Germany - 20 years united

[MandelSoft 2,769]

Today, on October 3rd, it's twenty years ago that Germany became one nation. This ment the end of the Cold War in Germany.

Deutschland, für 20 Jahre ein Land, ein Volk!

                       

I propose a toast to that! Prosit!

Best,

Maarten

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Whoa, thanks a lot, Maarten! I cannot tell you how good it feels to see such a thread, and even more so because it has been opened by one of our neighbours. 

 I remember when I saw on TV how the Berlin Wall finally fell and all those people were celebrating, driving their cars over the border, bending the "DDR" country plates in the middle so that only the "D" for "Deutschland" remained - and all that without firing a single shot, without any violence. That moment when it was clear that people had swept away that obscene wall and made something that used to be our reality for so long look like a bad dream that was suddenly over. I am grateful that I could experience this historical moment with my own eyes. Only a few months - bah, a few weeks! - before it would have been unthinkable to visit the east of Germany, and nowadays we travel from the west to Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, and it has become totally normal. Nowadays the remainders of the borderline fortifications seem so surreal, so out of place and time, and yet they were real.

 When I was in Leipzig with a friend, we visited an exhibition about the inner-German border. In one exhibit, you could listen to old radio propaganda from that time, when Western radio stations warned that the GDR soldiers guarding the border had received new orders to shoot any trespassers, and stations from  the East countered. It was really, really scary because you could get a slight idea of what it must have been like. There was also a plan where the troop movements for an invasion of Western Germany were laid out in detail - equally scary!

However, I also remember how some neighbour countries feared that with the unification of Germany, a World War III might be imminent in the long run, and that Germany might become too hungry for power once more. This is not a wonder considering both world wars and how our neighbouring countries had to suffer. There is still some mistrust under the surface sometimes, and some of it is inherited by people who never experienced the war. That's why it feels so good to see that this thread was opened by you, Maarten. It's lots of small things like these put together that make me optimistic and nourish the hope that we will eventually overcome all these shadows of the past and that the bloody lessons from so many wars that were fought in Europe have finally been learnt so that we can live in peace and nobody has to treat a neighbour as an enemy.

[Zelgadis 638]

Holy crap, has it only been 20 years? How time doesn't fly...

My grandmother left me a globe with East and West Germany on it recently and I was just thinking how ancient it must be...

ISF

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

As something of a history buff, I can say congratulations in all sincerity.  From a loose federation of states to a unified, productive ally in only a couple of centuries is a great achievement in spite of some bumps along the road. 

I was a little kid at the end of the second great war, and of course we were thoroughly propagandized.  Didn't work on us very well because my next door neighbors were a very nice German family and the sons often baby sat me.  I am sure they felt isolated, but no one in my hearing said a word against them.  As kids, we were pretty polarized, but not against the German people so much as the gang that had control.

In my poor German, let me wish you Ein Volk, immals.

[Johan_91 179]

Prosit for the reunification!= D

// Munich

[Jasoncw 11,841]

I can't imagine how Germans must be feeling right now.  I'm getting emotional and I'm American and only 23!!

There's a celebratory scenario waiting for those who still have SC3K installed.

[Johan_91 179]

Actually there haven't been much celebration among the local populace : / Didn't see anything in Munich today, perhaps due to the Oktoberfest.

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: Johan_91

Actually there haven't been much celebration among the local populace : / Didn't see anything in Munich today, perhaps due to the Oktoberfest.quote>

Now that makes no sense. If there's tons of bier around, people should really be celebrating like crazy.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

It is convenient that the anniversary coincides with Oktoberfest.  Ein prosit!

[Johan_91 179]

Well the lack of celebration is caused by a number of unfortunate events that happened after the reunification. The problems it caused is more often staged in the centre of attention rather than the good things... unfortunatley.

[GMT 389]

There's been an official celebration at Bremen. And, surprise surprise, ultra-leftwingers called for massive and violent riots. And of course Die Linke, which is basically the current name for what's left of the SED "goverment" (dicatorship rather), can't really celebrate for this celebration honors the anniversary of their political defeat. And as a party that still does not make any efforts to dissociate from their dictatorship-origin, I guess they will have problems with this date for as long as this party exist. sadly.

anyways, great to see there's so much positive reception of the recent german history throughout the world, despite the darker spots on the paper...

[saltandsauce 0]

Originally posted by: Zelgadis

Holy crap, has it only been 20 years? How time doesn't fly...

My grandmother left me a globe with East and West Germany on it recently and I was just thinking how ancient it must be...

ISF

quote>

My school had 1 globe that listed Namibia as "south west Africa" and had Yugoslavia as one country (along with East and West Germany) it did have modern maps as well but it still had maps with east and west germany pinned up on the wall.

it does have modern maps in the geography department but it hasn't bothered getting rid of the old ones

[TekindusT 3,809]

Originally posted by: saltandsauce

Originally posted by: Zelgadis

Holy crap, has it only been 20 years? How time doesn't fly...

My grandmother left me a globe with East and West Germany on it recently and I was just thinking how ancient it must be...

ISF

quote>

My school had 1 globe that listed Namibia as "south west Africa" and had Yugoslavia as one country (along with East and West Germany) it did have modern maps as well but it still had maps with east and west germany pinned up on the wall.

it does have modern maps in the geography department but it hasn't bothered getting rid of the old ones

quote>

It's quite funny to see this days maps depicting Czechoslovakia, the URSS, East and West Germany, Yugoslavia... And these are only 20-22 years old!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Originally posted by: TekindusT

It's quite funny to see this days maps depicting Czechoslovakia, the URSS, East and West Germany, Yugoslavia... And these are only 20-22 years old!quote>

If you think that's odd, you should see the maps my grandfather had when the war was on that showed the territory occupied by the Axis powers.  At the largest extent, it was a goodly percentage of Europe and Asia.

I am a child of the first half of the twentieth century, and have watched it all unfold.  I was born at the beginning of the reign of King George VI, and have grown up and watched as everything happened from then on.  I grew up on the Canada/US border, and the War of 1812 was a hot discussion topic in the various family gatherings because our grandparents knew people like Laura Secord's relatives and thought a great deal of General Brock.  As a result of this, when we went across the border to shop, I always felt a little like I was in hostile territory.  Not any more, because I did a lot of travel to the US when I was working, but it was interesting what one hears at one's mother's knee.

[dehyan309 3]

It's good to hear that Germany is getting along very nicely with the rest of Europe and the world. Being barely 25% German by blood and being born American, I can only imagine to relate, however I do feel Germans have made long, accomplishing strides to being a better society. I'm actually a bit proud to have a bit German in me, even if I'm majorly Norwegian.

[Duke of York 23]

As being half German this is a awesome feeling !

Aufrichtig,

DOY