For most people under 40 the event has little meaning or is an historic footnote. For East Germans, Europeans and those who grew up under the constant threat of nuclear war that was the cold war, the Berlin Wall is far more than a symbol. It represents a time in history of constant threat of war, of totalitarian repression, of ideological division far deeper than the cross the isle split in Congress or Tea Party politics of today’s America.
Those who are more international in scope, who served during the Berlin Air Lift or other key periods of stress during the years between the end of the Second World War and the eve of 1990, know that walls represent the type of oppression the United States stood solidly against.
So why are we building a wall between us and Mexico?
Why are we not demanding Israel tear down its wall?
Why is the wall that is the DMZ (demilitarized zone) still dividing North and South Korea in a very real "hot" war?
Why are we not working to tear down more physical and figurative walls?
Going back to the Berlin wall. Do you understand why president's George HW Bush, Clinton, George W Bush and now Obama have to keep at arms length from the celebrations over the fall of The Wall? Critics on the conservative talk and blog circuit are criticizing Obama for not being in Berlin today, while Obama prepares to meet with the leaders of China and India, now in a very hot but small shooting war over a boarder despite, both nuclear powers and potential economic superpowers. Did they criticize President George HW Bush for not openly celebrating when the wall actually came down, with the picks, shovels and sweat equity of the citizen of East Germany in open defiance of their own government?
Even today there are hurt feelings, open wounds and even potentially dangerous denial of cause on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Twenty years ago is far less distant to those in power, and those who lead, in Europe than in our isolationist leaning United States.
The finger on the bomb trigger that led to “Fail Safe” and “Dr Strangelove” is not the distant memory it is for many Americans.
Then too there is the issue of why the wall fell.
Many who were born or who grew up when Regan was president remember his "tear down this wall" speech. An historic speech which did contribute to Russia's decision not to back the East German government they did not get along with in military suppression of its own population, as Russia had in Poland and the Prague Spring Invasion of Czechoslovakia in the past.
Communication scholars have pointed to "Miami Vice" as part of bringing down the wall and ending the Soviet Union. How? When people were shown a west of men in fedoras’, carrying brief cases and factory workers being oppressed by capitalism, sped by the popularity of the VCR and booklet tapes, "Miami Vice" became the most popular program behind the Iron Curtain. In the show poor Americans of diverse ethnicities walk in to 7-11 to buy bread without bread lines, poor people drive cars and buy drugs and everything is sunny and happy, when compared to rainy drab Eastern Europe.
Military scholars say that 45 years of strong US Military presence (larger in numbers, manpower and equipment than the US presence in wars in Korea and Vietnam) wore down Soviet resources.
Economist point to the prosperity in Western Europe and how it became impossible to hide it from the east.
Still the US should not join in the celebration as we refused to help the people of Poland and Czechoslovakia when both believed out Voice of America and Radio Free Europe rhetoric and promises of military and economic help. We did not tear the wall down or take steps to do so. The East German people did.
It is difficult for many people remember how they felt or what the significance of the wall falling was at the time. We were still scared of a Soviet attack, of a backlash, of some sort of crack down on Germany by the Russians. Many Americans remembered the carnage and division of the Second World War, Korea and most remembered, really remembered Vietnam.
The wall seemed spontaneous.
No one expected it, and then it happened, it came down! A people's revolution from the heavily suppressed and very totalitarian east.
Today much or Europe is celebrating that people's quiet and successful revolution.
Today much or Europe is celebrating that people's quiet and successful revolution.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
WriteNOWMom
ohsillyme
Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
When the wall came down I was glad that for once I was right.
Gorbachev opened a can of worms with his Glasnost initiative (free speech thing, sort of). As soon as people where freely allowed to say what they think, the first thing they said: "we want Russians out of here".
Putin would not have allowed things to get this far, but if they ever did, he would not have hesitated to suppress the rebellion.
Anyway, three cheers to Gorbachev.