Kultur 6 - Anna Kemeny

It is strange to think that just over 20 years ago, Germany's capitol city of Berlin was divided by a Wall into two violently opposite sides. It was fascinating to read about how a conflict still exists between the two sides; both the ways it has persisted and been resolved.

I thought it was particularly interesting to read in the article about attitudes towards the breaking down of the Berlin wall, the man who said the wall was a protective measure from the "fascist west." I have always learned that it was the Eastern communist governments that where fascists, and I think this demonstrates that it important to look at history from a broad spectrum and understand conflicts from all sides.

Being something of a history bough, I couldn't help but draw parallels in these articles to the American south and the persistent attitudes that the confederacy was a good institution. The Ostalgie seems similar to the Southern nostalgia; it is a romanticized memory of the past as a happier time. The memories have been distorted and build the past up to be better than it was in reality, but they show still be considered seriously. Right or wrong, a lot of people lived happily under the Eastern regime and there were definitely positive points to the system which can be fondly remembered. It is even more fascinating to learn that German has a divide between it's northern and southern regions, and that it is in some ways similar to that of the United States. Like America, northern Germany is more liberal and considers the south to be backward, while the Southerners see the North as snobby and lacking respect for traditions. I know a lot about American divisions, but it is always good to be reminded that such things happen everywhere in the world. Perhaps we can learn from the divide in German, and they from us.