Ich Bin Ein Berliner

         "Ich Bin Ein Berliner." These words meant everything to the people of Berlin. In the beginning of the story, it showed John F. Kennedy going to Berlin to speak to the people, and to show that they have not been forgotten about and Berlin had not been forgotten about. The heart of Berlin was cut in two from east to west during the war from Hitler. The speech JFK gave to the people gave everyone hope that the war was ending, and that there may be peace in the future.
          One topic that I thought was pretty amazing was the story of Frederick the Great (nicknamed: Der Altze Fritz). The main reason why I thought he was interesting because in the beginning the the story, they talked about a painting that a man risked his life for to take out of the country. They felt this painting was the key to unlocking the soul of Berlin. Frederick the Great thought of Berlin as the center of radical thought. Matt Frei said, "To understand Frederick is to understand Berlin." He reigned before Germany became a unified nation. Frederick was mainly known for his military campaigns and organization of Prussian armies. Der Fritz focused on militarism for the first time in Germany. He was an inspiration to German leaders, including Adolf Hitler, who hung a portrait for Frederick the Great in his living room. He seemed to be a symbol for independence. Some perceive him as the embodiment of Prussian virtues, while others see him as an artistically inclined, non-conformist intellectual. The Nazi propaganda machine in the Third Reich stylized him as the heroic winner, while the post-war Communistic regime in East Germany damned him as a warmonger. In the end, whether he was good or bad, Frederick the Great had a big impact on his country’s future.
        The most interesting topic I found most interesting in Berlin was the Berlin wall itself. A little past midnight in August of 1961, trucks with soldiers and construction workers came through East Berlin. These crews began tearing up streets that entered into West Berlin, dug holes to put up the concrete posts, and strung barb wire all across the border. The wall was a physical division between East and West Berlin. Symbol of communism and democracy. There were different allies that were posted in Berlin. They had United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union kind of disintegrated to itself, which caused tension between west and east Berlin. East and West turned into competition and aggressiveness. The United States, Great Britain, and France were with the West side of Germany, which stood for democracy. While the Soviet Union was in the East side of Germany, which stood for communism. Since the city of Berlin has been situated entirely within the Soviet zone of occupation, West Berlin became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany. Living conditions in West Germany and East Germany became distinctly different. West Germany set up a capitalist society and experienced such a rapid growth of their economy that it became known as the economic miracle. As for east side of Germany, it was under the direct influence of the Soviet Union, and the economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted. The wall was up for 28 years, and was torn down in 1989. Some of the wall still remains up, but it was sanitized and made into art for everyone to see.
         In the years to come, turks settled in western berlin, and vietnamese people settled in east berlin.
        Lastly, I would like to discuss the Berliners themselves and the Jews that lived there. It seemed like everyone that lived in Berlin were very proud to be who they were. It was the place where many Jews found sanctuary and were able to live and prosper. Things didn't go downhill truly for them, until Hitler took control. Jewish stores were shattered and broken and put into flames. One story I found most interesting was the Jewish man, Joseph Wartine. I thought he had a deep story because he lost his whole family in Berlin, and was treated very bad. Jews in Berlin were taken away in vans by Nazis and Jews who stayed behind were squatters pretty much and food was scarce and were treated very badly by soldiers. Joseph who stayed behind was very smart, because when he was caught by the soldiers and was beaten close to death. He was smart because he heard that the soldiers were afraid of scarlet fever, and in the end that's what helped him survive.



        At the end of the war, Berlin was not the same as it once was. It has taken many years for Berlin to recover, but even till today, Berlin is still recovering. A lot of blood was spilt in that city, and the heart of Berlin was split into two. Today Berlin is back into one unified capitol of Germany, and no matter where it's people went, they will always be Berliners.