“For us, the Germans, the Reunification and Fall of the Berlin Wall, by almost a year earlier, remain emotional moments. All those who were already mature then or followed the political events will always remember those images of people dancing on the wall and how the two German states ultimately reunited,” Germany’s Ambassador to Moldova Angela Ganninger stated in an interview given on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Reunification of the Federal Republic of Germany that is celebrated on October 3, IPN reports.
According to the ambassador, a peaceful revolution was staged in the German Democratic Republic. The people went out to the square to demand more freedom, the rule the law, democracy. They wanted an improvement in the quality of life and followed the example of others, such as the Solidarnosc Movement of Poland. Others made a contribution through the people’s assembly much faster. For example, Hungary opened the borders with Austria.
“A lot has changed during 30 years outside Germany’s borders too. The world became different together with digitalization and globalization. Today we face climate changes and many other challenges that couldn’t have been anticipated then. In Germany, the infrastructure, roads, railways, digital infrastructure changed. These all were modernized in East Germany, where these are in parts more developed than in West Germany. A common legal framework and common education principles were created,” noted Angela Ganninger.
The diplomat stated that the young people who now go to school in Germany learn about the split of Germany only at history lessons. They didn’t live it and didn’t see it as the dividing line no longer exists. The situation is different in the case of elderly people who lived the division while being grownups. For these people then and now, many things changed, primarily for those from the East. For the people from the West, most of the things remained the same. The same social farmworker remained. The jobs were kept. There wasn’t such a big change at individual level. For the people from the East, things were often different. The companies weren’t competitive; the jobs migrated or simply disappeared. The well-trained employees could find a job in West Germany. The social structure, social framework changed this way. The circle of friends was different than before the Reunification. All these steps influenced considerably the personal and individual life and this can be noticed now too.
“I think it was and remains important to hear each other, to discuss these events with each other. In particular cases, such as the COVID-19, crisis, we see that the environment can change, burdening the people, when jobs disappear suddenly or the social structures change unexpectedly. It is a burden with long-term repercussions that cannot be overcome. But it can be understood by discussions, mutual support, can be shared and elucidated in concert. But this l recollection and life experience will remain.”
The ambassador admits that she then didn’t imagine that an epoch of peaceful coexistence will come after the Cold War, that the people, governments will look together for solutions to ensure the people’s wellbeing, their security, to develop society, to manage global crises based on an international framework. “We probably didn’t imagine that there will be a war in Syria, Yemen during many years, that there will be again confrontations in different states. It is thus more important to use now the instruments available within the United Nations and other multilateral institutions to make sure that our citizens enjoy what’s best,” stated Angela Ganninger.
Germany was reunified officially on October 3, 1990, when the German Democratic Republic ceased to exist and five new Federal States on its former territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany.
