CONTEMPORARY WITNESSES OF DIVIDED GERMANY EdUCATIONAL MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE FEDERAL FOUNDATION FOR THE STUDY OF THE COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP 2 CONTENTS DICTATORSHIP AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPe – INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THE CRITICAL 5 REAPPRAISAL OF DICTATORSHIPS DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP IN THE CLASSROOm – CLASSROOM EdUCATION DEPARTMENT 7 LIVING HISTORy – CONTEMPORARY WITNESSES TO THE EAST GERMAN COMMUNIST 8 DICTATORSHIP IN THE CLASSROOM EXHIBITIONS, DOCUMENTARY FILMS AND OTHER EdUCATIONAL MATERIALS AVAILABLE 21 FROM THE FEDERAL FOUNDATION FOR THE STUDY OF COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP IN EAST GERMANY LEARNING AT HISTORY’S FEEt – MEMORIAL SITES IN BERLIN AND BRANDENBURG (INCLUDING A MAP) 29 3 4 DICTATORSHIP AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPe – INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THE CRITICAL REAPPRAISAL OF DICTATORSHIPS In accordance with its Appointment Act, reappraisal more generally. On the other trips, exchange programmes, panel the Federal Foundation for the Study of hand, the foundation supports, informs meetings and conferences. Furthermore, Communist Dictatorship in East Germany and advises partner institutions, civil representatives of the foundation are also contributes to a critical reappraisal of society actors, as well as state institutions frequently invited to other countries as Communist dictatorships internationally. in their respective tasks and objectives, experts to talk about the process of critical In doing so, the foundation pursues two while contributing the German experience reappraisal in Germany. Additionally, the objectives: on the one hand, it harnesses, to similar processes in other countries. foundation issues publications and other through cross-border exchange and material facilitating international exchange cooperations, experiences and perspectives In this endeavour, the foundation draws on in assessing the past and encouraging from international contexts of historical diverse formats: international exchange perspectives looking beyond one’s own reappraisal for the foundation’s work, as concerning the study and critical reappraisal national past. well as for the German discourse around of dictatorships is organised through study 5 6 DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP IN THE CLASSROOm – ScHOOL EdUCATION DEPARTMENT Curricular and extra-curricular educational educational landscape remains both the an intensive cooperation with teachers at work represents an important focus of task and objective of the classroom advanced trainings, professional events the Federal Foundation for the Study of education department. and educational fairs. Communist Dictatorship in East Germany’s work. The history of the SED dictatorship Adding to this are new challenges in the Further biographical information on and German partition has been incorporated form of populism and extremism, which contemporary witnesses can be found at into most curriculum frameworks across the have made historical knowledge even more www.zeitzeugenbuero.de. There we also country in recent years, while contemporary socially relevant. In order to meet these present suitable teaching materials such German history since 1945 has become part challenges, new education policy initiatives as interviews, reports, handouts and of the Abitur [higher education entrance are being launched, networks forged, worksheets, additional websites and qualification] exams in more than half of educational materials advertised and the educational portals, exhibitions, books, German states. By and large, the overall development of didactic material supported. documentary films and historic places in situation regarding classroom education on Close cooperation with the state-level Berlin and Brandenburg on the history of the history of democracy and dictatorship education ministries, school and cultural the SED dictatorship and the Berlin Wall. after 1945 has improved significantly authorities, institutions for advanced If you are interested in getting in contact compared to just a few years ago. In this teacher training, associations of history with the witnesses, please write to sense, the foundation’s key objective in and politics teachers at the state and this area has been advanced considerably. national levels, history professors and zeitzeugenbuero@bundesstiftung- Supporting and helping to perpetuate and faculties, and other institutions has been aufarbeitung.de develop this positive trend in the German key to success. This is complemented by 7 LIVING HISTORy – CONTEMPORARY WITNESSES TO THE EAST GERMAN COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP IN THE CLASSROOM The platform www.zeitzeugenbuero.de was English-language didactic materials, web- personal experiences ranging from the set up 2009 by the Federal Foundation for sites, online exhibitions, books and docu- »People’s Uprising’ on 17 June 1953 to the Study of the Communist Dictatorship mentary films. The platform is geared the Peaceful Revolution and German in Eastern Germany with the support of all toward journalists, schools and other reunification and include episodes of German federal states and the Federal institutions of historical and political escape, departure, political imprisonment Ministry of the Interior. More than 350 men education and is gradually expanded with and their eventual purchase of freedom. and women who witnessed the years of new interviewees, teaching materials and Some were active in the (Protestant) German partition and had an active part in historical focuses. Evangelical Church, others in oppositional overcoming it can be contacted through groups or the literary and arts scene. the platform and invited to speak with Many witnesses speak more than one young students interested in the study of language and can be requested for inter- contemporary German history. In addition, national oral history classes, interviews the database provides links to numerous and projects. Here, they recount their 8 UPRISING OF 1953 IN EAST GERMANY OTHER TOPICS: FLIGHT, DEPARTURE, PURCHASED FREEDOM Other Topics: Flight, Departure, Other Topics: Border Stories; Experiences Purchased Freedom of Imprisonment / Stasi Detention Siegfried Buchholz Peter Bieber Dr. Günther Heinzel English English English Born 1939, Mainz. His childhood passed in Born 1945, Berlin. After hearing about the Born 1948, Köln: Even at elementary constant awareness of German partition: events of the Prague Spring in 1968, Peter school, he noticed the contradiction that after the end of World War II, the Buchholz Bieber decided to make his way to the West gaped between reality and what the family returned from the Harz to the Berlin to live a free and self-determined life. From teacher told about GDR socialism. Shortly district of Britz, which became part of the Leipzig he travelled to Bratislava to cross before his 17th birthday, he tried in vain to American sector. Due to a revision of the the border to Austria, which failed as he was flee the GDR. The following prison sector borders, Britz was assigned to Soviet discovered by border troops and arrested. sentence confirmed his verdict on that territory, which did not stop Siegfried After two more unsuccessful attempts via state. Four years after his release from Buchholz from commuting to his school in a ship in Gdansk and a West German car in prison, there was a chance to leave GDR by West Berlin. He witnessed the Uprising Bulgaria, he hid in a wardrobe in the load means of escape assistance. Arrived in of 1953 in East Berlin, especially because space of a West German lorry and managed West Berlin, he tried to build an escape aid his father joined the protesters on the to cross the border that way. Grateful for the for his girl friend. Meanwhile, the Stasi had »Stalinallee« boulevard. His sister, brother help he received while escaping, he assisted already targeted them and a spy in West and father fled to West Berlin in the eleven people in their escape to West Berlin had provided information about his following years. Buchholz’ mother was Germany. He was eventually betrayed to the plans. We were faster and my friend was arrested in 1959 for smuggling eggs which Stasi and arrested in 1972 and remained hiding in an Allied military vehicle, prompted him to exit the country in fear incarcerated for five years until the German unnoticed by Checkpoint Charlie. of his own arrest. His mother followed in Federal Republic purchased his freedom April 1960. from political imprisonment and he was released. 9 Other Topics: Construction of the Other Topics: Experiences of Wall on 13 August 1961; Experiences Imprisonment / Stasi Detention of Imprisonment / Stasi Detention; Border Stories Eugenie Trützschler Manfred Görlach Peter Hampe English, Russian, Czech English English Born 1950, Bad Berka: As her family was Born 1937, Heidelberg: Manfred Görlach was Born 1944, Berlin: For an attempted »Repu­­ not permitted to work in their professions enrolled for English and Latin American blikflucht« (»Escape from the Republic«) to in Czechoslovakia, her mother applied for studies at the Free University in West Berlin the West and a letter to the editor of the political asylum in West Germany for herself and was among the students allowed to West Berlin-based radio station RIAS, Peter and Eugenie Trützschler in 1967. The daughter cross over to the East of the city. He helped Hampe was sentenced to one-and-a-half then worked as a nanny and became a smuggle a family to West Berlin with his years in prison and was banned from trained nurse. She completed her Abitur car and provided a fellow student with a studying in the GDR for the rest of