Germany was to mark a subdued 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall yesterday, weighed down by high unemployment in the formerly communist east and a sense that in people's hearts the nation has not yet fully reunited.
No big celebrations, parades or fireworks were planned to recall Nov. 9, 1989, the day East Germany's communist regime opened the wall almost by accident and set off national euphoria that peaked with German reunification 11 months later.
Official ceremonies planned for yesterday included a trip by President Horst Koehler to the former east-west border. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder issued a statement Monday praising east Germans for overthrowing communist rule peacefully.
As time has passed, however, Germans have focused on the staggering cost of rebuilding the east, not the peaceful revolution that toppled the Wall and the Stalinist rulers who had built it 28 years before.
Architects of reunification, led by former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, urged Germans to take pride in their achievements despite the continuing east-west economic gap.
"We have every reason to be proud," Kohl was quoted as saying in yesterday's Bild newspaper. "Of course, a lot remains to be done and major efforts are still needed in some places to create flowering landscapes. And we will make it."
But critics often quote Kohl's 1990 promise of "flowering landscapes" for the east as a reason for the disillusionment that followed when West German capitalism swept away eastern industry at the loss of several million jobs.
The east's jobless rate -- 17.5 percent -- is more than twice as high as in the West. The disappointment shows in elections, when about one in five east Germans regularly votes for the successor party to the communists.
Kohl conceded that after 40 years apart at Europe's Cold War frontline, Germany's division "ran much deeper than I thought."
The Berlin Wall, the division's best-known symbol, was brought down by the offhand remark of an East Berlin communist official at a Nov. 9, 1989 news conference.
Under pressure from nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations, East Germany's regime was desperately looking for ways to contain the revolt.
Guenter Schabowski, the ruling Politburo's spokesman, made the announcement: East Germany was lifting restrictions on travel across its heavily fortified border with West Germany after nearly three decades of isolation.
Asked by a reporter when the new regulation would take effect, Schabowski fumbled, then said "immediately, without delay."
But the east's economic problems and up to US$1.9 trillion in government subsidies to the region have fueled resentment on both sides.
"Once upon a time, we hugged each other with tears in our eyes. That wouldn't happen anymore now," East German-born entertainer Achim Mentzel recently said on ARD television.
"Of course we have different life histories in the east and the west, but that doesn't mean we are two different peoples," countered former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who played a key role in reunification.
More than 1,000 East Germans were killed during the Cold War while trying to slip through the heavily fortified border to West Germany or trying to get out through other communist countries such as Poland or Hungary.
About 230 died at the Wall, a 155km reinforced concrete barrier that ran through the center of the capital and around then-West Berlin. Many were killed by East German soldiers following shoot-to-kill orders.
Though only very few pieces remain standing, the Wall and several museums dedicated to it remain tourist attractions.
To help keep memories of the Wall's victims alive, German lawmakers on Monday launched a proposal to build a new, centrally located memorial at the Brandenburg Gate.
Germany's troubled 20th-century history makes Nov. 9 a sensitive memorial day. It's also the anniversary of the Nazis' 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, or Night of Broken Glass, when synagogues and Jewish businesses across Germany were attacked.
About 100 Jews were killed and thousands deported to concentration camps in a prelude to the Holocaust.
"It is a day of joy, but it is also a day of shame and reflection," Schroeder said.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS