Saturday 23 October 2010

The Lost GDR

20 Years Of German Unity by Patrick Chappatte
"On 9 November 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down I realised German unification would soon follow, which it did a year later. This meant the end of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the country in which I was born, grew up, gave birth to my two children, gained my doctorate and enjoyed a fulfilling job as a lecturer in English literature at Potsdam University. Of course, unification brought with it the freedom to travel the world and, for some, more material wealth, but it also brought social breakdown, widespread unemployment, blacklisting, a crass materialism and an "elbow society" as well as a demonisation of the country I lived in and helped shape. Despite the advantages, for many it was more a disaster than a celebratory event." (De la Motte, 2009)
Chappatte, P. (2010) 20 Years Of German Unity. [Online] http://www.globecartoon.com/ [22/10/2010]
De la Motte, B. (2009) East Germans lost much in 1989. [Online] http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/08/1989-berlin-wall [22/10/2010]