It was built to prevent people from escaping from the eastern half of. No travel writer has ever managed to capture the detail, both exotic and banal, of a life on the road like thubron. During its 28year existence, the berlin wall was the foremost symbol of the cold war division of germanyand of europe as a whole. As the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall approaches, here are 10 books that best illustrate the damage it caused. The fall of the berlin wall sent shock waves around the world.
Confronting german history in the urban landscape by. During the history of the berlin wall, it is estimated that about 5,000 people made it safely across. 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. List of books and articles about berlin wall online.
List of books and articles about berlin wall online research. Many people thought it was a symbol of the cold war. The group stands accused of defaming the gdr, the sed, its cultural policy and its legal system, and of having. Farber traces the berlin wall as a site of pilgrimage for american artists, writers, and activists. It incorporates primary sources, including videos and pictures, to help you understand this significant topic in world history. The 20th anniversary of the fall of the infamous berlin wall offers a chance to reflect on the german capitals long and often troubled past. In the definitive history on the subject, frederick taylor weaves together official history, archival materials, and personal accounts to tell the complete story of the. Author eve bunting has a gift for writing about serious subjects in a way that makes them accessible to young children, and she has done just that in her picture book the wall. Diaries 19451948, a sequel to her estimable berlin underground. Roads to berlin by cees nooteboom featuring numerous travelogues and reports on the way to constructing unified berlin, the journalist cees nooteboom offers up a deeply personal account of the problems. At 30 different stations along the wall trail inside the city, it tells the story of berlins division, the construction of the wall, and how the wall fell. But it was also a very concrete site of separation and suffering that claimed the lives of at least 6 people. Taylor, the author of dresden, does a great service in carefully separating myth from reality, symbol from substance as he traces the history of.
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. The wall picture book about a visit to vietnam war memorial. The rise and fall of the berlin wall and why it matters today. Berliner mauer was a wall that separated the city of berlin in germany from 1961 to 1989.
At its worst it is over extended, sloppy and a ragbag of whatever the author felt was. An excellent and wellpaced if journalistic history of the berlin wall, covering all of the. The role of literature in bringing about the fall of the. The berlin wall history mile is a permanent exhibition in four languages. Few historical changes occur literally overnight, but on august 1961 18 million east germans awoke to find themselves walled in by an edifice which was to become synonymous with the cold war. The 100mile berlin wall created an awful, if awesome, scar across the landscape of germanys capital. Berlin wall 19611989 poem by alan cook on authorsden. British historian frederick taylor has produced more than a history of the wall itself.
Berlin wall simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The rise and fall of the berlin wall st leonards college. Funders history captures a rare moment in time during which one could. It separated the eastern half from the western half. Between entertaining narratives of his own archeological digs and his research as a historian, fryes book manages to tell 4,000 years of history in less than 300 pages. The berlin wall did prevent the majority of east germans from emigrating to the west, but it did not prevent them all. Berlin wall, german berliner mauer, barrier that surrounded west berlin and prevented access to it from east berlin and adjacent areas of east germany during the period from 1961 to 1989. According to the berlin wall memorial, 140 people died at the berlin wall or were killed there in. More than a tribute to the city and its civic, social, and photographic history, this book pays special homage to. Christa wolf is undoubtedly one of the most iconic german authors writing behind the wall. These books have been chosen for their authoritative content, their accessibility for students and their affordability. The berlin wall is a fascinating and brilliantly written history of the two germanys that existed side by side for 44 years, glaring at each other in. The day before the berlin wall, 2010, alternative history. History professor authors timely book on walls eastern.
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. Genre, original language, author director, publisher producer. Winner of 2009 silver quill award from the american authors association and named best pacific west book by reader views. Ian mcewan, who wrote another fine cold war espionage story sweet tooth, is a great fan of another haunting book, peter schneiders the wall jumper. Although he writes briefly on modern walls such as the berlin wall, the majority of his book is dedicated to the walls of mesopotamia, babylon, greece, china, rome and others. The mistakes of those who allowed the wall to be built may be repeated in the future. Massive demonstrations in east berlin and other east german cities led to the collapse of the honecker regime and the dismantling of the berlin wall in nov. I particularly enjoyed the author s description of the illfated weimar republic, the rise of hitler and life in east berlin after the war. Berlin stories by robert walser written in the 1900s, walsers short observations amount to prose movies of city life street scenes, parks and bars, electric trams, the veils of illusion. This work aims at analysing and understanding the role that literature played in bringing about the fall of the berlin wall in the 1980s, focusing on specific themes and authors that contributed to the end of an era and to the beginning of a new life for the reunited germany.
Each volume in the at issue in history series is an anthology that focuses on a controversial historical topic. Sarottes behindthescenes history attributes this peaceful revolution to. List of books and articles about berlin history online. The wall is a lesson in the history of tyranny but also in the inability to face up to tyrants. Definitely one of the best books ever written about the berlin wall, which features as a main character in a fiction that reads like history. Authors banned history of the berlin wall and its fall. The berlin wall was taken down on november 9, 1989.
Among those on trial are famous names like stefan heym, klaus schlesinger and rolf schneider. This selection of cold war books has been recommended by alpha history authors. With the anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall just around the. The construction of the berlin wall did stop the flood of refugees from east to west, and it did defuse the crisis over berlin. This childrens picture book is about a father and his young sons visit to the vietnam veterans memorial. Barring the dire setbacks caused by the horrors of the nazi period, berlin has experienced a continuous historical development into a city of diversity, enjoying worldwide respect and appreciation. History comes to life as the reader is exposed to the voices of those.
Its construction in 1961 and its dismantling in 1989 are broadly understood as pivotal moments in the history of the last century. Now, more than two decades after the walls 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. Berlin wall, 196189, a barrier first erected in aug. Top 10 books about weimar and nazi berlin books the. This book charts the history of berlin from its medieval origins as a wendish village to the german capital that emerged from the ruins of hitler germany, the berlin wall and the gdr. It offers an important historical account, from the perspective of a.
This textbook outlines the rise and fall of the berlin wall and the key themes around the time. Mar 28, 2020 in close proximity to the book burning memorial on bebelplatz in berlin, which commemorates the infamous book burning that took place on may 10th, 1933 in which the nazis burnt 20,000 books. In 1961, the german city of berlin became ground zero in the struggle between the communist and noncommunist worlds when communist east germany began building a wall to divide the city in half. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The berlin wall is arguably the most prominent symbol of the cold war era. Top 10 books about the berlin wall books the guardian. Berlin wall 1961 1989, over and under and through the. They are available for purchase through our affiliate partner, the book depository at low prices. Learning what happened before, during and after the building of the wall in 1961 may help us avoid the emergence of similar repressive artifacts in the future. This sculpture is part of the walk of ideas, a project put up during the football championship in 2006, and it r. Why does it say this specific edition of this book is 528 pages. On the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall.
Taking these deaths at its point of departure, this book reconstructs twelve individual tragedies that occurred at the wall between 1961 and 1989. 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. As the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall approaches, here are 10. Eschewing the primacy of political history, the authors provide a nuanced. The east berlin authors association joins forces with the sed leadership, the stasi and the ministry of culture to convene a tribunal against nine problematic authors.
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