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The German Democratic Republic: Before and Beyond
This project is an interview with Dr. Nina Rosenbusch, a woman born in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Rosenbusch was only a teenager when the Berlin Wall fell down in 1989 and so she is part of the generation of Germans who came into adulthood in the newly reunified Germany. This interview seeks to understand the legacy of the GDR’s culture for the citizens of modern Germany. In particular, the discussion focuses on the generation of Rosenbusch’s parents who only knew Germany as two separated states, unlike the generation of Rosenbusch’s grandparents who were able to remember a previously unified Germany. The involvement of the state in daily life is also discussed, with a focus on the German secret police service, called the Stasi. As Rosenbusch’s family did not protest against the state, they were not as affected as some individuals but were nonetheless limited in what they could do and say. Ultimately, the German Reunification was and is very popular in the former GDR, although there are still slight cultural differences and difficulties for those who lived most of their lives before 1989.