Tag: divided germany

The beginning of a Germany divided

East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall in 1961.

August 13th marks the anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall. The concrete barrier physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Along with separating West Berlin from East German territory, it came to symbolize the “Iron Curtain” that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.

Browse relevant Berghahn titles on the history of a divided Germany. In addition, Berghahn Journals is offering free access to Vol. 29, Issue 2 of German Politics and Society until August 22, 2022. See below for details.

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COMMEMORATING 70 YEARS SINCE THE FORMATION OF EAST AND WEST GERMANY

On October 7th, 1949, the Democratic Republic of Germany was proclaimed, dividing Germany between East and West.

Seventy years later, we find ourselves in the days leading up to the German Studies Association’s annual meeting. A great deal has happened between 1949 and now, and we are delighted to present titles that provide comprehensive histories of this time period.

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A Divided Germany

This week marks the fifty-eighth anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall. The Iron Curtain was assembled in the middle of Berlin in August 1961 and expanded over the following months to ultimately divide West Berlin from the surrounding East Germany, prohibiting East Germans to pass into West Germany for decades. Browse our relevant titles on the history and ramifications of a divided Germany.

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German Unity Day

Two weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, on 28 November 1989, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl announced a 10-point program calling for the two Germanys to expand their cooperation with the view toward eventual reunification. On 18 May 1990, the two German states signed a treaty agreeing on monetary, economic and social union. On October 3rd, 1990, Federal Republic of Germany and the Democratic Republic of Germany were reunited to create one single federal Germany, now celebrated as German Unity Day!

Take advantage of our offer of FREE access to the journal, German Politics and Society until the end of the year! Please use code GSA18 and redeem here.

 

We are also currently offering free access to the article: Politics of Emotions: Journalistic Reflections on the Emotionality of the West German Peace Movement, 1979-1984 in recognition of International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons until October 10.

Berghahn is honored to present some of the relevant titles on the History of German Unification:

 

A History Shared and Divided: East and West Germany since the 1970sA HISTORY SHARED AND DIVIDED
East and West Germany since the 1970s
Frank Bösch
Translated from the German by Jennifer Walcoff Neuheiser

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The Berlin Wall Is Built

On August 13, 1961, Berlin woke up to a shock: the East German Army had begun construction on the infamous Berlin Wall. The Wall was initially constructed in the middle of Berlin, and expanded over the following months. It entirely cut off West Berlin from the surrounding East Germany, prohibiting East Germans to pass into West Germany.

The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period. The Berlin Wall came to symbolize the “Iron Curtain” that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.

Browse Berghahn relevant titles on History of divided Germany:

Memorializing the GDR: Monuments and Memory after 1989MEMORIALIZING THE GDR
Monuments and Memory after 1989
Anna Saunders

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