35 years after the fall of the Wall: United, but not united in everything

Documentation

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Peaceful Revolution in the GDR paved the way for Germany's reunification. But there is still a gap between East and West. Historian and journalist Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk (born 1967), political scientist and Perspektive³ e.V. board member Judith Enders, who was born in the mid-1970s, and Paul Löser, city councillor of Sebnitz in Saxony, who was born more than ten years after the fall of the Wall, discussed this on October 9 at the panel discussion "75 years of the Basic Law & 35 years of the Peaceful Revolution".

Bunte Menschenmenge steht vor und auf der Berliner Mauer am Brandenburger Tor, am Tag nach dem Mauerfall
Teaser Image Caption
People on the Wall at the Brandenburg Gate, the day after the fall of the Wall.
This is an automatically translated article.
Translated with DeepL.
Original language: Deutsch

On the night of November 9-10, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell - an event that changed the world. One year later, the GDR was also a thing of the past, with civil rights activists and many citizens of the GDR overthrowing the SED regime in a peaceful revolution and paving the way for a united Germany. But more than three decades later, it is clear that the country has by no means grown together in all respects. Interest in democratic participation and trust in the Basic Law is lower among people with East German socialization. This is another reason why there is still a debate about whether the renewal of the Basic Law in reunified Germany would have helped to bring East and West closer together.

Would a constitutional reform have changed anything? How can the memory of the turbulent reunification years be kept alive, which narratives about this time dominate? And how can trust in democracy be strengthened and the rifts between East and West overcome? These questions were discussed by the historian and journalist Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, the political scientist and director of Perspektive³ e.V., Judith Enders, and the city councillor of Sebnitz in Saxony, Paul Löser, on October 9 at the panel discussion "75 Years of the Basic Law & 35 Years of Peaceful Revolution". To mark the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this text offers excerpts from the discussion moderated by Foundation Board Member Jan Philipp Albrecht as well as quotes from short conversations we had with the guests afterwards. You can watch the entire discussionhere.

Overwhelmed by the upheavals

It is undisputed that the fundamental change in the system after reunification brought major upheavals for the people of East Germany. Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, a journalist who is heavily involved in coming to terms with the SED dictatorship, described the challenge of coping with the political, economic, social, legal and administrative restructuring of the 1990s. The resulting "transformation overload" is still having an impact in East Germany today:

Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk

Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, Historiker und Buchautor

"Five million East Germans have left East Germany since 1990, which has changed the whole area extremely," he explained, referring to the resulting social and cultural fractures. Added to this is the "excessive demands of the current global digital transformation", which is fueling the rise of populists and extremists in many places, who are giving "very simple answers to highly complicated questions". This is particularly pronounced in eastern Germany, as two transformation shocks are overlapping, resulting in a particularly acute fear of loss.

Young and old, urban and rural: different perspectives

But does the distinction between East and West still make sense? Or are the differences between urban and rural areas now more relevant, asked Jan Philipp Albrecht, Chairman of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Judith Enders

Dr. Judith C. Enders, Politikwissenschaftlerin, Vorständin Perspektive³ e.V.

Political scientist Judith Enders affirmed that the urban-rural divide also influences how democratic culture develops in different regions. However, she also raised another aspect: the question of generational affiliation. According to Enders, who co-founded the "Third Generation East Germany" initiative in 2009 and is now a board member of the resulting association "Perspektive hoch 3 e. V.", the way in which people perceive the historical events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall depends heavily on whether they were there themselves or only know about them from stories.

On the day the Wall came down, I was 13 years old, sitting alone in front of the TV and watching Schabowski's press conference. At that moment, my heart really sank and I knew that everything would be different from tomorrow. That was a day of joy, of euphoria and at the same time the beginning of a time when everything changed and when a feeling of freedom came to me as a teenager that I would never have thought I could experience in my life. (Judith Enders)

The fast road to the Deutschmark versus the slow road to self-democratization

There were different views on the question of whether a constitutional debate after reunification could have created an all-German identity. Kowalczuk said that he would have considered it sensible if "the slow path of self-democratization had been chosen" - i.e. "reform of the GDR in order to be able to negotiate German unity on an equal footing with the Federal Republic in accordance with Article 146 and to do so by convening a constituent national assembly". However, German history had rushed past such discussions. As early as March 1990, on the day of the first free Volkskammer election, the vote was clear: "Around 80 percent of people wanted the quickest way to get their hands on the Deutschmark."

The revolution itself had many causes, the system was rotten. But even when a system is rotten and these institutions no longer work, you need courageous people to overcome their fear and give the system the final kick. Those were two, three, four, five hundred thousand East Germans. Those who left were also an important driving force behind the revolution and, of course, the people who demonstrated. (Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk)

Paul Löser

Paul Löser, Stadtrat in Sebnitz/Sachsen 

Paul Löser was skeptical as to whether a constitutional debate could have strengthened identification with the Basic Law. He warned that such debates often remained in small, elitist circles. Topics such as economic structural change are much closer to people's everyday reality than abstract constitutional policy debates. In addition, the appeal of our democracy could be strengthened by giving young people more opportunities to experience self-efficacy and get actively involved. However, this has been neglected over the last 30 years, particularly in Saxony's rural regions.

Judith Enders supported this view and emphasized that political education should not only take place in schools, but also in informal spaces. "It's about experiencing democracy for yourself."

For me, the fall of the Berlin Wall is a first step towards being able to live in freedom and democracy here in East Germany today and since my birth. And it is also a mission for me as a politically committed person to continue to fight to ensure that we preserve freedom and democracy in my living environment, but also in Saxony and Germany as a whole. (Paul Löser)

Where are the positive counter-narratives?

To conclude, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk brought up another aspect: the need to establish positive new narratives. According to the historian, a "narrative of lamentation" about the transformation period dominates to some extent in East Germany.

"Why not highlight the successes of the revolution and transformation?" he asked. "There are many medium-sized companies in Saxony and Thuringia that were founded in the course of the revolution and transformation. They have made real global careers, they are very successful, they have contributed to the establishment of prosperity in Thuringia and Saxony. They don't feature in the public sphere. Why not? These would be positive counter-narratives, so to speak."