The main celebrations on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall will be held today at the Brandenburg Gate. In the great civic festival will be attended by hundreds of thousands of people. From Friday through the center of Berlin runs light installation showing where the wall stood. It consists of thousands of lanterns that today will be released into the air.
anniversary of the fall of the wall commemorated on Friday the German Bundestag . In the evening, appeared in Berlin last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. During a meeting with residents of the capital said he is proud to have contributed to the fact that we now live as we live.
ongoing disputes about the past
hard to find more symbolic coincidence. At a time when Germany finish final preparations for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which led to the overthrow of the hated communist regime and enabled the unification of the country a year later, in Thuringia – one of the federal states created on the territory of the former GDR, on rustic SPD coalition decided of the post-communist the Left.
The decision of the Social Democrats means that for the first time in the history of post-communist united Germany, Bodo Ramelow is likely to be the prime minister of one of the 16 states.
Although the post-communist Left from the 90s participated in power at the level of the Länder – in the past in Berlin, Brandenburg, now – so far as the smaller coalition partner SPD, the current situation is widely regarded as a turning point in the history of the country. It is not surprising that both the President of Germany Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke in the debate on whether the post-communists were ripe for this to take responsibility for the fate of one of the federal states.
– Is the party, which will issue the Prime Minister, actually so broke up with ideas that have SED (East German equivalent of the Communist Party – ed.), when oppressed people that we its fully trust? – Asked the president in an interview with ARD television. The former minister and opposition leader pointed out that both he and other representatives of his generation have a problem with the recognition of the Left as reliable. As “depressing” Merkel declared the decision “a proud lot, which is the SPD” to enter into a coalition led by the post-communists. Insinuation that we have a problem with democracy, is unworthy of the presidency – has responded to the words of the head of the Left Gauck Katja Kipping.
The dispute over the share of the post-communists in the government of Thuringia is just one of the elements constantly recurring discussion of recent German history, proving that the recent past has not been fully overcome, and ideological divisions between East and West still exist.
Once again recently swept through the media debate about whether the GDR was a state of lawlessness, or as the most legitimate response to the rise in the western part of Germany Federal Republic of Germany. – It’s sad – Merkel said – “that once again we run this dispute.” – Of course, that the GDR was a state of lawlessness – stressed. – How else can we call the state under the sign of the Stasi spies who deptało freedom of people? – Publicly asked the head of the government.
Left politicians argued earlier that the security apparatus actually allowed the crime, but You can not question the legality of the GDR as a state.
historical controversies are visible not only at the interface between defenders and critics GDR. – It was a very unpleasant surprise – admits one of the former East German oppositionists Rainer Eppelmann, referring to the opinion of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl of the opposition in the GDR. In its last month book Kohl completely downplays the role of the opposition in the fall of the GDR. In his view, the main merit falls Mikhail Gorbachev. As an important factor also considered the economic crisis in East Germany and other Eastern bloc countries. – Mr. Kohl is probably no problems with memory; without the brave citizens of the GDR, who took to the streets, there would be a peaceful revolution – says Eppelmann, after the change of regime the minister of defense.
The last East German Prime Minister Lothar de Maiziere recalls a meeting with journalists about two forgotten aspects of the events of 1989 years. The East German opposition “was not burned to the unification of the country, but rather dreamed of a better, democratic and equitable GDR”. Their plans foundered on the attitude of the inhabitants of the GDR, who – due to the Deutschmark – as soon as they wanted to become citizens of Germany.
De Maiziere, who led the government of the German Democratic Republic from March to October 1990, points to the provision of Western countries the prospect of unification. London was opposed reunification, France realized that the process is inevitable, but wanted to ran under control. Only the US and the Soviet Union were not afraid of big German – says de Maiziere.
Even the formal sitting of the Bundestag in the Friday was not free from controversies and disputes. Chairman of the parliament, Norbert Lammert (CDU) invited – inadvertently using the Left – for the ceremony bard opposition Wolf Biermann. The legendary singer – author of the classic “Ballads of the Stasi” had to sing one of his songs critical of the GDR. – It’s a scandal, Biermann will again try to expose our people as agents of the Stasi – criticized one of the deputies of the Left – Diether Dehm. GDR authorities took away Biermannowi citizenship in 1976, when he gave a concert in the West, and it does not let inside the home.
(jam)
25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – Onet.pl
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