A book called the berlin wall 1961 to 1989 turns out not to be much about the berlin wall. Here are five utterly captivating books that will open your eyes to life behind the berlin wall. Drug use, prostitution, depression, domestic violence, and suicide all make a jolly appearance. Punk rock, revolution, and the fall of the berlin wall, tim mohr examines the colorful history of east german punk, an account marred only by some kneejerk. The accidental opening of the berlin wall, no one in the east german government. Top 10 books about the berlin wall as the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall approaches, here are 10 books that best illustrate the damage it caused. Books that offer perspective on the fall of the berlin wall, 30 years.
Norman gelb, writing before the wall came down, tells how the wall grew from the confusions of the postwar years. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This textbook outlines the rise and fall of the berlin wall and the key themes around the time. The spy who came in from the cold by john le carre, zoo station by david downing, the good german by joseph kanon, berlin no. The fall of the berlin wall by molly smith, illustrated by david opie transport back in time to the fall of the berlin wall. I just finished reading the year that changed the world by michael meyer. It tells about hungary and romania and their reforms.
Simple book production the rise and fall of the berlin wall. Mary elise sarotte talked about her book, the collapse. The berlin wall this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Now, more than two decades after the wall s collapse, this book brings together leading authorities who offer a fresh look at how leaders in four vital centers of world politicsthe united states, the soviet union, europe, and chinaviewed the world in the aftermath of this. Taking these deaths at its point of departure, this book reconstructs twelve individual tragedies that occurred at the wall between 1961 and 1989. With the anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall just around the corner, theres no better time to do a bit of reflecting about what this divisive structure meant for the city and the people who lived there. According to the berlin wall memorial, 140 people died at the berlin wall or were killed there in. With the anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall just around the corner, its time to read about how this divisive structure influenced the city. When the berlin wall brutally divides east from west, sabine is separated from her beloved brother, dieter. Escape to the west is the only option if the family is to be reunited. Once the wall went up in 1961 life for east berlin began to improve under the communist system. Drawing on an extensive range of archival sources and interviews, this book profiles key memory activists who have fought to commemorate the history of the berlin wall and examines their role in the creation of a new german national narrative.
On the morning of august, 1961, the residents of east berlin found themselves cut off from family, friends and jobs in the west by a tangle of barbed wire that ruthlessly cut a city of four million in two. For 28 years, the berlin wall had been a symbol of the cold war and the iron curtain between sovietled communism and the democracies of the west. At the berlin wall, thousands tried creativeand dangerous. In this wellresearched book, frederick taylor tells the story behind the berlin wall why it was built, how it affected germans, berliners, and the superpower. A year rife with conversations about walls, 2019 also marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. Each chapter, or learning focus area, covers one aspect of the berlin wall. Each volume in the at issue in history series is an anthology that focuses on a controversial historical topic. The partitioning of berlin as world war ii came to an end in 1945, a pair of allied peace conferences at yalta and potsdam determined the fate of germanys territories.
During its 28year existence, the berlin wall was the foremost symbol of the cold war division of germanyand of europe as a whole. The full story of tunnel 29 and the daring escapes under the berlin wall 01 by mitchell, greg isbn. This occasionally moving history of the berlin wall details many hundreds of escapes into west berlin and many failures. The berlin wall came to show the different ideologies between the different systems of governments, how they worked and what the people thought about them. Top 10 books about the berlin wall books the guardian. In this wellresearched book, frederick taylor tells the story behind the berlin wall why it was built, how it affected germans, berliners, and the superpower rivalry between the. But it was also a very concrete site of separation and suffering that claimed the lives of at least 6 people. The cold war was the name given to the relationship between the ussr and usa after the end of ww2. The book then follows the dismantling of the wall in the ensuing days, the euphoria of the citizens who rushed to cross over, and a. West berlin citizens hold a vigil atop the berlin wall in front of the brandenburg gate on november 10, 1989, the day after the east german government opened the border between east and west berlin. A constantly captivatingwellresearched and often moving the wall street journal history of checkpoint charlie, the famous military gate on the border of east and west berlin where the united states confronted the ussr during the cold war.
At offshoot of greenhavens acclaimed at issue series focusing on current social issues, this series provides primary and secondary sources to explore and investigate the various opinions offered on each topic. On the morning of august, 1961, the residents of east berlin fo. After two introductory lessons from our teacher, mrs sorbello, we then worked independently in groups to research, write and publish our chapters. This book only gives you a touch of the fear and destitude conditions that the east berliners lived through. Lou reed was apparently quite bummed with the finished version of berlin which was slated in the us, but this rock opera about two doomed lovers in the shadow of the berlin wall has become an absolute classic. The berlin wall was an awkward thing, outlandish and unloved, a barrier planted clear across the middle of the largest city between paris and moscow. Ive now read several remarkable books about how and why it collapsed, steeping myself in the dark history before that miraculous. In the early 1960s, east germany committed a billion dollars to the creation of the berlin wall, an elevenfoothigh barrier that. Fechter was 18 years old when he was shot and killed by east german border guards while trying to cross over to west berlin. People had excellent healthcare facilities and free public transport. History comes to life as the reader is exposed to the voices of those. A selection from the magic lantern, timothy garton ashs classic firstperson history of the revolution of 89 and the end of the cold waran ontheground glimpse of the fall of the berlin wall.
The wall jumper peter schneider published in 1983, this slim novel beautifully renders a city with a split psyche by following characters who, for varying reasons, cross from one side of berlin. For those who wish to understand the rise of the wall, this book is valuable. As the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall approaches, here are 10 books that best illustrate the damage it caused. When the berlin wall fell on november 9, 1989, its destruction was nearly as instantaneous as its creation. But the wall is guarded by soldiers operating a shoot to kill policy. The berlin wall 1961 1989 begins with a brief history of berlin, the origins of how the city came to be and the characters who ruled it before moving on to the purpose of the book the berlin wall from its inception, construction, operation and sudden fall on 9 november 1989.
The significance of the wall simple book production. June 12, 1987 president ronald reagan visits berlin and urges soviet leader mikhail gorbachev to tear down the berlin wall. It was the most dramatic example of the political architecture of modern times. Discover librarianselected research resources on berlin wall from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines. Intertwined throughout is the story of harry seidel, who became known as the pimpernel of the wall. This is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a. Ive now read several remarkable books about how and why it collapsed. History channel rise and fall of the berlin wall youtube. This story was about the fall of the berlin wall and all of the events and stories surrounding it. Nielsen, edge of eternity by ken follett, cloud and wallfish by anne nesbet, black dogs by i. As historian mary elise sarotte describes in the collapse.
Berlin wall, 196189, a barrier first erected in aug. Three books on berlin, from the fall of the wall to today the. December 17, 1963 west berliner citizen may visit east berlin the first time after more than two years. Seidel was a bicyclist in east berlin who was being groomed for the olympics. Original piece of the berlin wall in germany, in representative acryl glass arch get a piece of german and american history straight to your home with this original piece of the berlin wall the iron curtain in germany. The stone piece is cased in a representative arch made of acryl glass in. List of books and articles about berlin wall online research. I was 10 when the berlin wall went up and even here in the states it was a horrifying feeling to know that a government could lock its people in a confined area.
When the first barbed wire barrier went up, seidel immediately began snipping his personal escape. The berlin wall was built in 1961 during the cold war and separated east and west berlin. Children follow lucy as one moment she is at the national museum of american history examining pieces of the berlin wall, and the next moment, she travels in time to east berlin during november 1989. Voices from the berlin wall malcolm forbes a new book by iain mcgregor offers a vivid account of daily life in divided berlin, collecting the stories of ordinary people who lived, worked, and served on either side of checkpoint charlie. Among the voices gathered here are those of leading scholars, a dissident from a time when dissent required real bravery, and a journalist who was there when.
August 26, 1961 all crossing points are closed for west berlin citizens. Life behind the wall east berlin simple book production. Today marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. It incorporates primary sources, including videos and pictures, to help you understand this significant topic in world history. So writes matchless chronicler and observer timothy garton ash on the strange life and stranger death of the wall that. Erected in the dead of night on august, 1961, the berlin wall known as berliner mauer in german was a physical division between west berlin. The majority of the story focuses on the events leading up to the fall of the berlin wall. The fall of the berlin wall sent shock waves around the world.