The Willy Brandt House

Wednesday, November 25th

Today our class met for a tour and some discussion at the Willy Brandt House, the headquarters of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, the SPD. We began our visit with a brief tour of the building. The Willy Brant House has a very interesting past; the SPD party resurrected the building plans which had been gathering dust without investors interested in building. When Berlin once again became the capital of Germany, the SPD took the opportunity to build the Willy Brandt House just a few blocks from the location of its previous Berlin headquarters. The Willy Brandt House is now located in the center of reunified Berlin!

After our tour and a lengthy discussion of a bronze-cast portrait of Willy Brandt himself, we met for a discussion of German foreign policy with Markus Engels. We were given a recently printed SPD manifesto, outlining the party’s goals in the wake of poor performance in the recent elections, and much of this document contained commentary on foreign policy issues. Mr. Engels shed some light on the importance of foreign policy in the German political arena, specifically on the German-American relationship. He talked about the war in Iraq and answered questions about whether or not Germany was doing enough in the global security effort. His answer: Germany is doing its fair share, the Iraq war was an unpopular war and the Bush administration was less popular still and Germany’s decision not to become involved was based on the sentiment of the German people, and not on politics, as some have claimed. Engels believes that Germany is fulfilling its responsibilities to the international community, citing German involvement in overseas peacekeeping operations, especially the conflict in Afghanistan, as Germany is the third greatest contributor of troops in that conflict. He was very firm that a new strategy was needed in Afghanistan, but that Germany was committed to the cause and would not simply pull its support; Engels stressed that Germany was waiting eagerly for Obama’s announcements concerning Afghanistan scheduled for this week. He also defended Germany’s relationship with Russia, which has been criticized throughout the West. Engels argued that it was only logical for Germany to develop healthy relations with its biggest neighbor – he mentioned German dependence on Russian oil as well.

Mr. Engels was obviously a politician, never answering any question directly, and refusing to offer any critique of Angela Merkel or her speech o the joint houses of Congress in Washington DC a few weeks ago. The answers he did provide were very helpful, and I left the Willy Brandt House with a much clearer picture of the SPD’s approach to foreign policy.

The Free State of Bavaria

Friday, November 20th

Today we met with Andreas Kolitsch, of the Bayerisches Staatsministerium fur Unterricht und Kultus. We listened to a lecture about Munich and the Free State of Bavaria. We discussed the structure of the German government and touched on some differences with the US system. What was more interesting to me however, was Andreas’ description of Bavaria’s role in foreign policy. I am conducting my independent study on foreign policy and Germany’s role in the international community and I was interested to hear about Bavaria’s role in formation of foreign policy both within the federal government and independently throughout the world. Bavaria sends representatives to the EU to lobby for its own interests, not only those of Germany. I was surprised to learn that Bavaria also acts unilaterally in foreign policy, going as far as establishing independent offices in foreign countries. Bavaria has developed a coalition with South Africa in order to fight AIDS in Africa, and has representatives employed there in permanent positions. I asked Mr. Kolitsch if he would be willing to answer a few further questions via email as I work on my independent study project, and he was happy to provide me with his contact information. He will surely prove to be a valuable resource, as I plan to discuss the growing importance of the Lander and their role in German foreign

A Lakeside Villa with a Chilling History

Thursday, November 19th

Today our class made an excursion out to the site of the Wannsee Conference. The villa where the conference took place is still intact, and though most of the original furniture was stolen in the wake of WWII, the majority of the interior remained as it was in the 1930s. The exhibition was split into separate rooms, each one with a different theme, all relating to the holocaust and the development and execution of the “final solution.” Professor Wagner stressed the significance of the specific men who attended the Wannsee Conference, and the representative from the exhibition touched on this as well. Almost all of the attendees were Staatsekretariatat, positions which might be compared to the cabinet in American government, the bulk of the policy forming government officials consisted of roughly 50 state secretaries. The majority of the men were relatively young, half were under 40 and only two were older than 50, meaning that the majority of these men built their political careers under National Socialism and were probably truly indoctrinated believers in Hitler’s system. This is further supported by the fact that the majority of the men were well educated, two thirds had degrees and half were doctors, mostly in law. Several groups were represented amongst the attendees. The first group was comprised of ministry officials concerned with the “Jewish Question” including a few specifically involved in policy towards Mischlinge, or mixed race Jews. Another group represented Heydrich’s office, including Gestapo Chief Muller, as well as Eichmann and several other security officers. Officials from the SS and a few Party Members especially concerned with the Jewish Question were also present. A fourth group of men had been invited at the last minute; these were men from agencies responsible for the civilian administration of occupied territories in the East. This specific list of attendees is important because it supports the argument that this conference was set up to inform these men about Hitler’s decision to eradicate the Jewish race throughout Europe. Years later during their trials, most of these men claimed the meeting was only concerned with the “evacuation” and “deportation” of Jews. However, this was obviously not the case, as the list of attendees did not include representatives from the military or any transportation specialists, who certainly would have been in attendance had the transport of hundreds of thousands of Jews been the focus of the Wannsee Conference. The exhibition included photos and biographical information about each of the attendees, as well as his position in Hitler’s regime. Presented in this way, it was much easier to make connections between the men in attendance, and the true purpose of the Wannsee Conference – this exhibition was extremely effective in this way.

Neukoelln: Issues of Outreach to Berlin's Immigrant Poulation

Wednesday, November 11th

Today we visited Neukoelln, an area of Berlin generally known for its dense immigrant population. We met at the offices of the Neukoelln Citizen Foundation, an organization which provides programs and services to immigrant families in the Neukoelln area. One of these programs was similar to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in the U.S. This program provided mentors to local immigrant children, helping them to integrate into the German culture and educational system. This mentor program focused on the use of extracurricular activities to improve performance in school. The current German education system disadvantages immigrant children for whom German is not a first language, resulting in a relatively low graduation rate for immigrant children. Mentor programs like those provided by the Neukoelln Citizen Foundation are important in providing assistance to this demographic that immigrant families are unable to themselves. The second program was the Neukoelln Mother’s program, which educates local mothers about local programs and institutions which can provide aid for immigrant families, and in turn these women to educate other mothers and families about these resources. This is an extremely important outreach service because many immigrant families are either afraid (due to their illegal status) or unable (due to language barriers) to access these programs and institutions themselves. Neukoelln Mothers are able to gain access to families too afraid to come directly to the Neukoelln Citizen Foundation, or other organizations for help. Several issues cause major problems for the Neukoelln Citizen Foundation in implementing these programs. The first and most important issue is funding. Berlin is a very poor city, and while authorities recognize the importance of such programs, convincing them to provide funding is a challenge. The women involved in the Neukoelln Mothers program are paid for their important work, but local government places requirements upon the program in order to justify funding; i.e. the requirement that Mothers must visit 2 families a month, which many are unable to do. Secondly, as mentioned above, illegal immigrant families are fearful of government aided institutions such as the Neukoelln Citizen Foundation because they believe involvement in their programs put their immigration status at risk. This requires the Neukoelln Mothers program to make only indirect contact with immigrant families, and the program must rely entirely on the honor system, hoping that Mothers are being effective and truly doing their job in the community. Overall, the work of the Neukoelln Citizen Foundation is very important, but a lack of funding and the reluctance of fearful immigrant families to seek help create major obstacles for the well-meaning organization.

Mauerfall 2009!

Monday, November 9th

The celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall were extremely exciting. Immediately after class on Monday, several classmates and I made our way to the Brandenburg gate where over 1000 styrofoam dominoes had been erected. An enormous turnout for the event resulted in much jostling for position around the line of dominoes which extended from just north of the Reichstag to Potsdammerplatz. I was able to climb on top of a bus stop, which allowed me an excellent view of dominoes as well as the large screens providing coverage of the political speeches at the Brandenburg gate. Overall, the general feeling of the very international crowd was positive, and each of the politicians was cheered before and after their speeches.

The Berlin Gallery Scene

Wenessday 4th, 2009

On Wednesday our class concluded our tour of the Berlin gallery scene with Hans Koenings. According to the Roman Kräussl text we read in class, Germany hosts the highest number of art institutions per capita in the world, and Berlin, controlling 29% of the art market in Germany, ranks among the most artsy of European cities. Berlin holds a slight lead in the German art market, but Munich and other cities of German’s diverse regions remain close on Berlin’s heels. Germany’s federalist system results in a decentralized art market, meaning one city will never dominate the art landscape of Germany, creating a diverse and ever changing market.

We learned that the cheap real estate prices in Berlin make it possible for up and coming artists to establish themselves. Production Galleries, which are created by small groups of artists who pay pitch in to pay for a gallery’s rent as well as a curator to manage and promote it, are an easy way for artists to break into the Berlin art scene. Smaller galleries are constantly searching for new artists to promote; the low overhead and high popularity of the Berlin gallery scene allows these galleries a relative amount of flexibility. Production galleries however, are often short lived, exhibiting art for an average of two years; at which point most will close permanently, though the most successful galleries may continue on to become permanent art institutions. This system creates a sort of turnaround for the gallery scene in Berlin, constantly providing the city new galleries and bringing fresh faces and talents to the forefront of the German capital’s art scene.

Those established galleries which are able stay in business are constantly looking for new artists to host in their exhibitions, and many put on events and attend art fairs in search of new talent. This results in a packed calendar of art related events which keeps artists, curators and consumers busy throughout the year in Berlin. One of Berlin’s biggest art events is the “art forum berlin,” a four day international art show in late September; the 2009 forum attracted 40,000 collectors, museum directors, curators and art lovers from all over the world according to its website. Of course, events of this size involve much larger institutions than Berlin’s many small galleries, but these galleries still establish a presence at these enormous events.

Gleis 17

Thursday, October 29th

Our class made an excursion this week to what is now my favorite Holocaust related memorial in Berlin. Gleis 17 is a platform at the Grunewald S-Bahn stop where thousands of Jews were packed into train cars and taken to concentration camps like Auschwitz and Theresienstadt. The platform has been rebuilt as a memorial to those Jews who boarded trains there throughout the 1930’s and 40’s. The floor of the platform is made of steel grates upon which dates of departing trains are inscribed along with the number of Jews on each train and the concentration camp which would be their destination. When walking down the platform and reading this information, one can see that trains transporting thousands of Jews to their death departed from the platform on consecutive days. It is obvious that trains no longer run through this platform, as trees have sprouted and grown between the tracks, standing as symbols or measurements of the time that has passed since the platform was used. The memorial was constructed here in the wake of a grassroots movement of mourners who illegally visited the site, which had been closed off by Deutsche Bahn, to pay tribute to those who were murdered in the Holocaust. Hundreds of flowers were laid upon the tracks, and several floral wreaths were placed at one end – we learned later that these had been placed by a high ranking member of Israeli defense forces just a few days earlier. Gleis 17 is my favorite Holocaust memorial because of its original location; it reminded me of how efficiently the Nazi’s murdered millions of Jews during the Holocaust.

The Lives of Others

Monday, October 26^th

On Monday of this week I was required to lead class discussion regarding the German film; The Lives of Others. I was pleased to lead discussion this week because this film is one of my personal favorites. The Lives of Others tells the story of a German playwright living in East Germany and his secret writing and publishing of an essay about the skyrocketing suicide rate in the GDR. The main character Dreymann is unknowingly spied on constantly, via the bugging of his apartment, by a benevolent Stasi agent who decides not to report his offenses against the state to his Stasi superiors and thus saves Dreymann from imprisonment. It is not until the end of the GDR and indeed the end of the film that Dreymann discovers that he had been under intense surveillance for the duration of his conspiracy to writing the essay.

This image of a highly secretive and effective Stasi, which infiltrates and manipulates the lives of citizens, is far different from that depicted in Christa Wolf’s, What Remains. Once an informer herself, Wolf is familiar with the tactics used by the Stasi as well as those tactics which can protect her from further trouble with the GDR state, such as speaking in code when talking on the telephone. Unlike Dreymann who is ignorant of his being under surveillance, Wolf is fully aware of the three Stasi men in the car which is constantly parked in front of her house. Dreymann continues with his life and conspiracy thinking that his flat is the only safe place in the GDR where he can talk freely with his friends, while Wolf changes every aspect of her life in order to protect herself from the Stasi informers and spies placed all around her. Just like The Lives of Others, stories of the Stasi and its more or less secret operations make for a good story, however, first-hand accounts like Wolf’s really hit home reminding us that the Stasi was a very real institution which operated in East Germany’s recent past and effectively ruined lives.