Reunification Of Germany

The excerpt from Jana Hensel‘s After the Wall: Confessions from an East German Childhood published in 2004 tells an honest story of what it was like to be a child of East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Hensel describes how she and members of her generation grapple with the dichotomy of being a part of two different worlds: reunified Germany and the old East Germany that belonged to their parents and their past. The excerpt discusses how commodification during reunification transformed the East German state from a communist system to a capitalist one. Hensel describes how this transformation erased any signs of the GDR and made East Germans foreigners in their own homeland.

Two of the world’s most popular and diverse economic systems are Communism and Capitalism. Capitalism, or a free enterprise economy, is an economic system constructed by the freedoms of the marketplace. The capitalist economy has several promising advantages. The capitalist government subtly changes and adjusts to the current conditions with ease. A communist system can be defined as an economic system where many, if not all, factors of production are controlled and owned by the government.

The Berlin Wall had been in place for 26 years. Increasing unrest was occurring in Berlin, and at this crucial time Ronald Reagan, as several presidents had done before him, traveled to the Brandenburg Gate, seen by most as the symbolical center of the wall. On June 12, 1987, he then spoke of peace between the USSR and the Western world, while motivating Berliners to help take down the wall and come together as a nation once more. Throughout the speech “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate”, by Ronald Reagan, he makes use of imagery as well as appeals to ethos and pathos to incite the German people to rise up and destroy the Berlin Wall, reunifying Germany.

The years following the fall of the Berlin wall brought Germany closer together as one country. The east side of Berlin was communist, whereas the west side was socialist/democratic. The Berlin wall was often referred to as a symbol of the cold war and the inner conflict of Germany. It showed the different ideologies of the USA and USSR and their systems of government. Officially known as the “Anti-Fascist-Protective Wall” by the east, and the “Wall of Shame” by the West, it physically divided the city of Berlin from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989. The fall of the Berlin Wall was beneficial for the economies of Germany and the US.

Today the city of Berlin is a thriving city with excellent nightlife unlike it was in the midst of the cold war. Although the reunification of the two sides was painstaking and expensive, Berlin and all of Germany is growing to be a magnificent city today. In spite of all this you can still see the differences between the two sides of Germany today. Whether it's the economy, population, or school leavers, the contrast is clear and present today. Regardless Germany is working to be a stronger, more peaceful, and unified country. ("Fall of the

He also believed that the Eastern and Western parts should be close together, so that all the people of Berlin could enjoy the same benefits of life. Having everyone united would bring in more power to the city. Reagan stated, “Where four decades ago there was rubble, today in West Berlin there is the greatest industrial output of any city in Germany--busy office blocks, fine homes and apartments, proud avenues, and the spreading lawns of parkland (Reagan, 1987).” He went on to say “Where there was want, today there's abundance--food, clothing, automobiles--the wonderful goods of the Ku'damm. From devastation, from utter ruin, you Berliners have, in freedom, rebuilt a city that once again ranks as one of the greatest on earth.” Reagan used logic to give the east views of a more prosperous future that stood on the other side of that wall.

In June of 1987 U.S President Ronald Reagan gave a speech urging for the destruction of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany. The speech begins with President Reagan complementing the strength and resolve of the people of Berlin. The speech quickly changes its focus to: the Berlin Wall, the Division of the German people, and the problems created by the governments of the communist world. Reagan then mentions that progress is being made with the Communist East and wishes for the same in Berlin. He then reverts back to failures of the Communist East and the strength of the German people. Regan finishes the speech with the idea that the will of the

This was a leading climatic event in towards the end of the 1980’s marking the end of communist regimes around the world, making it evident to even average citizens that change was coming. The Berlin Wall stood as a symbol for the two opposing sides of the Soviet Union and the United States. In 1949, Germany split into two different nations. Germany was a central hub for Cold War politics, with the West side allying with democratic states and the East side allying with the Soviet Union. The end of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Soviet Union’s status as a reigning power in Eastern Europe, with the Soviet Union falling not long

These blockades later became the infamous “Berlin Wall”. The wall was infamous because it “stood as a grim symbol of totalitarian socialism” (“Berlin Wall” 2). “The soviets tried to control all of berlin by blockading the roads.”(“Berlin Wall 2). After the building of the wall the Westerners responded with the Berlin Airlift. The Airlift was was series of helicopter flights that supplied the country with food and supplies. The Airlift not only helped them in their food situation but also caused success for the economy in western Germany. The wall was later destroyed after the Eastern Cabinet resigned. On “November 7… hundreds of thousands of Berliners took to the streets, breaching the wall in frenzied celebration.” (“Berlin Wall” 3). This was a momentous day as the effect of the wall was essentially imprisonment for the people on the eastern side. The wall was armed with guards that were instructed to kill anyone who attempted to escape. The destruction of the wall was significant because it displayed how things can be accomplished without violence. Then 21 days later “West Germany outlined a proposal calling for the reunification of the nation” (“Berlin Wall” 3). All in one year the wall that stood as a sign of separation was destroyed and the two sides were

     Throughout history, there have been many systems developed in order to have a better society. Two of the most analyzed, and debated systems that have tired to change an economy for the best are communism, and capitalism. Communism, and capitalism have been compared on many levels, such as why they will or will not work, and which one works better. Throughout this essay I will concentrate on the differences, and similarities of how each operates, along with the benefits, and problems that each of them produces.

June 12th, 1987 President Ronald Reagan arrives at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin to speak to the citizens and leaders of West Germany. The main goal of this speech is to gather his audience, the people of West Berlin, to accept the ideas of western democracy and oppose that of the 25-year-old Berlin Wall. As Ronald Reagan is the President of the United States, he obviously has credibility; therefore, he in turn uses this in combination with logical and moral appeals to present a convincing argument to an eager German audience.

People broke down the wall and Berlin was no longer a divided city; West and East Germany was a big country again

A communism government is a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power- which just means that all goods are equally shared by our people. Also the way we came to this conclusion is that we looked up other places that had a communism government- to see how their outcome was to predict how ours will be. Demonstrated this is china because they have a communism government and they are not in debt and they don’t have unemployed

The Berlin wall was a barrier that divided the capital of Germany Berlin into two from 1961 to 1989. On one side of the wall there was East Berlin which was made up of the soviet sector and on the other side was West Berlin which was made up of the American, British and French sectors. The Berlin wall not only divided Berlin but it divided family and friends. This article will outline the key ideas of what caused the Berlin wall to come crashing down, how communism and oppression affect the society people living in either west berlin or east berlin had come accustom to, the perspectives on the wall coming down from the Mikhail Gorbachev , St John Paul ii and …., the consequences the wall coming down after 40 years and how this affective not

In contrast to the desolate picture life in East Berlin painted, the economy of West Germany, which also included West Berlin, was rebounding and becoming quite strong. West Berlin’s businesses were booming, and their industry products were readily and rapidly bought by its resident who were eager to obtain the products and goods they had so long been deprived of previously, as a result of World War II.10 This new and heightening demand for goods pushed wages up quickly, and many new jobs were created with the development of new housing units and other construction enterprises.11 Movies, plays, and concerts were also available for West Berlin residents to enjoy, and overall life in West Berlin was good. However, life on the West side wasn’t all fun and games. Their city was still divided, and families were still separated. To the children of West Berlin residents, East Berlin was hidden from view and shrouded in mystery, their only knowledge of the other side coming through school or some form of media. It seemed they constantly asked themselves the question, “ Will the lives of East and West Germans forever be so vastly different and separate?”