Living in East Berlin
Interviewer: Andrew Lawson
Interviewee: Alexandra Schmidt
Below is an interview I had with Alexandra Schmidt so I could better understand life during the time of the Berlin Wall. Alexandra lived in East Germany and is excited to get to openly talk about her experiences in Germany.
Q: What were your initial thoughts when the wall was being built?
A: Well, the purpose of the wall was to stop western “fascists” from invading East Germany and criticizing the socialist state. But most of all, it was to stop residents of East Berlin from crossing over into capitalist West Berlin which was continuing to thrive. I lived in East Germany at the time and my dad would occasionally travel to the west for work. I always loved going with him because there was so much life over there. The energy was so high compared to the east. Once the wall began to be built, I knew I would never get to experience the fun of the west ever again, or so I thought. I was devastated and did not exactly know what to think. At the time, I was only thirteen so most things seemed like the end of the world to me. I knew that I would never get to play with all the friends I had made in West Berlin and as a kid that really gets to you. That was the main thing running through my mind when I learned about the wall and that there would be no more adventures to the west. I could not bear being forced to say goodbye to all the friends I had made.
Q: How did the wall affect your family?
A: It hit my family much harder. My parents knew more about the situation and could understand it better than my brother and I. My brother had just turned eighteen and my parents immediately were concerned for his future. They were planning on having him intern at my father’s office in West Berlin but that was no longer an option. My dad feared that he would loose his job due to the fact that a majority of his work took place in the west. He feared there would be no need for his position any longer. You are probably wondering why we did not just live in West Berlin, but we could not. My mother’s parents were sick and she needed to stay in the East to care for them. Also, my father’s main work office was located in the East, it was just his position that caused him to travel so much.
Q: What was life like living in East Berlin?
A: Life in East Berlin was different. In East Berlin almost every aspect of life was regulated. It was much poorer than the west but the east started at a lower level of economic development to begin with. This caused East Berlin to receive lower pay, longer work hours, and the quality and quantity of goods were limited. The main thing that always bothered me was the restrictions on travel to the West. I wanted nothing more than to travel there as much as I had before the time of the wall. It was clear West Germany had better economic conditions and therefore many people wished to live there because of that.
Q: Did you ever wonder what life would have been like if you lived in West Berlin?
A: Yes, all the time. I wanted to know what it was like to have freedom, to not be constantly restricted. East berlin was dull and the West was lively. I was young and wanted to live freely and energetically. Where I lived certain decisions were made for you and I didn’t like that. I want to explore myself and figure out what I wanted in life. I always felt like if I had lived in the West I could have done that.
Q: Did you ever know someone who tried to cross to the other side of the wall?
A: Yes, my brother tried to escape when he had just turned twenty. He snuck out of our house late at night and planned to climb over. When he got there a man was already on the wall fighting to get over fast. But out of nowhere a German guard shouted at the man to get down. The man refused. The German guard was angry at this point and he shot the man. My brother was so frightened that he ran home and swore to never attempt to escape again.
Q: How did you react when the wall was finally going to be taken down?
A: When I first heard the wall would be taken down I almost felt indifferent. I had become so used to communist rule over the years and it had become familiar to me. I was, however, caught up in the excitement of everything. I remember running to the wall with my brother and climbing over it while laughing and shouting. It was amazing seeing West Berlin after so long and I immediately knew that the reunification of Germany had put hope for the future back into the people.
Q: How was life different for you after reunification? Was it better?
A: A few years after the wall was taken down I moved to West Berlin permanently. The job opportunities were better there and the economy was still a step ahead of the East. Germany was working together to improve the overall standard of living and now that I had a family of my own I wanted them to be raised in a place that was stable to begin with. Life was much better and there were more opportunities and freedom. I turned out just fine and I lived in communist East Germany most of my life but I faced many hardships along the way. I think my children benefitted from the reunification because they could grow up and choose what they wanted to be. That was one thing I always resented, never having a choice. There were no restrictions for my children and that is comforting to a mother. I will always love Germany and I am proud of my country regardless of the problems it faced.
Interviewee: Alexandra Schmidt
Below is an interview I had with Alexandra Schmidt so I could better understand life during the time of the Berlin Wall. Alexandra lived in East Germany and is excited to get to openly talk about her experiences in Germany.
Q: What were your initial thoughts when the wall was being built?
A: Well, the purpose of the wall was to stop western “fascists” from invading East Germany and criticizing the socialist state. But most of all, it was to stop residents of East Berlin from crossing over into capitalist West Berlin which was continuing to thrive. I lived in East Germany at the time and my dad would occasionally travel to the west for work. I always loved going with him because there was so much life over there. The energy was so high compared to the east. Once the wall began to be built, I knew I would never get to experience the fun of the west ever again, or so I thought. I was devastated and did not exactly know what to think. At the time, I was only thirteen so most things seemed like the end of the world to me. I knew that I would never get to play with all the friends I had made in West Berlin and as a kid that really gets to you. That was the main thing running through my mind when I learned about the wall and that there would be no more adventures to the west. I could not bear being forced to say goodbye to all the friends I had made.
Q: How did the wall affect your family?
A: It hit my family much harder. My parents knew more about the situation and could understand it better than my brother and I. My brother had just turned eighteen and my parents immediately were concerned for his future. They were planning on having him intern at my father’s office in West Berlin but that was no longer an option. My dad feared that he would loose his job due to the fact that a majority of his work took place in the west. He feared there would be no need for his position any longer. You are probably wondering why we did not just live in West Berlin, but we could not. My mother’s parents were sick and she needed to stay in the East to care for them. Also, my father’s main work office was located in the East, it was just his position that caused him to travel so much.
Q: What was life like living in East Berlin?
A: Life in East Berlin was different. In East Berlin almost every aspect of life was regulated. It was much poorer than the west but the east started at a lower level of economic development to begin with. This caused East Berlin to receive lower pay, longer work hours, and the quality and quantity of goods were limited. The main thing that always bothered me was the restrictions on travel to the West. I wanted nothing more than to travel there as much as I had before the time of the wall. It was clear West Germany had better economic conditions and therefore many people wished to live there because of that.
Q: Did you ever wonder what life would have been like if you lived in West Berlin?
A: Yes, all the time. I wanted to know what it was like to have freedom, to not be constantly restricted. East berlin was dull and the West was lively. I was young and wanted to live freely and energetically. Where I lived certain decisions were made for you and I didn’t like that. I want to explore myself and figure out what I wanted in life. I always felt like if I had lived in the West I could have done that.
Q: Did you ever know someone who tried to cross to the other side of the wall?
A: Yes, my brother tried to escape when he had just turned twenty. He snuck out of our house late at night and planned to climb over. When he got there a man was already on the wall fighting to get over fast. But out of nowhere a German guard shouted at the man to get down. The man refused. The German guard was angry at this point and he shot the man. My brother was so frightened that he ran home and swore to never attempt to escape again.
Q: How did you react when the wall was finally going to be taken down?
A: When I first heard the wall would be taken down I almost felt indifferent. I had become so used to communist rule over the years and it had become familiar to me. I was, however, caught up in the excitement of everything. I remember running to the wall with my brother and climbing over it while laughing and shouting. It was amazing seeing West Berlin after so long and I immediately knew that the reunification of Germany had put hope for the future back into the people.
Q: How was life different for you after reunification? Was it better?
A: A few years after the wall was taken down I moved to West Berlin permanently. The job opportunities were better there and the economy was still a step ahead of the East. Germany was working together to improve the overall standard of living and now that I had a family of my own I wanted them to be raised in a place that was stable to begin with. Life was much better and there were more opportunities and freedom. I turned out just fine and I lived in communist East Germany most of my life but I faced many hardships along the way. I think my children benefitted from the reunification because they could grow up and choose what they wanted to be. That was one thing I always resented, never having a choice. There were no restrictions for my children and that is comforting to a mother. I will always love Germany and I am proud of my country regardless of the problems it faced.
Explanation: The purpose of this interview is to describe how the wall affected families, what life was like during the time of the wall, and how life changed after the wall was torn down. East and West berlin had different standards of living and it was clear the West had it better. I wanted the interview to highlight the thoughts and opinions of Germans during the time of the wall.
Source: I used one primary source which described the life of people in East and West Germany and how the wall affected citizens ("Berlin Wall").
Source: I used one primary source which described the life of people in East and West Germany and how the wall affected citizens ("Berlin Wall").