In November, Germany celebrated 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. For Germans on opposite sides of that barrier, life looked drastically different. Do any of those differences remain today?
When Germany lost World War II, the Allied nations split the country into two halves. The United States, France, and Great Britain controlled West Germany. The Soviet Union—then an ally to the Western nations—controlled East Germany. The line fell across the city of Berlin.
Then the Cold War began. Tensions grew between the communist Soviet Union and the capitalist West. Soviet-controlled East Germany—deceptively called the German Democratic Republic—built a wall through Berlin. Thick concrete (and armed guards) prevented people from fleeing into West Germany. The wall also hindered capitalist ideas from entering communist territory.
In East Germany, the government oppressed its people. Many mothers had to leave the home and work, even if they wanted to stay home to raise children. The state provided childcare.
Solveig Leo, a mother of two, ran a state-owned East German farm. She’s now 81 years old.
“East Germany had to pay war reparations to the Soviet Union,” remembers Leo. “Women needed to work our own way out of that misery.”
Many East Germans tried to flee westward. West German citizens experienced much greater freedom. The U.S. government’s Marshall Plan provided aid to that half of the country. American money helped West Germans rebuild their war-torn home. There, many women didn’t need to work. That was great for mothers who wanted to spend more time with their kids.
But even West Germany wasn’t perfect. Mothers who wanted to pursue careers felt pressure to stay home. Otherwise, they would get called Rabenmütter (literally “raven mother”). That name was used to label working mothers as uncaring. Those social pressures were a tough reality.
In a now famous speech from 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan urged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” The Berlin Wall did come down—on November 9, 1989. Germany reunified.
Today, many women in Germany don’t think much about the old division. More women still work in former East Germany than former West Germany—but the numerical difference is small. And now it’s their choice.
“East or West—it’s not even a topic in our family anymore,” says 18-year-old Hannah Fiedler.
Citizens of any society can always find ways to improve laws and social expectations. They can make changes to help their neighbors thrive. But to make those changes, citizens need the freedom to choose.
Why? Oppressive governments promise peace and prosperity, but true growth requires freedom.
Recommended Reading: To gain multiple angles on the Cold War years, pick your story in The Berlin Wall by Matt Doeden.
