Division and Tolerance: a profile of Berlin

My highly irregular review of places I happen to be continues now with a look into the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany, a country which I am still in at the time of beginning this article, surrounding myself with fellow teenagers who are becoming gradually delirious as their lack of sleep and boredom becomes progressively more omnipotent within their conscience. In a bid to stave off this madness, I’m going to profile this capital city which is more (in)famous for its past rather than the present.

My dad, a frequent traveler through work, dislikes Germany as he feels that irrespective of where in this land he is, he feels that the nation is tarnished by guilt. Guilt for the actions of previous generations which they shouldn’t deserve to suffer from. Philosophically I see where my dad is coming from. But in Berlin, I don’t see any guilt. Not that the past isn’t a constant reminder when travelling through this sprawl of a city.

Historical buildings portray Berlin as a vibrant cultural hub of education and diversity, a confederation united to form one of the great empires of the 19th century. Such buildings and architecture promote Germany in an overwhelmingly positive portrayal. Yet as the hand of history strokes it’s way through time, much of Berlin’s cultural heritage soon diminishes. 

It is not just the bombings of Berlin during war that decimated much of Berlin’s cultural and architectural heritage, but the Cold War and its bitter divides. I’m frequently encouraged by both parents to not buy ‘tourist tat’ just because I can, however, I have purchased a small piece of the Berlin Wall. What was once the symbol of division across both Berlin and the wider world, can now be purchased for reasonable fees and sold as a relic from the past. 30 years on from the wall coming down though and it’s legacy lives far beyond where it once stood.

 Across Berlin now, the difference between industrial and residential areas is stark and despite many integration efforts by many governments, there is a clear difference between the pre-war architecture, western capitalist investments, and Soviet social housing blocks. 

However, on a small scale at least, the feelings of patriotism among the population in Berlin seems united, with a general consensus that reunification has been successful and many Berliners are somewhat optimistic about the future, despite political concerns and economic disparities across the country. Immigration remains an issue, though now coming from the Middle East as opposed to the East side. The challenges of integration also seem omnipresent.

Berlin has become a diverse, sprawling metropolis, brutally aware of its complicated history, but choosing to move forward and progress with the past, as opposed to keeping the city as a ‘living museum’. Mostly anyway..,

Since reunification, streets and plazas have been renamed in honour of past political writers and actors alike. Statues and busts are present across the capital, representing not the ideological beliefs and differences these philosophers, politicians and activists had with each other, but rather the framework within which German democracy can function whilst respecting individuals freedom of speech and belief. JS Mill, a former British MP, promoted the concept of freedom using the ‘harm principle’, bluntly that society should be free to behave in any way they so choose - so long as they do not harm, offend or disrespect any other member of society. Whilst a simplistic idea, Berlin has unintentionally become a model for it, a place where memorials of Marx and Luxemburg lie in the same city where Adenauer, Köhl, and Bismarck are honoured. Tolerance is a commonly forgotten virtue.

As a cultural excursion goes, and as we return to a divided United Kingdom over our departure from the EU, let Berlin, for all its flaws, be seen as an example of a society acknowledging the past and the division that literally isolated their society for so long, but moving forward as a city in the world and respecting each other’s opinions in the process. Less than 5% of Germany’s population reside in Berlin and its unique history may become an anomaly. But one can hope, if nothing else that the world can at least show respect and honour when it is needed most.

ANECDOTE of the IPOT: Delirium has dissipated, and sleep is being caught up on the coach. Peace has descended and may my Politics lesson tomorrow be relatable to my photos of miscellaneous political figures memorialised across the departed ‘Hauptstadt’.