World War II Nostalgia, Part 2

Continuing my story about my school day travels in Europe and my fact finding mission regarding World War II, eventually I made my way to communist East Germany.

Many of you do not remember East Germany, the "German Democractic Republic" (which was anything but). But I was there, and was baptized in Soviet communism during the waning days of the cold war. Reagan and Gorbachev were meeting in Iceland about improving relations, I was intimidated by statues of Lenin and crazy goose-stepping East German police.

The first day was spent in East Berlin, shopping for contraband I would later "smuggle" back to West Berlin (so cloak and dagger - NOT), and eating huge meals for a dollar. One thing you have to say about communism, everything is cheap. Of course so is the pay. And the beer bottles are all reused, and not very well cleaned.

I tried to engage some people in conversation. The older people seemed uninterested and possibly even nervous about talking to Americans. However, the younger people - high school age - were very interested. They wanted to know everything I could tell them about American culture (which is when I realized I know very little) and interestingly, they wanted to know about their West German counterparts.

The second day I was heading out to a cemetery full of fallen Soviet soldiers from the war. This was supposed to be high holy ground in communist Germany, where the Soviet heroes were laid to rest after giving their lives liberating the Germans from Nazi oppression. Of course, no one disputes that Germans are better off without the Nazis, West Germany showed that. But in East Germany, Soviet oppression was clearly pretty bad in and of itself.

But back to the cemetery. The place was lined with hammer and sickle, and in the middle was this giant statue of this mega Soviet soldier crushing the swastika under his feet. The symbol was powerful. Despite my negative feelings about Soviet Germany, it is important how much the Soviets suffered fighting Hitler. This giant reminder sitting right outside the former Nazi capital was very moving.

I returned to the West through a subway that only Westerners could take back to "Check Point Charlie" to cross the Berlin Wall to the American controlled part of West Berlin. No East Germans could go back that way, they were forbidden from going to the west.

Back then, during the mid 1980's, I was asked if I thought the two Germanys would reunite and I said steadfastly "No". Only five years later they were bringing the wall down.