Kicking Through the Wall: Football, Division, and Entanglement In
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Kicking Through the Wall: Football, Division, and Entanglement in Postwar Berlin By Emmanuel Hogg, BA (Hons), MA A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Carleton University Ottawa, ON © 2016, Emmanuel Hogg Abstract Seldom is the German capital referred to as a “Fußballstadt” (“football-city”). When Berlin and football are mentioned together, themes of corruption, hooliganism, the Stasi, and scandal dominate. And yet, Berlin holds a rich footballing history that dates back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and has long played an important role in the lives of Berliners as spaces for sociability. In the postwar period, two divergent states emerged, each with their own competing structures of football. Whereas in the Federal Republic football remained an autonomous but not apolitical space, it was explicitly politicized in East Germany. As an important form of “soft power” during the Cold War, the people’s game reveals the extent to which the Iron Curtain was much more porous and elastic than the imagery of the Berlin Wall suggests. Rather than view football as “war without the fighting”, a microcosm that interprets the German and Cold War past as simplistic, reductive, and dichotomous, this dissertation analyzes the sport’s inherent dynamism that presented Berliners on both sides of the Wall with unique spaces for social interaction. Although both German states tried to use the sport to assert their own interests, this dissertation argues that football simultaneously provided fans with a relatively free space authorities could not effectively control, opening the opportunity for German- German interactions. Revealing these spaces of German entanglement provides a ii nuanced interpretation for the ways division was experienced, constructed, and negotiated during the Cold War and after the Wende. iii Acknowledgements After a match between Hertha BSC and Nürnberg, I overheard a teenage son describe his thoughts of the city to his father: “Berlin ist kein Fußballstadt.” I heard this expression many times during my research trip to Berlin. Often, the comments were voiced by visiting football fans or residents of the city that were not particularly attracted to football. If I learnt anything in researching this dissertation, it is that Berlin may not be recognized universally as a “Fußballstadt”, but football has played an important role in its fascinating history. I would like to thank the many friends I met during my research stints in Berlin, with whom I could chat about all matters football until I could no more, and who showed me that Berlin could be as much as a “Fußballstadt” as any. My journey did not begin in Berlin, however, it began on the fourth floor of Patterson Hall, between the Rideau river and the Rideau canal in Ottawa. I would like to express my thanks and sincere gratitude to the History Department at Carleton University. From the first moments I started to consider Carleton for a Ph.D, I have been struck by the kindness and support of its faculty and staff. At Carleton, first and foremost, I am severely indebted to my supervisor, Jennifer V. Evans, whose support and instruction over the years made taking my Ph.D. possible. Without her I would not be in a position to type acknowledgements on a completed dissertation. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the members of my dissertation defense committee: James Casteel, Matt Bellamy, Susan Whitney, and Alan McDougall, iv whose generous engagement with my project turned the dissertation defense, a nerve- racking experience, into a pleasant discussion about the importance of the history of German football. I would like to express a special thanks to Alan McDougall for his extensive and reflexive comments. I have admired Alan’s work for many years and look forward to sharing conversations about football – German and Liverpudlian, academic and lay – over a few pints in the future. I would also like to acknowledge the many instructors and classmates that constantly reminded me why I chose to continue my education. At Carleton University: James Casteel, Mark Salber Phillips, Rob Phillips, Dominique Marshall; in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Bernhard Leistle and Brian Given. I was lucky to benefit from participating in Jan Grabowski’s course on the Holocaust at the University of Ottawa. I would like to note that Jim Opp’s Historical Theory class was particularly valuable. It introduced me to one of my favorite subjects and to a few of my favorite books. I will never forget those long Monday evening discussions (in class and at the pub afterward) that made me reflect deeply on the value of history. Finally, I am grateful to Dominique Marshall, who game me opportunities to teach on German history and, especially, on the history of global football. The Department undoubtedly runs as smoothly as it does because of the tireless efforts of its support staff. In particular, I must express my sincere thanks to Joan White. As much as anyone, Joan has guided me through the Ph.D. Thank you, Joan; for your help and understanding – and teaching me much about the inner functioning of higher education institutions in Ontario and Canada. v I was fortunate enough to receive the generous financial support from several donors over the years that I would like to acknowledge. I would like to thank the History Department at Carleton University, the Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Affairs, the European Union and Carleton’s Centre for European Studies, the Central European History Society, the German Academic Exchange Service, and Helen and Joe Connolly. Your support allowed me to conduct research at home and abroad. Back in Berlin, I would like to express my thanks to the many archivists and football enthusiasts who shared their knowledge. Frau Seidl at the Deutsche Rundfunkarchiv; Herr Herz at the Archivgut des Deutschen Fußballverbandes der DDR; Martina Behrendt and Christina Büch, at the Sportmuseum Berlin; Gerald Karpa and Tino Czerwinski at the Union-Archiv; Harald Tragmann; Monika Schmidt at the Landesarchiv, especially for pointing me towards the Deutsches Fußballmuseum; the entire friendly staff at the Deutsches Fußballmuseum, which has unfortunately closed; and the many archivists at the Bundearchiv. Moving closer to home, I want to thank my parents, brother, and sister. I am the product of loving, supporting parents. They formed me into who I am more than I could possibly know or care to acknowledge. They are undoubtedly in part responsible for my obsession with sport that led me to spend several years researching football. What degrees I have earnt pale in comparison to what they have taught me over the course of my life. I have called on them for help countless times and will undoubtedly continue to do so for decades. In many ways, they earned this more than I. It pains me to leave this episode of my life behind, but I am taking with me a part of Carleton that I hope will stay with me forever. It was during my years at Carleton that vi I met my partner, Erin. I cannot put into words how indebted I am to my best friend. I have since been welcomed into her family by her equally loving and supportive parents, John and Wanda. I am now at the dawn of a new beginning and am grateful. vii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. i List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................. iii List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... v Introduction: Using Football to go Beyond the Divide ...................................................... 1 “Berlin ist kein ‘Fußballstadt’” (Berlin is not a “Football-City”) ................................... 1 Beyond the Divide ........................................................................................................... 6 Playing around the Wall: Sport in the FRG and GDR .................................................. 11 German Football History, East and West ...................................................................... 16 Sources, Methodology, and Chapter Breakdown .......................................................... 24 Chapter 1. Berlin Fußballstadt (Football-city): The Rise of the People’s Game in Berlin, c. 1870-1945 ..................................................................................................................... 32 The Origins of German Football: Turnen, the Bildungsbürgertum (Educated Bourgeoisie), and Fußball-Vereine (Football Clubs) .................................................... 34 The First World War and the Rise of “the People’s Game” ......................................... 46 Berliner Football After the Machtergreifung (Nazi Seizure of Power) ........................ 60 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 2. Rebuilding Football in Postwar Berlin, 1945-1954: “Stunde Null” (Zero