Title

After the wall : Germany, the Germans and the burdens of history

Description

The reunited Germany that emerged from the euphoria of 1989 - that miraculous moment when the Wall fell and all the world cheered - is neither a power to be feared nor a rich, stable democracy to be admired. Far from freeing the Germans from the burdens of history, the fall of the Wall has exacerbated the traumas of the past, leaving Germany divided - against itself, east from west: against the "other," its own six million foreign residents as well as hundreds of thousands of new immigrants who arrive each year; and most of all, against the continuing legacy of the Nazi and communist eras. The readmission of sixteen million East German residents has uncovered old wounds and lifted half a century of taboos. Blending essay and reportage and drawing on countless interviews with people from all sides, Marc Fisher tells stories that reveal a seething and chaotic nation handicapped by its past and struggling to define its role at home and abroad. These personal stories touch on the lingering fear of a mighty Germany, memories of the Holocaust, Germany's economic role as the engine of Europe, and its diplomatic role as the strongest nation at the border of the troubled former Soviet Bloc.

Identifier

547842

684802910

Creator

Fisher, Marc

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

1995

Program air date: August 6, 1995

Publisher

Simon & Schuster

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Notes on front endpapers: Wall in the Head--East Germans. Reburial of Frederick the Great Halle. The Gap. The Lost Generation--over 50. Having a copy of Mein Kamp is illegal. "The Fisher Affair"--Marc. Helmut Kohl 'No one will be worse off.' p.32 Brunno Ritter--a retired Army Sergeant. P. 24 Anna Rosmus-Passau. P. 293-Gabriele Puschel-Nikos Kapogiannis. P. 243 Christian Worch-Nazi leader. Nose p213. P. 162 Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler-Black channel program. Egon Zeidler--East to West-old Businessman. P.125 Elke and Ekkenhard Hotz. Underlinings/Notes: Underlinings: Lamb underlines conflicting/contradictory views of Germany as it faces transition into a single country, Helmut Kohl and refugees, details of the lives of common Germans, position of foreigners in Germany and respect for laws. Notes: "Gray image," "800 stories 89-93," "6 million foreign residents," classified ad," "German agnostic," "European flag," "Nazi symbols," "Nazi era songs," "data protection laws," "country short on innovation leadership," "Bonn, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin," "War crimes 6,200," "Brunno Ritter," "Only a dozen German Historians focus on the Nazi period," "Autobahn mentality," "100,000 rules," "Order and stability," "vacation and disabled people," "Wash Post's car registration," "The Brits and the Italian vacation," "85% of transactions cash," "strict limit on shopping hours," "30% GNP to Social benefits," "work week 37 hrs., vacation 42 days, education 29 yrs old, retirement 59," "secluded democracy," "German attitude toward Americans," "Euphoria leads to disappointment," "Romantic image of Germany," "Marriages 88-92 birth rate, sterilization," "message of profit and greed," "compared East Germans to American Blacks," "1933--600,000 Jews, 1994--40,000 Jews," "40% of Germans never seen a Jew," "trainees in Democracy," "foreign reporters collected neo-Nazis," "50 marks for Hitler salute," "1991 Dresden 6 of 10 H.S. leaders Nazis," "foreign fellow citizens," "accused of anti-German animus."

Subject

"Jews--Germany--History--20th century."

"Social integration--Germany."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Rights

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