Theater Abroad: Berlin Part 1
The Cliff Notes to Berlin Culture
Swamp: Berlin is built on a swamp
Construction/Reconstruction - 80-90% of the city is reconstructed making Berlin the “new/old city”
Negative space - used particularly in Monuments
Isolation and the winding nature of many memorials speaks to the confusion and lack of information experienced during the World Wars and Soviet power.
Disney version - some monuments, like Checkpoint Charlie have been “Disneyfied.” You can by soviet hats from street vendors, pose with actors impersonating soldiers and get your real passport stamped with a fake East German stamp (don’t do this, passport control does not like it!)
US vs Berlin history of events - Germany was still paying off war reparations when the US stock market crashed triggering a great depression in Germany
Berlin hated nazis - Berlin was considered one of the most liberal cities in Europe and many citizens were against the Nazi’s and Hitler.
Hitler was just one man - The atrocities committed in Hitler’s name were terrible but Master Race violence was committed by a significant number of people, no one man could have done this by himself. For example, the Book Burning was thought up by students and then suggested to the Reich.
Stasi degradation - The Stasi used a process called degradation where they would do things like break into an apartment and move a piece of furniture to get inside people’s heads who were believed to be traitorous. This method was considered very successful.
Anti royalist - Berlin tends to have a strong anti-royalist streak both from the Napoleonic wars WWII and Soviet rule.
United country through shame - Berlin, has existed more as an idea than a reality. This country has been under many different regimes and the Berlin wall didn’t fall until 1989. Some say that Berlin has united through a shared sense of shame and grief of the country's past.
