Interviews

Dorit was born in East Germany, during the time of the Wall. She is now twenty-two and attending the University of South Dakota. "The main difference between the two sides," Dorit says, "was the economy." Everything discussed came back to the same fact that East Germany was very protective of its people. The government did not want to lose its most precious resource. East Germany had its benefits. For example, its people were always secure in having a job, and being protected. Many issues took Dorit by surprise when Germany was reunified. For example, the German nation would not let the workers who were once working under the Communist regime work in their offices and factories. Another example that was not surprising, was the separation of friendships due to the change of politics. For example, Dorit's mother had a friend who was was a member of the democratic party, while Dorit's father was a member of the socialist party. Her mother's friend, found out about his connections with the communist movement and ceased all communications with Dorit's mother.

During the course of our research, we interviewed two individuals who lived in Germany at the time that the Berlin Wall fell. The two individuals are Ms. Dorit Hahn and Ms. Beth Cunningham. Ms. Dorit Hahn (age 21) used to live in East Germany while Ms. Beth Cunningham (age 20) once lived in West Germany. The following are the interview questions that we asked as well as their honest responses.

Question 1.
During the time of the Berlin Wall did you ever have to cross the border? If so, what crossing points were you able to access? Did you know of anyone who was thrown into prison due to the strictness of travel between the East and West?

Hahn, E. Germany: No, I was not allowed to cross the border. Because I was a child and did not think about the possibility, at least not seriously. The wall was a fact that people who were G.D.R. citizens were not allowed to travel into a capitalist country without a special reason.

Cunningham, W. Germany: We couldn't cross the wall because my father was in the military. The East German military considered us a threat. Our neighbors were jailed for trying to cross the Wall to visit their family on the other side.

Question 2.
What type of changes occurred while the Berlin Wall was up to affect you, your family, and relations with those you knew on the other side? How were lifestyles changed among the German population (culture, economics, education, etc.) comparing the East and West?

Hahn: We didn't have a close relationship to anybody in West Germany, so my family was not that influenced by the "wall-subject". However, we watched West German television, so we knew about lifestyle and economy in West Germany.

Cunningham: The people on the East side were very impoverished and heavily punished by the military. On the West people lived more freely.

Question 3.
How would you compare your living conditions? Was your home near the Berlin Wall?

Hahn: My family has never been poor and could afford luxuries such as: telephone, car, apartment, fruits, etc.

Cunningham: We lived on the West side of the Berlin Wall, so we really lived in East Germany. When we were first stationed, it was at Spangdalem AFB until we moved to Berlin.

Question 4.
What were some demands placed on your family as a result of political actions and movements?

Hahn: Dad was a member of the socialist party, but we never had any problems. My brother and I were involved in youth organizations that were developed for school children. It was like any other after school type club. We went to places and learned things about the business world. We were taught the way of the Communists, but we were okay with it because it was not forced upon us.

Cunningham: We weren't allowed to leave the military installation without security. The German military kept a tight watch on everyone. There were a lot of gunfights and bombings.

Question 5.
Did you know of anyone who had tried to escape into West Germany?

Hahn: No, I did not know of anyone personally.

Cunningham: There were many of our German neighbors who tried to flee, but few got through. When they got caught the East German guards would torture and kill them.

Question 6.
What was your first reaction to the news of the Berlin Wall coming down? What was it like after seeing that it was down?

Hahn: I had to see West Germany as soon as possible. I should make plans on what to buy first. I was not very influenced personally in terms of lifestyle after the Berlin Wall came down.

Cunningham: I was glad to see the wall come down. At first, I was stunned because the East German government had given in. After watching the people tear it down, I was happy to see all of the families reunited.

Question 7.
Why do you believe that Germany split at the end of World War II?

Hahn: The allies and their policies were too different to maintain a united Germany.

Cunningham: Because after Adolf Hitler, the rest of the world wanted to avoid a Communist country of the size and power of Germany.

Question 8.
Did the spread of Communism surprise those living in the eastern section of Germany?

Hahn: She said her grandma had wanted to flee to the American section of Germany, but Dorit's grandpa was scared to excite the Russians. Dorit's grandpa was scared because at one time he was a prisoner of war during WWII. Dorit could not comprehend her grandpa's decision.

Cunningham: My grandfather said that no one was surprised by the spread of Communism. It was strong enough to hold the people together.

Question 9.
When the Wall was put up did a lot of people move away? Did you know of any families that were kept apart due to the construction of the Wall?

Hahn: Yes, in fact, my grandparents's cousins were on the other side of the Berlin Wall.

Cunningham: People didn't have a choice when the wall went up. It trapped people on the East side and they weren't allowed into the West side.

Question 10.
What do you believe will happen in Germany's future in terms of economics, unity, and political aspects?

Hahn: Right now the eastern part of the nation is very poor economically. I believe that after a while the eastern part of Germany will be better, but it will take a long time for the economy to improve. In terms of unity, the next two generations will create a unified Germany. In terms of political parties however, there will not be any real change soon. No real change will occur because there are so many political factions such as: SPD (Social Democratic Party), CDU (Christian Democratic Union), PDS (Party of Democratic Socialism).

Cunningham: The German economy could waver because the United States will be closing several military bases. The unification will last because it is what most of the people want.

Question 11.
Do you believe that the breaking down of the Berlin Wall was the most significant item in the process of Germany's reunification? If no, what do you think was the most important factor in the process of reunification?

Hahn: It was not the most important step in the fact that they had to act "now!" to keep the crowd calm. The whole wall coming down was an accident. In fact, it was a miscommunication between the head people. When announced over the news that the wall was coming down, the government officials had to think on their feet or risk a free-for-all.