The View from East Germany

The media has given much attention to the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s collapse, lauding the often-facile narrative of democracy over communism, of freedom over tyranny. Yet, the reality of historical events and their impact on the lives of ordinary people is never quite so simple. Often lost amid the spectacle of politicians, policy makers, and the mass media are the ways that ordinary people have grappled with their extraordinary circumstances, ranging from the heroic, the tragic, and the […]