Narrating the Berlin Wall: Nostalgia and the Negotiation of Memory, 20 Years Later by Sean Eedy A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario ©2011 Sean Eedy Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre riterence ISBN: 978-0-494-83074-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-83074-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada The Department of History recommends to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs acceptance of the thesis Narrating the Berlin Wall: Nostalgia and the Negotiation of Memory, 20 Years Later submitted by Sean Eedy, B.A. Hons. in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Jennifer V. Evans, Thesis Supervisor Dominique Marshall, Chair, Department of History Carleton University 3 August 2011 Abstract Memory and commemoration are as much constructed narratives as is fiction. Using Svetlana Boym's concept of restorative and reflective nostalgia and Paul Cooke's notion of the West German colonization of GDR memory as its point of departure, this thesis argues that official commemorations of the Fall of the Berlin Wall marginalized the experiences of former GDR citizens in pursuit of a narrative that framed the actions of East Germans as part of an inevitable process toward German reunification. Newspaper articles, German government publications, the demonstrations and exhibitions on display for the anniversary presented a dichotomy that celebrated the continuation of the history of the Federal Republic as superior to that of the East and the accomplishments of East Germans themselves. This thesis examines the ways in which memory was reconstructed during the twentieth anniversary and in post-Wende literature and narrated to a mass audience. While commemoration employed claims of historical truth, fictions' use of reflective nostalgia deconstructed notions of a collective East German memory and identity, arguing for a plurality of memory in narrated reconstructions of the GDR. Ill Acknowledgements A work such as this is never the product of an individual. Although my name appears on the title page, this thesis is as much mine as it is the work of all those who helped me with my studies, research, and writing over the past two years. As such, I would like to take a moment to thank a few of the people who helped me with this work, encouraged me along the way, and provided me with insight, sources, or perspectives I may not have considered alone. First and foremost I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Jennifer V. Evans. She supported me, my graduate school pursuits, and my fields of historical interest from our first meeting and, I hope, will continue throughout both our respective careers. She introduced me to historians, interpretations, and theoretical applications I had not previously been exposed to and forced me to produce a better product than I thought myself capable of before we met. I understand there is still a great deal to learn from her and hope that, in this one case if nowhere else, 1 have done her proud. Second, I would like to thank the faculty of Graduate Studies and particularly the History Department at Carleton University. Dr. Dominique Marshall helped immensely with her support. She forwarded numerous articles I may never have come across on my own and introduced me to people and contacts that helped not only with this thesis, but that are bound to be helpful in my future academic pursuits. Dr. David Dean opened my eyes to Public History which I, admittedly, had never heard of before coming to Carleton and attending his course. His input was invaluable in teaching me how to read a display, what I should look at (everything), and convincing me to turn around and study not only the event itself, but also the audience response to it. My talks with him prior to my journey to Berlin for the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall helped immeasurably. Although not everything I recorded there, based on his suggestions, made it into this thesis, I was glad to have that information on hand as a point of reference. Dr. Susan Whitney supported my thesis in its earliest stages. Based on that support, I wish I had been able to follow through on some of the details involving the generation gap that I proposed to be part of this thesis, but am glad she maintained her support and saw this thesis through to its completion. I would also like to extend my thanks to the others involved as part of my defence committee, Dr. James Casteel and Dr. Norman Hillmer. I thank them for taking the time to involve themselves with my work and was grateful for their insight, comments, and suggestion for the future. I hope I am able to carry those things with me throughout my endeavours. I would also like to thank Joan White for her tireless work as Graduate Secretary. Without her, I would undoubtedly have never been able to keep up with all the deadlines and paperwork associated with graduate studies, research, and my thesis defence. Third, I want to extend my thanks to the staff at the Wende Museum: A Museum and Archive of the Cold War in Culver City, California. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Cristina Cuevas-Wolf, Manager of Collection Development at the Wende Museum. We emailed extensively prior to my visit in July 2010 and not only did she seem genuinely interested in my work, but more importantly, she made my first real archives experience as painless as possible. She made sure much of the material of interest was pulled from the collection prior to my arrival and was completely willing to work around my admitted tight travel schedule. Without her help, my work at the Wende Museum could never have been accomplished in the time I had available. Finally on a personal note, I would like to thank my family and friends, especially my wife, Deborah. She was with me throughout this thesis. I know that at times the work drove me crazy and made me angry. I apologize that my work ethic seemed to take me from you more IV than either of us would have liked. Moreover, I apologize that sometimes the work frustrated me and that she sometimes bore the brunt of that. But I want to thank her for having faith in and patience with me when I had none for myself. I love you, Debbie. I would also like to apologize to all those who I forgot to include in this list. Undoubtedly, there is at least one name I am forgetting. Most likely, there is more than one. For any whom feel left out by these acknowledgements, please know that the omission was not intentional and this work could never have been completed without your help. Thank you all. Sean Eedy July 22, 2011 Ottawa, ON V Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents v Introduction, Narrating 1989 from East to West: Shifting Representations of the Fall of the Berlin Wall 1 Chapter 1, Commemoration or Commiseration: The Marginalization of GDR Memory in the Narration of the Berlin Wall and the East German Revolutions of 1989 34 Chapter 2, Beyond Berlin: International Narratives of the Mauerfall and Their Effect on East German Memory 68 Chapter 3, Communist Kitsch: The Deconstruction and Reconstruction of the GDR in Post- Wende Literature 100 Conclusion 143 Bibliography 153 Primary Sources 153 Films and Documentaries 158 Music 158 Secondary Sources 159 Articles 159 Books 164 1 Introduction Narrating 1989 from East to West: Shifting Representations of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. On the evening of November 9-10, 1989, the Berlin Wall literally fell overnight and seemingly, with that single event, brought about the end of German and European division, the Cold War between the capitalist West and the communist East, and of Stalinist-style rule among the countries of the Warsaw Pact.