Kultur 10

I think this chapter's articles have been my favorite. Most of my knowledge of the division of East and West Germany came from high school classes which painted a picture much different than these articles. I thought everyone in East Berlin had been unhappy and attempting to escape, and also lacked any kind of freedom. It was striking to me to read quotes of inhabitants of what was Eastern Berlin talk about how much freer they felt under control of the USSR. Furthermore I didn't know much about the events leading up to the construction of the Berlin Wall. For instance I didn't know that almost immediately after the end of World War II the Soviet Army closed all roads, rails, and waterways.