The Golden Twenties and the Berlin Wall

Berlin's history is vast, and as I have learned from the "Berlin History" videos, way more intricate than I could have imagined. The city goes through many different phases, from reformation to revolution to wars to renaissances. From these numerous events and topics, I have chosen the Golden Twenties and the Berlin Wall. It is interesting to see the similarities between the United States Roaring Twenties and Germany's Golden Twenties. Both were filled with change and creative energy; both were the beginning of a new era in thought.

 

The beginning of how we see the Berlin of today started in the 1920s. This is when the government decided to amalgamate, or unite, the region's towns and villages under one single administration. This caused Berlin to become one of the world's largest cities, practically overnight. Other than this victory of sorts, the Golden Twenties did not start off as being particularly golden. Germany was still suffering from the humiliation of losing the war, their intense social and political instability, hyperinflation, and many other issues. They struggled with high unemployment, and strikes and demonstrations were becoming an everyday occurrence. There seemed to be hope for Germany when the Rentenmark, a form of currency, was introduced in 1923; the passage of the Dawes Plan, limiting the reparation payments from World War I, in 1924 also aided in the economic stability gradually returning to Germany.

Children playing with blocks of worthless million dollar marks, 1924

In the coming years, Berlin experienced a cultural and artistic revival. It was a meca of experimentation, hedonism, a center of tolerance, and even a splash of decadence. It was overflowing with creative energy. New and modern pieces were popping up all the time; giants of architecture, fine arts, and literature were coming to the surface. In 1923, Germany had its first radio broadcast hit airwaves over Berlin; in 1931, television was debuted to the world in Berlin.

Image from the 1920s in front of the Brandenburg Gate

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end." Everything came to a screeching halt when the US stock market crashed in 1929, ultimately resulting in global economic depression. It took only weeks for half a million of Berlin's residents to become jobless. This resulted in the renewal of riots and demonstrations in the streets of Berlin. The increasingly opposed political climate led to many recurring confrontations between communists and members of the newly founded Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, also known as the National Socialist German Workers' Party or the Nazi Party.

vs.

                                    Communist Flag                                                         Nazi Flag

This leads me to the other topic I found interesting, the Berlin Wall. Formed in 1961 as a barrier between East and West Berlin, it stands for many things for different people: a separation between loved ones, a prison for those trapped in East Berlin, a de-valuing of basic human rights, and so much more. The Berlin wall was officially referred to as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart; to locals on the East side, it was known as the death strip, while on the West side it was known as the Wall of Shame.

Before the wall was erected, there used to be only Soviet soldiers to guard the border. Once the passage of civilians was handled back to Germany, they decided that something more permanent be put in place. Berlin was losing some of its greatest mind to emigration, they needed to do something, and fast. Construction of the wall begin in the summer of 1961. On the night of August 12, 1961, the leaders of the GDR, German Democratic Republic, attended a garden party at which they signed the order to finally close the border and erect the wall. By the next morning, the wall was erected, and the border to West Berlin closed. The once easiest way to cross over from East to West Germany, was now the hardest. You could only cross through official crossings and gateways. Many people tried to cross the border, to escape the entrapment of East Berlin to the free side of West. There were many who tried, but only a few managed to get passed the many trials to the other side; there were guards meant to shoot down whoever attempted to cross and many would be caught in the barbed wire.

Berliners looking across to the other side of the Berlin Wall

In 1989, the Berlin Wall finally came tumbling down. Demolition began on the evening of November 9. 1989. Many people kept chunks of the fallen wall; my family being among these people. The Wall will forever be a part of Berlin's history, and those it affected.

Word Count: 776

Martin Luther's Accidental Reformations

In 1517, on All Hallow's Eve, Martin Luther stood up for what he believes in and placed his 95 Theses upon the church door in Wittenberg. This was just the beginning of the roller coaster of events that were to unfold because of Luther's actions. The Catholic church took these Theses as an outright bash towards them, and they would not sit by idly while someone took hits at them. Luther was claiming that the church was taking advantage of the common folks' money, and abusing the economy. The church did not take this accusation lightly, no matter how right he may be; they named Luther and all of his books heretical. This was nothing to be taken lightly because most heretics were drowned or burned at the stake. Luther sought to find courage in the face of adversity.

 Martin Luther hanging his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg church

Pope Leo X demanded that Martin Luther renounce his theses, and recant his words and ideas against the Catholic church. The pope even had a cardinal interrogate Luther. The church in Rome became very aggravated with Luther, and even threatened excommunication, the highest threat someone from the church give hand out; this would people back then believed would limit Luther's chances of being granted access to the Holy Land upon his death. At the time he may not have realized it, but he was forming a religion of his own; this one based on his morals and understanding of what the Bible says. He would change the way that people thought about religion. There would be rules and sacraments changed. This new found religion would go on to be called Protestantism.

A drawing of the average printing press of Martin Luther's time

One of Luther's revolutions as a cultural leader was that he was one of the first people to take full advantage of the printing press at the time. He needed a way to spread his word to places beyond his reach, and that a vast many people could get and read. This proved a vast help in his cause of revealing the truth to people of all sorts. The printing press was a means of spreading ideas to a larger audience, and it served its purpose well; many people began to read and learn about what Luther had to say, and they believed that he was right. Luther printed books in his own form of the German vernacular, and this aided in the beginning of a common language in the German Nation. His voice was one that many people could relate to; he wrote in a way that people found interesting to read. He didn't hold back anything, he wrote what he thought no matter how crude or obscene. This was something that bonded him with the German peasants; there would even be wood carvings for those that could not read. Luther even goes on to eventually translate a Bible so that it is accessible to the common people.
 

A Bible translated into German by Martin Luther

Luther knew that if he really wanted to have things change, he would have to get a greater power on his side. He decided to involve the Christian nobility of the time, and to sway them towards his view. Their eyes were opened to the corrupt nature of the church, and that the money that they were earning for the church was being abused and misused. The pope and his church were being too self-indulgent with the money that was given to them. The church had many more people in its service than it really needed. Luther told them that every German landholder deserved their own stake in the churches on their land. Politically, Luther was beginning something that he could never have expected. Revolution broke out among the peasants; they interpreted his words in a way that they thought he meant for them to be free of their masters, to be independent. They believe in social discipline, relief of the poor, and education. The Reformation would mean changes for churches and peasants all over Germany.

Word count: 686