Germany was not always the peaceful country it is today. Germany was divided in 1945 after their defeat in World War II. East Germany was communist, and West Germany was non-communist. The government of East Germany restricted all access to West Berlin in 1961, during the cold war. Overnight, they built the Berlin wall to keep West Germans out, and East Germans in. Families were separated, and they became completely different countries. Their ways of living were very different as well. The East had production planning, meaning everything was made to order. The West had access to name brand clothes, food, and other goods that the East did not. Over time, they developed a hatred towards each other because of their different government styles.
…show more content…
There was a lot of food, drinks, and other products from the East that were replaced with the Western version after unification, and their absence was greatly noticed. For example, the East version of Coca-Cola was called Vita-Cola. Although they were very similar, sometimes it was the little things that people really missed (Aranda). Today, some Germans will even pay extra to have the Eastern vintage style Cola, simply for sentimental reasons. East Germany can also be visited today. The people of Germany can go to the many tourist attractions to reminisce about the old ways of East Germany. Because of many of these small nostalgias, some people of both East and West Germany believe their lives would be better if the wall was still up. A poll done by the German institute, Emnid, found that about a quarter of the residents of East Germany and a quarter of the residents of West Germany believe their quality of life would be improved if the Wall was still up (Aranda). Even though these things are not substantial commodities, or even necessary commodities, they do contribute to the happiness of a multitude of the East Germans. Clearly, nostalgia towards the old ways of communist East Germany played a major role in the separation of Germany after the fall of the
There was a lot of food, drinks, and other products from the East that were replaced with the Western version after unification, and their absence was greatly noticed. For example, the East version of Coca-Cola was called Vita-Cola. Although they were very similar, sometimes it was the little things that people really missed (Aranda). Today, some Germans will even pay extra to have the Eastern vintage style Cola, simply for sentimental reasons. East Germany can also be visited today. The people of Germany can go to the many tourist attractions to reminisce about the old ways of East Germany. Because of many of these small nostalgias, some people of both East and West Germany believe their lives would be better if the wall was still up. A poll done by the German institute, Emnid, found that about a quarter of the residents of East Germany and a quarter of the residents of West Germany believe their quality of life would be improved if the Wall was still up (Aranda). Even though these things are not substantial commodities, or even necessary commodities, they do contribute to the happiness of a multitude of the East Germans. Clearly, nostalgia towards the old ways of communist East Germany played a major role in the separation of Germany after the fall of the