Since my arrival in Berlin, I have learned that the way in which Germans have chosen to memorialize their unique history is in fact very different from how Americans remember the struggles of their own people. Where, how and who is included in such memorials most clearly mark the differences between “us” and “them”. Although there will always be those who choose to turn a blind eye to the history of their ancestors or those who’s understanding goes back much further than their average neighbor’s and for that reason they stand out, for the most part it is clear that Berliners in particular have a much better understanding of their history than most Americans today.
In Berlin, the harsh past of the Nazi regime as well as the dark Cold War years and the splitting of East and West seem unavoidable. Reconstruction efforts today are still racing to make up for lost time and chunks of the wall still stand. Passing a memorial or monument is almost unavoidable in a Berliner’s day-to-day life. Daily reminders that rest just outside of many German citizen’s own front doors force them to constantly remain aware of their past. This is a very different than what most American citizens experience. To understand their history, US citizens are more likely to have to walk into a museum or open up a book. They do not live as a part of their past like many Germans do.
How Germans have come to understand their past is also very different than how most Americans have been taught to understand their own. The average high school student in the U.S. has a very basic understanding of their country’s history. Major battles and American wars are briefly studied and then forgotten for many. Germans seem to have a much better understanding not only of their own history, but also of current events unfolding outside of Germany and around the globe. Not unlike the fact that Germans live their daily lives amongst monuments and museums that memorialize their past, current events flash on the tram, within cafes and other popular public spots. The public spots at UWO, where my fellow students spend much of their time, however, are more likely to have MTV blaring.
A final difference that I have noticed between memorials in the US verses memorials in Berlin has not been whom they are dedicated to, but where blame is placed. Americans today do not feel a strong personal connection or sense of responsibility for acts of violence that have occurred in the past or present. Germans today, however, still live with an unavoidable weight on their shoulders caused by their government’s decisions made in WWI, WWII and the Cold War. Americans will blame the settlers for violence against Native Americans or plantation owners for the way that they treated their slaves, many write off responsibility on the generations of the past and belief that they themselves are in no way a part of it. For Americans today, it is much easier to pass the responsibility of past and present violence onto others. Their memorial sites tend to overlook the violence of its own people and government, however, are quick to blame other nations for causing any worldly suffering. Directly or indirectly, Berliners are much more connected to the past of their ancestors. For this reason, the vast number of memorials, their size and the amount of thought and effort that goes into them vary from those of the US.
Since the end of the Cold War and the falling of the Berlin Wall, Germans have incorporated a new sense of respect for others into their community that cannot be overlooked. While they are constantly striving to rebuild what decades of pain and suffering have neglected them, they are also extremely aware of what their generation as well as the generations before them have endured. The commitment many Berliners have made to keep those memories fresh in the minds of those who will someday take their place and the effort to place memorials in places that cannot escape the daily thoughts of young and old Germans alike sets them apart from the US.
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