Controversy

HowdidGermanunificationhappen?

How do people from East and West look back on the revolutionary period in 1989/90?

The end of the dictatorship in the GDR caused sudden, deep changes to everyday life. Many people were forced to completely readjust and start again. The initial delight about the new freedoms was replaced by disappointment and anger at the political decisions that were made. Over 30 years later, residents of Friedrichshain (formerly East Berlin) and Kreuzberg (formerly West Berlin) and artists of the East Side Gallery look back on the changes.

We are interested in your experience!


Join us to see how votes have been cast so far.

What do you associate with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany?

joy
desire to restructure
losses
fear of the future
chances
exclusion
violence
racism
devaluation of my life's work
neglect of specific groups
everything is possible
self-determination
freedom
mixed feelings
displacement from the labour market
options to shape the political landscape
no more fear of arbitrary arrest
freedom to travel
opportunities for consumption
Multiple answers possible
Submit vote

More videos

Remembering their first visit "over there"
Erik Mahnkopf and Daniel Kensbock

Seeing history in the making
Andreas Kämper

Miteinander statt Gegeneinander
Jolly Kunjappu

The long road to obtaining a residence permit
Hiền Phan

Looking back at 1989 and the ensuing years
Ibraimo Alberto

Disappointment with reunification and personal happiness
Ines Bayer and Raik Hönemann

Looking back at unification in 1990
Sabine Kunz

Free country – occupied country
Ursula Wünsch

Looking back at 1990: Reviewing the unification and transition process
Jürgen Karwelat

After the fall of the Wall: Supply shortfalls and new freedoms
Andy Weiss

On dreaming of painting on the Wall
Birgit Kinder

1989: A feeling of liberation
Dirk Moldt

Employment policy during the transition period
Uwe Nübel

The fall of the Wall
Heike Stephan

Changes and worries after 1989
Đào Quang Vinh

Life in Berlin after 1989
Vũ Ngọc Roãn

Changes after the fall of the Wall
Margaret Hunter

Uncertain future and problems with integration
Đào Quang Vinh

Past and future
Catrin Resch

After 1989: From contract work to suspension of deportation
Hiền Phan

Turnaround in the new home country
Hiền Phan

The fall of the Wall and new freedoms
Mirta Domacinovic

Looking back at 1989 and the transition period
Jeanett Kipka

9 November 1989 at Checkpoint Charlie
Siegrid Müller-Holtz

Struggle with red tape and German bureaucracy
Vũ Ngọc Roãn

Where were you on 9 November 1989?
Norbert Trompeteler

Where were you when the Wall came down?
Jim Avignon

First encounters between East and West Berliners
Gabriel Heimler

Ups and downs of an artist's life
Karsten Wenzel

Looking back at the end of the GDR
Carsten Jost

Where were you when the wall came down?
C. F.

Looking back at the turnaround period
Lutz Pottien

Delight at the fall of the Wall
Brigida Böttcher

The Peaceful Revolution in a historical context
Birgit Kinder

A Cuban in the GDR
Teresa Casanueva

Remembering the Wall opening at the Brandenburg Gate
Sebastian Eberhard

Hospitality and jobs
Berrin Alpbek

All change after 1989
Norbert Trompeteler

Looking back at the fall of the Wall in 1989
Vũ Ngọc Roãn

From socialist solidarity to racist exclusion
Vũ Ngọc Roãn

Looking back at the transition period after 1990
Sanem Kleff

Continuities after the fall of the Wall
Gábor Simon

Looking back at the period after 1990: A rough time
Gudrun Prengel

Dao's work and success
Đào Quang Vinh

Deciding to stay
Vũ Ngọc Roãn

9 November 1989 and afterwards
Erik Mahnkopf and Daniel Kensbock

1990: Euphoria or concerns about the future?
Christine Cyrus

all controversies