What divides. What binds the content to. Answers and stories apply to. Spotlight on people. On t. W. Bus like former chancellor very fond sen divided germany should be united on how well has the nation around together twenty eight years after german reunification and i discussing this question with you would it enters if that political scientist and founder of the Third Generation east germany an initiative the generation who were children when the palin wall fell and as he was thirteen at the time how was it for you as a teenager. As well in all of us to say there was
a huge amount of euphoria coupled with a feeling of uncertainty out of the awareness that something really important was happening. As early as november the nights i thought of it he says a Turning Point dr time it was impossible to foresee what would come next but the sensation in the in tuition was so strong that even today i know just how i felt that evening in one Nine Hundred Eighty nine almost twenty nine years ago. Mr maule followed when the rain came down it ended germany surveillance state how did that system affect your childhood was this you but if you have to watch what you set of possibilities arent. Novel id learned how to be a good citizen of the german democratic republic the g. D. R. Everyone in east germany knew there was a difference between public and private opinion and we learned that early on. I doubt by the time they were in school. Most children knew they had to think about
how to answer questions. Like what time do you watch the news that. East german news was on at seven thirty pm but west germany broadcast the news only are. What you werent supposed to watch or watched west german t. V. But it was disapproved of. As well if someone talked in the playground of you but as opposite of your skin color now i think what happened to children who talked in the playground but it could well be that their parents were later approached or a teacher or a party member started asking questions. But it was a bit confusing for me as a child when total strangers suddenly turned up and started asking odd questions but i say that everyone was aware that a dangerous situation might arise. If he and his little its all suppressed in the i wasnt growing up to be on guard all the time watching what you
said who you talked to the months before this it wasnt too daunting because my parents were very open with me about scenarios like that and actually i had the privilege of not being Party Members but despite that working in well respected positions. They were quite open. They had a strong courageous attitude which they passed on to me as a child. So if questioned id say why are you asking me or i just refuse to answer you know what i dont remember being afraid of giving anything away but i did keep my eyes open so that some codes. Without even further you were fourteen and germany was reunified and the courts in this case do you know nevertheless that you miss something about the g. D. R. Heroes. As governor of course its not just a myth that there was a social. Safety net which weve lost today. Of course the federal republic of
germany is a Welfare State but the g. D. R. Was a caring Paternalistic Society where you never had to worry about your own future or your livelihood. Of course the price we paid for that was that we had much less freedom that. You later started in west berlin and the areas Research Institute this week but from what i see from your resume it all went pretty smoothly for you. You were one of the editors of a book called Third Generation is germany which contemporaries of yours tell their stories of how the great was the destruction they experienced up. The experiences people had while things were changing after the collapse of communism were different for each individual or in particular id like to stress the children who grew up in families very loyal to the communist system was suddenly faced with
a tricky dilemma. Those who had conformed and were seen as good citizens were now seen as evil and unjust. Realising as a teenager or child that your parents were complicit in such a system is of course a difficult situation but fortunately that wasnt the case for me but people have different perceptions of justice of injustice and also of guilt and shame. And is that why you became involved in the initiative generation of east germany at the office what. I mean is that our family also had its ups and downs during the Transformation Process in the one Nine Hundred Ninety s. Like nearly every family in east germany. I spent eleven grade in school in marble in west germany and there i learnt a lot of interesting things about how west German Society worked but also that it was a Different Society to the east. I learned how small west german town viewed the
east with but never lose but distance. So by Two Thousand And Ten i realized that were not really that unified at all people dont know much about each other how the other half lives they dont understand the distinctions in their backgrounds and i thought this has to change there needs to be more communication more openness more interest in each other i. Know its an openness and communication exist among the older generation in the east west Younger Generation my generation finds it easy to open up to the older generation has a harder time doing that perhaps we have to make a distinction between communication between east germans of different generations and between east and west germans of the same and different generation but. The older is german generation there is always the question of the shanty the secret police yeah its clear that not all the citizens were in the dark that was
a minority but its a huge mess and a powerful narrative that you were either a spy or a victim in fact many people just lead normal lives and took a stance internally maybe they opposed the system and had enough of all open resistance and i would have found many just conformant. Its a challenge when children ask their parents did you conform to the system always you were critic and maybe thats the point where the conversation can become uncomfortable but its always productive even if it evokes feelings of shame or guilt from those who have toed the line or supported the system but its still good to talk about it and to have the truth out in the open its been almost thirty years and its possible to risk that now without completely losing face with this disease for years. Since after many people in east germany lost their jobs. And their situation today is still precarious there are families where unemployment and
living on welfare are the norm and are passed on to the next generation and he said now on the last fourth generation east. Is a good this is i dont think its purely an east german phenomenon but it is partly of course there are also regions in west germany that have been hit by Industrial Decline and where theres also structural poverty. We should also perhaps take into account the brain drain that eastern germany has experienced if you will was many of those who were skilled well educated who can and want to work who have seen the world in my generation have deserted the east theyre no longer there is real models for those who are left behind living on welfare theres no one to encourage or motivate the rest to try to take a different route. And for different those who have stayed behind feel excluded that society has failed them is this not also
a Breeding Ground for the right wing extremism in the east that were currently seeing in the headlines. And this coming from there you might jump to that conclusion but i think the problem of right wing extremism is actually a problem for the whole of germany. Its more visible in the east because people express their opinions more openly and are less worried about being politically correct the issue of right wing extremism has to be seen analyzed and solved as a problem that concerns all of germany was being n. S. U. Murderers came from east germany as well as the suspected Terrorist Group which has just been exposed to the a. F. D. Is the Biggest Party in eastern germany all of these phenomena seem to make the east more prone to right when you extremism like. This yeah i havent researched right wing extremism so i cant give you. Exact imperishable date on natural but i suspect there are just as many far right and the extreme
right wing of views in western germany theyre just not expressed as loudly or clearly when they have all the if you talk about a Breeding Ground the east is perhaps more susceptible because there are more discontented citizens people who dont feel acknowledged by society and you dont feel their role in society is stable and well developed. Populism appeals more perhaps but im not sure whether its necessarily far right populism. When your initiatives you have to address this discontent and overcome frustration feelings of inferiority how do you aim to achieve this. As our initiative is called perspectives cubed that means on the one hand taking the past seriously and also looking at the present and shaping the future thats the cumulative for instance weve organized a great Photo Exhibit from the perspective of young photographers from the east
a very large Photo Exhibit where people from other countries as well have the opportunity to take an artistic view of the issues of transformation of the period around Nine Hundred Eighty nine and develop their own opinions what weve provided formats to get people talking. Weve organized a short Film Festival where young filmmakers were able to express their feelings and maybe also their analyses in short films. All of them are freely available and can be downloaded if you want to go into more depth with this issue and see how the artists created these works and how you relate to them. Thats all i must understand as we reach the end of our interview and id like to ask you to complete three sentences in germany we still talk of investors east and west germans i find this. Rather outdated though useful for analysis the very personally german
unity means. A great stroke of luck ive met so many lovely people who might never have met if the Berlin Wall Havent Fallen in germany unity will be truly complete when. When a few more years have passed and the next generation has learned to interpret the experience of their predecessors in a way that leads to a positive outcome with it he was. Recruited and as thank you enough thank you. Birth place home tunes of species. A home worth saving. Given those are big changes and most start with small steps but the idea is tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around the world. But news that comes from the good news to printed solutions and