period of history behind. As for the future: the Germans are not aware that the Federal Republic, whether they want it or not, is today the most important power (the word the new generation hates) in Europe and will remain so for quite a while. The 'count me out' mentality of the last two generations is still strongly rooted in the German popular soul. In a country in which words such as Power, Volk and Fuhrer are taboo, although in every other language they are in daily use, it is difficult to enunciate and spell words even if the meaning may have changed.

Nor do people think too much about the great threats and perils from powerful hostile forces, whether they be Iran, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda or religious fanaticism, and above all they don't want to think about these menaces to the very logical end.

The leading figure of contemporary Germany is a woman well aware of all these perils and also prepared to spell them out. Her appearance before the U.S. Congress ushered in a new phase of American policy towards Europe and caused Germany to become, even though Washington elegantly avoids rubbing it in, the most important partner of the United States in Europe.

Who else could fulfill this role for Washington? At present Great Britain seems politically lame because Gordon Brown's Labour Government fights a tough battle for survival and the Tory Opposition pursues an absurd European policy which makes them everywhere unpopular or at best incomprehensible. France's president, in his thoughts and actions, is jumpily unpredictable, playing opera seria and opera buffa in turn. Italy's Berlusconi is a mixture of Borgia Pope and Frank Sinatra. The new Merkel Government has proven men of talent and force such as Wolfgang Schäuble, the brilliant Karl-Theodor Guttenberg and the coalition partner's leader Guido Westerwelle.

Two Russians representing very different, though not unrelated, versions of her post-Communist regime sat in the first row of the grandstand. Gorbachev, to whom one justly ascribes the main role in the drama of communism's overthrow, is the typical 'prophet abroad'; in truth he wanted to save the original Communist idea by sweeping reforms, and yet the system collapsed before his eyes. Medvedev, the current president, is still regarded as a moderate reformer although he can revert to threatening tones.

In the next weeks and days we'll see what sort of team of leaders in the spirit of the Lisbon Treaty will direct the Brussels power machine. But one thing is certain: in the future much of the power -- however uncomfortable the word may still sound for Germans -- will emanate from Germany, where it is strongly rooted. By the way, the only moment in all the ceremonies where any sort of patriotic pride was discernible was when the orchestra intoned the old music hall ditty praising the fresh and healthy 'Berlin Air.'

 

Comments

[eileenflemingWAWA]

Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall came crashing down due to the build up of pressures exerted by the Solidarity movement demanding freedom at the time of the demise of Communism.

The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolically portrayed the end of the Cold War and proved that walls cannot keep people apart.

The Berlin Wall was twenty-seven miles of rolls of barbed wire augmented with a high concrete barrier and watchtowers, floodlights, and a no man's land. A few scaled over, some tunneled below and 136 East Germans died trying to cross it.

A wall twice as high and five times as long as the one that fell in Berlin, is close to completion in the West Bank. In 2004, the International Court of Justice deemed it ILLEGAL and demanded it fall.

One of the chants I learned during one of my four visits to the agricultural village of Bilin, was "The wall will fall in Bilin; the wall will fall like in Berlin".

Photos and the rest of this story @

http://www.wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1481&Itemid=226

[lastpost]

“the Brussels power machine”

The Berlin Wall was constructed from imposed ideology, and dismantled by the power of the people. Brussels power was not assembled through democratic principles. And without the wholehearted support of the people, will just as easily collapse.

[RevBookburn]

It is so laughable to see Reagan, the Pope and MIckey Mouse getting credit for the fall of the wall. The collapse followed an implosion due to endless war, feeding a bottomless pit military budget, and screwing the common person. In order words, following policies like Reagan's and W. Bush's.

[Jerkyman]

Thanks Ronald Reagan

[kritikalace2011]

Lets not forget that Reagan had a change of heart, which I think was a result of an increased appreciation of the perils and probability of nuclear war. I say we thank Able Archer and The Day After for motivating Reagan to change his mind.

[littlepeople]

Thanks Gorbachev.

[whitehawk]

Germany and it's past unfortunately has significantly changed American ideals also since the WW. Much of the modern (last 150 years) german immigrants are still hostile and in America.

[countingdays]

Could you expound on this statement? I'm curious about what exactly you mean by it.

[ConcernedNeighbour]

whitehawk - I suspect that the 150 year old immigrants who are telling you about their hostility may be kidding ... pulling your leg , y'know .
Also , which WW ?
There's been more than one , so I guess you are educated in the USA .

[larry278]

That is a strange finding. I lived in a state where German names were common & where German immigrants had settled since 1810. The offsprings of these Germans were proud of their heritage but fought for the USA in WW I & WW II. They beat Germany in both wars. They were proud of that. We were proud of them & stil are proud of them. Somehow the children of German immigrants & on the line today became Americans. Some fought in 'Nam others demonstrated against the USA's war in 'Nam. The same thing is true about the USA's wars in the Middle East.

[EuroMom]

Is that you, Sarah from Alaska? Can you see Berlin from your porch, also, too? And what books or newspapers have you been reading about the WW and the fall of the wwall?