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Special Feature page 5 ~ POL.EMIC Vol. 3 Issue 4 November 17, 1993 ==(E=.=.,=o•=,=, =N=o=T,=,=T=h=, =======--------- ----------===-~ --_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_---~,~on-:;.fi-,~d,-nco-__:;:, -_-_-_-_-_-_- P ch~ng~ of _P~t ~ present in : this diary 1s mtentwnal . .. ln- Sunday 3/18/90: senions in brackets are • • ':!i:!~7:1:::::~;;;~:,::::,;;~ A CC exchange student provides diary In the first free elections in the GDR, the Christian Demo- cralq are the winners. The new prime minister Lothar de Maiziere forms a coalition of all democratic parties and organi- zations in the parliament. Only the PDS [Party of the Demo- cratic Socialism], the former SEO LSocialist Unity Party of Germany - the Communist Party], is not in the government. Nobody wants to work with the old rulers even if they are re- formed. ~ - , diac/0i•:h!u~;-~:t':::~:il; 1 How One Fall Changed My Life diary. I only want to note down the most important events in the next time. I'm feeling that soon anything will change. Sunday 8/20/89: Today we came back from our vacations on the Baltic Sea. On the car radio we heard about some events in Hungary, but the news was very obscure. The first thing I did at home was to watch the news on TV. Only the West German TV stations reported about the Pan- Europa- ! :;;~;:~~:n~e !~:~:i:;~!~ l tria, which was to be a meeting of Hungarian and Austrian paci- fists. For this day the frontier fence would be open, and a lot of tourists in Hungary [Hungary , was a popular holiday place for East-Germans] used this chance , to go to Austria and then to West Germany. The Hungarian frontier po- lice did not oppose the ' movement across the border. Was that a sign? ZDF [West German TV stations] show the pictures from Prague. Our TV reports only that there are "Republic-fugitives" who are bad subjects and criminals in the West German embassy. This can't be true! Monday 1 0/2/89: The West German Secre- tary of State Hans-Dietrich Genscher visited the embassy in Prague. From the balcony of the embassy, he told the people that they can leave for West Ger- many soon. After this sentence all people in the embassy gar- den are crying because of the glad tidings. I almost cried and it gave me the creeps when I saw the pictures on West Ger- man TV. Today we had the first "Monday demonstration" in Leipzig [the second largest city in East Germany]. The people are dissatisfied with the policy of the communists. The peace- ful demonstrants are proclaiming phrases like, "We are the people!" or, "We stay here!". and other security forces in Ber- • As of November 9th at 9 p.m., Jin to praise our Communist the checkpoints to the Federal beton-heads [colloquial speech Republic of Germany and West for the old members of the com- Berlin are open for departure!" go to Marburg [a city 100 miles behind the frontier in the state of Hesse] where my grandma was born. we .. would like to munist government]. The Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was in Berlin. He criticized the policy of our government. Does he understand the East German people? In Warsaw we have the same situation as in Prague. Hundreds of people are in the FRG embassy, too. Sunday 10/15/89: Today we have a new gov- Now the reports follow in rapid succession. The pictures on TV give me the creeps: the Trabants ["the car" of the East German.~, and a symbol of the reunion too] pass the checkpoints to West Germany and to West Berlin. Hundreds. of people from entire Berlin are on the Berlin WaJ\ in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The fron- tier police are powerless. visit our relatives th.ere. It was the first small family reunion in West Germany and an event I never will forget. Saturday 12/23/89: Federal chancellor Helmut Kohl and the new GDR Prime Minister Hans Modrow [a Com- munist refonner] opened the Brandenburg Gate formally for the public. Sunday 7/1/90: The first part of the Re- union Treaty comes into operation in which Germans in the still GDR get the Deutsch Mark. AU balances are changed from East Mark into Deutsch Mark. Now economic unity can begin. ernment. The younger .--------------------------, communists under the leadership of Egon Krenz removed the old beton-head Erich Honecker and its senior guard. Egon talked on TV about reforms in the GDR. But nobody trusts him. We have enough! Political changes experienced first hand BY JEN GOODBURN!l Co-EorroR , attacked by police at that Gate. It was taken whil time, and participants were he was in West Germany -------- being charged with treason one week before the wall Christian Albrecht is and put in jail. "We didn't was built. ACC's own authority on East know what to do. That was "When t went to the European politics. four years ago; I was 15." west for the first time, it was Sunday 10/22/89: Well, maybe that's a It was impossible for normal for me because we Sunday 9/3/89: The police take action against Today, I went to the first little too much to put on the the young people of East were all young people. It rally in St. Mary's church. I 19-year-old shoulders of our Germany to travel to the was now normal. There had to stay outside because the exchange student from west. His family was for- were tears in the eyes of church was completely filled. MUhlhausen, but he can bidden to have contact with my parents because they But I heard the discussions be- boast something that pohti- West Germany, as his fa- were little children when the tween representatives of the cal science students across ther was involved in the wall was built." Meanwhile thousands of them with billy clubs and jets of tourists in Hungary used the water. people and the local politicians campus could only wish for. military. Since he had never Albrecht is in Alpena as outside through loudspeakers. As a resident of an East seen the west, Albrecht says a result of the "Mulhausen chance to go to the West. On the frontier between the GDR I German Democratic Republic = East Germany] and the CSSR [Czechoslovakia] stronger con- trols are present because many people from East Germany want to use the chance in Hungary to escape to West Germany. To- morrow, school begins. Some of my friends spent their vaca- tions in Hungary on Lake Balaton. I hope they are at school tomorrow. Sunday 9/24/89: Today more news is reach- ing us from Prague. Hundreds or thousands of people [East Germans] are storming the FRG - embassy [Federal Republic of Germany] to get a chance to go to West Germany. The Czecho- slovakian police tried to hold them back with billy clubs. There are too many to stop. Sunday 10/1/89: The situation in Prague is disastrous. Thousands of East Germans are camping in the FRG embassy. Only ARD and ~ Friday 10/6/89: Now we have also more German city located only ten he had no ideas of what it - Michigan" exchange pro- At school we can't talk freedom in the press. Some miles from the Berlin Wall, would be like. gram sponsored by the with the teachers about the last criticalreportsarenolongercen- he witnessed an event that He has a photo of his Huron Shores Writing lnsti• events. Everybody is afraid to sored. changed the political struc- father at the Brandenberg tute. Sacond year students make too many critical or un- ture of Europe. Now that and faculty may remember pleasant remarks about the Sunday 10/20/89: he's in Alpena, Albrecht has Grit Jaeckel. Berndt situation in East Germany. At the second rally at St. provided us with a diary of Kaufhold, Jeanette Amthor, Saturday 10/7/89: Today is Seba~tian's birth- day. On the computer we created our own flag: black- red-gold with a half Federal eagle and half hammer, com- passes and ear-wreath [the symbols of West and East Ger- many!. Today, the first demonstra- tion in Miihlhausen was held. Hundreds of people walked to St. Martin's church to the peace prayer. We were too afraid to go, because we had seen the pic- tures from Berlin where the police arrested people in Getsemaneh church. Today is also the 40th an- niversary of the German Democratic Republic. There was a big parade of the army Mary's, the citizens openly criti- the events that led up to and Cordelia Fritzlar, who cized the Communist politicians the Fall of the Berlin Wall. were at ACC as a result of andtheirpolicy.InMuhlhausen, "In the beginning, we the same program last year. we have new movements also as were a little bit afraid be- How do you think life throughout the whole GDR. So- cause we didn't know what in Alpena would compare cial Democrats, Greens and the government wanted to with life in the former East environmentalists, and otherciti- do," he said. "There were Germany? Albrecht has zen movements like New Forum, some little demonstrations in seen a definite difference. Democratic Departure are new our city, but wa were afraid "In Germany, young political organizations indepen- to go to them, because we people can do more in thier dent from the authorities. And didn't know what would spare time . . !we have] the old bloc-flutes [colloquial happen." Demonstators discotheques (dance clubs), speech for the members of the across Germany were being pubs, and bars." other parties in the Volkskammer parliament like Christian Demo- crats or Liberal Democrats] are also opposed to the Communist government. Thursday 11 /9/89: On the 10 p.m. news, a report was given regarding a press conference of the govern- ment. The government decided, Friday 11/10/89: There is only one topic at school - the opening of the fron- tier to West Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall. No one is afraid of the Communist sys- tem any longer. The system is defeated! Thursday 11 /16/89: With [mmo I visited West Germany for the very first time. From this moment, the old time was forgotten. The border was IO miles away from Miihlhausen. And now, the street to Eschwege [the nest county city behind the fence] is open! The frontier police let the cars pass without any checks. In the small city of Wanfried, two miles behind the frontier, I got the 100 Deutsch Marks of welcome money [every citizen of the GDR received 100 DM each year as a present from the government if he or she visited the FRG; some municipalities and states paid out 20 to 50 OM additional]. Saturday 11/18/89: Monday 12/25/89: On the first Christmas Day, we made a trip through the Eichsfeld {a region in the North of Muhlhausen what was divided 30 years by the frontier]. Many cars, both from West and East Germany, were decorated with the German banner in black, red and gold. Thi.~ Christmas is decorated in the black, red and gold of German banners instead ofsnOw! Sunday 12/31/89: Today, we celebrate the first New Year's Eve in free- dom. What will happen in the next year? We are all full of Wednesday 10/3/90: The Day of the German Unity!! The reunion of the two German countries is completed. Helmut Kohl is the first chan- cellor of all Germans. All of Germany is celebrating this event. Tonight I want to go to the festival hall on the Aue (a suburb of Muhlhausen]. There is a great discotheque with DJ's from HR 3 [a Hesse radio sta- tion for young people]. At midnight we plan to hold fire- works. Now we're one people, one nation! The future will show us the results of the reunion. ACC Bookstore * Pre - X-mas Sale * * Nov. 17 - Dec. 23 fi'.» f 1fi'.»IJW WiU"ltt®f WlllfMt~, * '.l]IJW\C~llllli® WiU"ltt®f di:»t~iU"l~! Logo items at 20~discount Logo - Jackets; Sweaters; Sweatshirts New Logo hats - 10% discount ~ insulated mugs; g cups; X-mas pens; Timex radios; bat- i { teries; calculators; ~ i ~~oeks~:~~orders; } * -MU..,~. __ ,.:...........:.____~ ~'" ,:--;--;;-.;-----:-. Today is Saturday. My parents and I would like to visit West Germany for the first time together. My dad also got a visa from the police [for the first time you needed a visa to go to West Germany, but after a week, no frontier police checked if you had a visa or not]. We want to E s acrylic paints; oil paints; water paints; brushes; sketch pads; poster board; poster paints; pen- nants; umbrellas