Transcripts For DW Festakt 30 Jahre Deutsche Einheit 20240712

Im going to have our 1st welcome to this special edition of the news as we cover the festivities commemorating 30 years of german reunification on this Germanys National holiday it was on this day 30 years ago that east and west germany reunited to become one country again for the 1st time since the 2nd world war this years event is being held in potsdam the capital state of brandon book state near berlin that german president from father steinmeyer will be speaking shortly well bring you his speech live its a splendid occasion but this years festivities are scaled down in compliance with social distancing measures and other restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus kind. Of help me guide us through the events today and shine a light on its significance im joined in the studio but it of you cross part. Common ration venue in potsdam nina hoss is standing by at the iconic Brandenburg Gate in berlin we welcome. Thomas sparrow and lets start with you the german president is speaking soon what kind of speech can we expect. We can expect this speech by the time i is going to try and track the joy in the cage in the same time talk about all the implication and unity has had on the current generation and also about the fact that yes there are quite a few challenges that still need to be overcome and yet the devaney said look at it and still celebrate on this very special day great everything in. 30 years. Has been a lot of taking stock about germany and its place in the world. Yes indeed that for me 30 years means there were people who were born. 30 years old that have had a whole life in this period and if you look at the life that germany has have in those 30 years as germany has changed the world has changed in those 30 years we have to remember that that form of the war the unification of germany was mark the end of the cold war and a whole new historic period for the world is not just about germany just about germany so you know the position that germany has and europe had to position that germany has in the world today the position the European Union has in the world today all of those things were almost inconceivable 30 years ago so its really historic were talking about lets go to thomas. Most iconic landmark the Brandenburg Gate its traditionally the scene of crowded festivities every year but the very different scene this time around thomas. And that is because of the coronavirus pandemic because obviously german officials had hoped to have a big party to celebrate those 30 years of german reunification but because of the pandemic those festivities have been scaled down those not there those are still it is normally take place right here at the Brandenburg Gate it is one of the most important symbols of German Division but its also one of the most important symbols of german reunification and that is something that people are aware when they come to this place this is a very important place here in berlin despite the fact that this year unlike other years were not celebrating the reunification festivities as as german officials would have hoped for. But thomas nina and hans will go back to all of you in a moment but 1st lets go back to those momentous days 30 years ago when east germany and west germany became just germany. There was no master plan no example worldwide for this is turning event german reunification. Not even a year before the berlin wall had come down after months of peaceful protest in the far east germany. Leave us u. K. France and the soviet union gave the green light paving the way to unify the 2 journeys. Those from the east had to adapt to many things new money and your Economic System and a new lifestyle soon the disillusionment kicked in. What were missing. Because you know. It can only financial cost also the social medical costs. Are not. Blind they can only. Miss unemployment. We mentioned before in east germany as many as 4000000 workers in the east saw their jobs disappear countless others had to take on the work that was below their qualifications many young and educated people left to look for a better life some areas feel didnt like to this day. There are rural areas where theres a lot of poverty and rip people feel left behind churning towards what they have which is often their National Identity or even their racial identity and the last National Elections the center right and center left parties were more popular in the west and germany the far left and extreme right in eastern germany. A celebration nevertheless takes place every here with good reason we have had 30 years of peace and prosperity for a lot of people we think of germany as such a stable and secure country i think its amazing when you look back at german history over 100 years germany went through from a monarchy to a failed democracy to a dictatorship who were communists. System to a successful democracy inventor unifications a reinvention is the real headwind for german history regardless of the differences really unified germany is often seen as an example of a stable and democratic country. A quite a run through to the past 30 years reunification 30 years and this man in our report just talked about reinvention i think thats a thats a pretty good pretty good example of what what stands out in these 30 years isnt it has indeed i mean you know obviously the division between the 2 parts of germany was and i do logical division a division between a communist east and capitalist liberal democracy on in the west and bringing these 2 parts together is something that even today has not being completed its not something that maybe you can say will ever be completed because its a process that has to go on and on as the 2 sides continue to integrate as people move from one side to the other obviously i think time does heal a lot of wounds and the kinds of humiliations that certain people in the east still feel today mostly older people i presume that as people will die and younger generations go ahead this feeling will be reduced to some extent but one can see that even amongst the people that were born after this event if they come from that kind of tradition theres still the feeling that someone from the east to some extent is not quite as valuable as somebody from the from the west so these kinds of psychological differences that also referred to in the report will remain i think and will remain as a challenge to the whole of germany. Coming back to you there in. The ceremony you are 10 years old i think you told me when this all happened so youre kind of part of that generation that grew up. Reunited germany so whats whats a good good year for germany. I was 10 when the wall fell and i was 11 when germany was really unified and i think it is perfectly fair to talk about our very own personal stories on a day like today because it is important to stress that when i was 11 i was in west germany and i had grown up in west germany and frankly it was just not a topic that mattered to me to anybody who was a few years older than me we were not affected by it at all nothing changed at the time now my parents my family they were all very interested in politics so they try to explain to me and my sister what was going on and i can remember that it was all very emotional for them and they tried to explain to us all the differences and it was indeed a massive achievement to have this peaceful revolution that led to the fact that these people could come back together again and that that this was a very interesting time for anybody living in germany but my generation just wasnt affected in west germany and frankly i find this is a big shame because you can still tell that lots of people from west germany just have never been to the east even today even 30 years on there are still people in west germany who have no idea whats going on in the east and of course everybody in the east at the time was affected personally and this is something that is leading to this difficulty in communication between the 2 parts of germany because of course one side of the country was extremely affected everybody personally the biography the job their career all of everything they believed and was dramatically changed basically in one years time and in the west just nothing changed. A person. From. I think. Remember i was very passionate when when this all happened i was born into to germanys if you will and i wasnt very keen on reunification to be perfectly honest do you remember how you felt about it well i was not in germany at the time i was a correspondent for newspapers or various newspapers in Southern Africa and at that time. Changes that were happening worldwide because of the end of the cold war were affecting Southern Africa very very dramatically its a time when Nelson Mandela was released from prison its a time when the former colony of namibia became independent a lot of changes like this happened throughout africa so from that perspective looking at germany and what was happening in germany was just one of many events in those years that changed the world for me as a german person of course that was something that was still of significance that was fascinating and when i came back to germany at that time i would try to spend time in east germany and in fact studied in berlin at the time when the war was still up on you in the east of burden to some extent from short term visits then about coming back afterwards ive always been fascinated by how these 2 different parts of germany developed and how theyre growing together now and being here in berlin obviously one does spend quite a lot of time in the former east germany even simply by going to eastern and eastern parts of berlin itself. Lets go to Thomas Sparrow at the front of front of the gate said events that change the world one of the things that change the world right now is of course the cove it pandemic the absence of celebrations where you are is a testament to that the country is currently facing a critical test as. It is indeed facing a critical test our numbers have been rising here in germany as in many other parts of the world as well although its important to stress that it hasnt risen as much as in other parts of europe nevertheless German Authorities have introduced new restrictions in particular to prevent big gatherings from people and thats why these celebrations have been certainly overshadowed or will be overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic but id like to add something seems everyone else was also mentioning the experiences of reunification i was actually far away when this happened i was i grew up in south america in a country marked by conflict and by division and back then i went to a German School where we learnt a lot about german reunification and having that experience was actually showed me why the german reunification process is so important abroad internationally germany still today tries to show the example of what it means to bridge differences to have different people come together and thats something that they still try to do for example in the country were where i grew up in south america colombia which as i say is facing or has been facing an Armed Conflict for a very long time so this just gives you an idea that german reunification is not something that was only important for germany it wasnt something i was only important for europe it was some that germany and german officials have also tried to export in many ways to try and show how 2 countries with 2 different interests with 2 different ideologies can also come together and how those differences can be actually bridge thats something that german officials are still very aware today 30 years after reunification and something that they want to present to other parts of the world. Thomas thank you for that so far but how united still people in the germany really feel the w. Report on the whole jory took a bike rides a very long one that stretched all the way from the very west of germany to the east to find out shes traveled along the german unity cycle route starting in on the former capital of west germany castle near the old german border over to market a book in the east and finishing on the eastern side of the capital berlin and she asked the people she met how successful do you think reunification has been discovered and even if it depends on how you look at it on the one hand many are happy that germany has been reunified and is a big piece of country again. But on the other hand you can see that was still a very strong internal divide between east and west of us with this. I mean this is something my own family experienced lived in the west but had relatives in east berlin and those were hard times for us weve grown back together as a family again thanks to reunification and we did see them go back. And its now its a success after so many years both east and west it moved closer together were more fruits if we still have far too much unemployment in the east far too much poverty and far too little industry and political unity has worked but economically its not certain good and so surely not a tool. We moved from the west to the east id say thats quite a success for. A lot of people were unlucky and never found their feet others got off to a good start the older generation had it worst they were all sent into early retirement i were transitioning into old age and couldnt find new jobs again of it. To my son was younger p. To reunification or just there are hardly any differences between east and west maybe for old people but for young people its been very successful. Still not unified. When it comes to wages. And thats something that still bothers us about the unification. Of. Voices. Tell us about germany today. I think it clearly shows that were still struggling to find. Out what it is that actually happened 30 years ago and everybody has a personal story attached to this event even if they were not born at the time their parents will have passed. Memories off the time and this is why its so important to look at it in a multifaceted way and when you talk to Research Just for example its interesting that they say when you look at the people who were all affected by what happened in 1998 there are huge differences among the generations so the people who were about to retire. In the former communist east germany they were massive benefited from the what happened from the events because of course their pensions were. The Health Care System got better they had to travel opportunities that suddenly their life improved dramatically and then after them came a generation that massive biographical. When they able to find a job maybe their university degree. They had to learn every. Thing again from scratch they had to find their own position and it took a bit of time and then when you talk about the younger people of course they grew up in a time where they have the same opportunities but if theyre still in the east of course you dont get as much money for the same job in the east as you do in the west theres a tremendous weight scott still of course runs the cheaper in the east too in my city but you have to look at individual stories to really assess what was going on and frankly my own personal opinion as somebody from the west is that in the west back to bait about what happened to the east german was not had enough. Maybe thats one of the reasons why germany celebrates quite modestly other countries celebrate their National Holidays with big parades and. All that germany not so much the thing that has to do with the richest sense in germany to present a militaristic nationalist image of itself which is part of its rejection of the militarist and the nationalist the nazi past of germany obviously as in the 1st world war but also in the 2nd world war theres a periods in which presented to solve with a very militaristic image to the world it costs 2 wars it caused a lot of suffering 6000000 jews were killed and millions of people in in the wars especially in Eastern Europe in russia and for instance were killed during the war a war that cold that was caused by germany so its this tradition of trying to reject the militarists to germany to present a peaceful a unified and internationalist. Image of germany that causes or that that is the reason for these kinds of more. National celebrations you might even find that the. And flag is not that present if you compare it to a national day. In france for instance or Something Like that there are no military parades all of this is to try and present germany as a country of peace a country of friendship towards its neighbors and a country that is integrated in the International Community the germans also have a problem with National Pride dont they and but isnt this occasion celebrating 30 years of that peaceful revolution that led to german. German unity it would that not be a reason to be proud especially for those people who went on to the streets set things in motion got things going oh absolutely i think it is a reason to be proud as you say especially for people in is germany who went in there thousands risking their lives against a or authoritarian communist dictatorship to try and get their freedom and eventually succeeded and thats certainly its something to be proud of and its certainly something that germany as a whole is proud of but i think its trying to turn it as thomas was saying earlier into something that could set an example for others in the world not something that should be threatening to other countries to other people because you have to remember even within germany when german unification happened 30 years ago there were very serious concerns about this really unified very strong state within europe that was being recreated in a sense that was the economically strongest country in the europe and people in poland who had suffered in the 2nd world war were worried about that the Great Britain was worried about that Margaret Thatcher at the time even the french were not at ease about that so coming out of these misgivings was also very successful aspect of this unification you just mentioned the international. Of ations against german reunification because in 1900 germanys reunification was an occasion for joy in the country at the time as hans mentioned people in many other states serious doubts for many Different Reasons whether establishing a united germany at the center of europe was a good idea and whats happened to those hostages a broad sense we asked across the world the countries they report on viewed reunification then and now Margaret Thatcher wanted to prevent german reunification at all costs the former british Prime Minister believed a united germany would become too powerful well her efforts failed and the rest is history these days britains look with admiration at germany theyre asking themselves how germany handled the cold that 10 demick so much better and how they can learn from their neighbor on the continent. At the time some is very concerned at the thought of a real knight to germany dominating once again the center of europe in light of the memories of the holocaust others said there was nothing to fear from of united germany in the years after reunification germany and israel became close on many levels they do have to differences when it comes to the Israeli Palestinian conflict their relations are often described as a special relationship between both countries. German reunification is widely viewed as a success here in south korea and for some inspiration for those that pursue engagement with the north former president kim dae jong made his berlijn declaration to reach out to north korea resulting in the 1st interview summit in 2000 and current president mungy also chose berlin to lay out his peace strategy toward north korea resulting in a series of summits the reduced tension in the region. Im here in washington d. C. At the 2nd World War Memorial Many American soldiers in their lives to fight nazi germany thousands of g. I. These who served investor money became ambassadors of what we used to know as the transatlantic relationship but the reliability of this partnership has changed dramatically and with the current government the narrative of President Trump that germany doesnt pay its fair share in style mean a thing the discourse america 1st means for many to get out of would see lateral commitments and promote a very nationalistic foreign policy. Just watched. All the highlights of President Trumps with jackson of multilateralism which is a cornerstone the German Foreign policy is built upon is that going to change anytime soon. No. I dont think so i cant imagine a germany that doesnt stand on the feet of multilateralism i mean lets just not forget our position in europe we have borders with 9 other European Countries so how can you even imagine this country to try and fight things through on its own it will always have to have some sort of a contact there were desperate wars there were terrible walls that would force on this continent until we started this project with the European Union and i think its just easy to imagine it specially in the corona pandemic time just how quickly those borders could come back in germany would just be massively affected if it decided to fight against any of its neighboring countries so of course germany from geographical location has no other choice but to try and focus on multilateralism whenever it tries to find solutions because we are affected and of course this is no longer just true for demi and its european neighbors its true in a globalized world germany and its part as well wide which is why the current government here in germany is so worried when its looking at what is happening in the u. S. Where the president has clearly said that he doesnt believe in it in multilateralism so thank you and lets have a quick look inside the building where you are where system started a. Program which is being hosted by. One of germanys most famous the most popular t. V. Personality is introducing a. Germans there. This woman being the 1st baby being born in this life and we come back to this celebration a bit later on when the. President fun for the stunned fees for. To address this. The fall of the berlin wall and german reunification that came during a wave of revolutions really in Eastern Europe and elsewhere it seemed as if liberal democracy and multilateralism we just spoke about that with you know were all conquering the European Union simply like the wave of the future some postmodern model of governance what happened to that. Well there was that wave of feeling that the western model had. Become victorious if we think about russia for instance when imagine that russia would become a. Democracy a capitalist democracy a western markets oriented country one expected that also to happen with the various countries that used to be under soviet influence in Eastern Europe such as hungary of poland the Czech Republic and so on. And this feeling of victory in a sense was all present within germany between the western part of germany in the eastern part of germany an expression of that was that a lot of western expert then went into the east to try and tell the east teach the east how things were done properly we have found that in the last 30 years this euphoria at the time on the part of the west was misplaced and actually lead to mistakes led to a misunderstanding of what was happening in those countries that had been under soviet influence or had been. Had had had a communist systems of government we have found that the society is there have taken a lot longer to adjust to the new situation in the world. And as a result the kind of victory of western thinking of western organization of western markets hasnt been as substantial as people thought at the time at the same time i think you have to say whats happened in more recent times is that there has been a withdrawal also as a result of globalization which was another very big trend if the time markets being becoming much more global things being produced in china and exported everywhere else in the world German Companies moving their production to china that sort of thing this kind of removed. Of borders in any sense economic borders but also borders between the countries that have been under soviet influence and the rest of the world all of that i think happened too quickly for a lot of people in the world and i think what we have now is a kind of backlash towards withdrawing into ones own borders the america 1st kind of syndrome which also led to the rise of more nationalist a more right wing parties all over the world in fact so i think where we have a kind of backlash at the moment if you look at this sort of in terms of decades rather than in terms of. 5 years at a time was Something Like that its a process a historical process as far from finished once you mention that back in the day many experts went over from the west to the east to teach capitalism if you will and democracy and all that to east germans but isnt there still a feeling among east germans that said he is after that the west germans still calling the shots oh yes there is that feeling and that feeling is absolutely justified certainly on the level of top leadership almost in any aspect of society from government to Large Companies to universities all almost all top positions are still being hailed even in east germany by west germans by people from the west directors of universities for instance or the departmental heads in various sectors of government or of these positions are still very largely held by people in the west so i think the feeling in east germany that the achievements that east germany also had to show had not been respected by the west i think that is so widespread and to some extent that are still a reasonable feeling as a good it corresponds to a certain reality at the same time we have to say that east German Society had aspects of progressive aspects aspects about the rights of women for instance most women in the east had work in the same way as as them in the childcare was very very much better organized in the east than it was in the west these kind of achievements have in fact also influence of west germany in the last 30 years the position of women has become more equal in the west as well childcare has been expanded. Certain forms of health care. Have been expanded also in the west so there are things from the east that have influence in the west but on balance you have to say that is germany has still not fallen and the same sort of status as it were. As the west has in this unified germany loses nicely into the next reports because after reification they have a high hopes that east a term is communist planned economy could be reformed and put on a par with west germany successful social market system that effort has only partly succeeded as we just heard and on its report shows no matter the job people in the east earn less than their western counterparts sales clerks in the east have around 26000. 00 euros a year gross income whereas in the west they earn 28000. 00 secretaries in the eastern around 27000. 00 euros while the same job in the west that has 34000. 00 engineers in the east can gross 46000 euros but in the west they get 59000 people in the west might earn more but dont necessarily receive a bigger pension in 21000 male pensioners in the west receives 40 euros more than in the east but the situation is different for women female pensioners in the east receives almost 300. 00 euros more per month than in the west thats because women in former east germany worked more than those in west germany thereby earning more pension but that has hardly any influence on economic power in eastern germany in the east g. D. P. Per capita is around 33000. 00 euros per year resin the west its considerably higher at around 43000. 00 the Unemployment Rate in western germany is also lower than in eastern germany in the former west its around 6 percent at times in the 1990 s. Unemployment the former east hovered at around 18 percent today the rates are slowly converging but when it comes to the economy german reunification is still taking more time than initially expected. One of the cities actually. New prosperity its a different story elsewhere even within the states for example. Last entirely true and i think it is so fascinating when you talk about german unity that youve got all these different facts that are all true so its really hard to say the east has done this or the west has done because of course here in what used to be the g. D. R. There are tremendous differences between the city and in fact until 2018 more people every year moved from the east to the west and so there was a net loss of more than a 1000000 people here in east germany but now since 2018 actually that trend has reversed so more people are now coming from the west to live in the east but of course theyre not going to some small village in. Saxony for example they are moving to the universities theyre moving to the coastal areas which are actually beautiful and what i find interesting is that now in the corona pandemic time when travel was getting much more difficult and when it actually for a time was even not allowed outside of germany a lot of west germans also came to parts of east germany that they hadnt previously known because they couldnt leave the country so they last tried to explore their own country and so they saw that when you talk about east germany today you still have to make a big difference between whats happening in the biggest cities where there are Companies Like tesla for example it just outside of here out of parts between put them in berlin is building a huge new factory and so that is of course attracting lots of new Startup Companies as well so theres a big die. Nomic there is another. Billet company that is being built. And so there is a lot of things that are happening here in germany as well and if you look at some areas in the west like the region where im from the war. Used to be coal mining of course that area has high levels of unemployment that you can not imagine in some other part of germany these days but one of the economic focal points of course here is here in berlin a city that was both east and west and has grown together thomas at the Brandenburg Gate how well has the capital berlin progress rather still disparities between the 2 sides of the former berlin wall. Those disparities are very difficult to see it is very difficult to see where the city was actually divided im sure if you ask many of the people here just Walking Around they would are no all the time we were there in the former east or in the former west about it there are certain remnants for example remnants of the berlin wall or symbols very important ones like where were standing right now which was a symbol as i said of division but also a symbol of reunification id like to add one important element if we are to understand the importance of german unity of german reunification because it happened at a time in a decade when actually many countries were separating and dividing into something that sometimes you forget when you look at german unification that it was a unique example of fusion at a time when for example the soviet union was separating when yugoslavia was separating when czechoslovakia was separating so that just gives you an idea of the actual importance of this event beyond german recorders and its important to understand it as well from a perspective of the cold war because it was also key to understand the fall the end of the cold war those narratives the way you interpret what happened in germany unity is also important today 30 years after nina already mentioned something very important about those caviar when you understand the differences between east and west and id like to understand to explain Something Different because there are experts who are saying that its important not only to divide germany between east and west its also important to look at certain factors where for example the difference between north and south for example Life Expectancy thats one key element that you should look at differences between more developed and less developed regions which are not necessarily always between east and west so yes obviously there are many differences between both parts of germany yes it is a challenge that German Authorities have to face and that they are facing and that they are dealing with but at the same time its important to understand that the situation the whole problem is much more complex than the actual division between east and west. Very very important points from you from Thomas Barrow but one of the most serious and unique and less visible challenges now facing germanys east is the population young qualified people have been leaving the region in droves to see their futures in western german cities of other field is a key reason why even after 30 years of stimulus payments totaling well over a trillion euros the region still lags far behind of the old west germany d. W. Reporter visited the small town of penco not far from the polish border in a region thats been grappling with an exodus of much of its female population with surprising results. A small town in an idyllic lakeside setting pen kuhn in the far north east is marking the 30th anniversary of the end of communist east germany or not with the 3rd a Public Holiday added before and its something to celebrate im glad i experienced it then and that i can live like i do today things are much better now. D w last reported from paying khun 13 years ago at that time young women were leading the d. Population of the region leaving the older men behind the women always wanted to move west. Go hamburg someone like that. Definitely going yes im out of here. Is rubbish here. Paying khun and the whole of the northeast seemed then to be in terminal decline to date appears at 1st that most of the residents are still men but in fact there are young women with children living here as well the mass says theres no more talk of the town dying on its feet. Which is it and as always you know how many things have changed young families are moving here from berlin and the stettin area in some of polish families bringing a breath of fresh air to our town or. Life in pen can began to improve in 2007 when the border opened between poland and germany paying khun is not far from the polish city of state teen a lot has changed since then the school was on the verge of closing but is now thriving thanks to its polish pupils new homes are being built and more are planned people can also grow old here young people are moving to paying khun to work as carers in this retirement home as investee guides we need staff both in the care home and to support the family as we are so glad that young families are buying property and having houses built there coming back to our region here and once a week you want so we can not everything in pink or in is perfect ironically a building called unity house is an i saw it will soon be converted into a Medical Center other buildings are empty the last 2 shops in the Market Square have closed and you wont find anything to eat and drink but paying coon is not on its last legs there are just as many women as men again here and their numbers are growing. I see you get so quick yeah im moving back to my hometown why now its absolutely great to only realize how nice it is here once you move away. There celebrating german reunification 30 years on im not shedding any tears for the end of communist east germany. Well it is nice there but the brain drain is a serious problem for us in germany isnt it well lets say we must say i think it was certainly it was something that was a very very strong feature of the 1st few years after unification maybe the 1st 20 years after leaving unification even anybody who had any qualification whatsoever and that included a lot of east germans trained in east germany during communist times they had very substantial training very good qualifications that was sort of after in the west and many of those people did move to the west but what we have knowledge days as new know was saying earlier the reversal of trends that people are moving increasingly to the east has a lot to do not only with industry being. Brought into east germany but also be with the east german universities there are very old traditional universities in leipsic for instance in in about also in a city such of all stock and even in that i saw that these are all towns that have attracted young people who are going there for their training and many of them i will will end up saying there i think the balance is shifting again slightly but what you do have is that after the Population Movement in the 1st few years after unification what the people that were left behind in germany tended to be old tended to be not that well qualified and they are the people at the moment still that on the majority and that determine to some extent this feeling of being left behind this feeling of not being respected and also the political situation and the strength of more radical Political Parties in the east on back to that subject in a moment but 1st lets have a look at how the celebrations are going i think we have some. Music being played thats the problem spot the film orchestra playing just lets just listen in to the cinema. As soon. Speech me. Please. Give me your shot. Listen to this in a mirror there the celebrations of the 30 years of german unity. Man. Well lets go back to nina in a pot storm or here we are back to Thomas Thomas i understand theres some kind of protest going on there where you are. Tell us whats going on. There are some protests that have been announced for today here in the Brandenburg Gate and other parts of berlin among them and some corona virus skeptics you may remember there was a very big coronavirus skeptic protests not long ago here in berlin and you may be able to see behind me someone who waving a German Imperial flak those germany aerial flags were by the way used also during that recent protest here in and its important to mention this because during that protest many people at least a group of them tried to storm the german reich star not far away from where we are standing and this gives you an idea of these group of people that are trying to challenge some certain elements of german democracy we can expect some german officials also a spot of these lessons that germany has learned in the last few. Decades to try and stress the importance of protecting german democracy and also to standing to these kinds of groups and to these people who wave German Imperial flags again its a very small gathering here there is some Police Presence as well but this just gives you an idea of the kinds of people that are gathering today here in the in the Brandenburg Gate Police Spokespeople did mention to us in anticipation in advance of the events today that there were some protests announced and thats the reason why some police cars and Police Officers are also in attendance today here in the Brandenburg Gate. Thomas brough that about some lights protest at the Brandenburg Gate at the center of. Were getting closer to president stand by as speech now. We can bring you live pictures now from the venue in stomachs the. Top of his holiday in the bubble splash section of the city famous film studio that has a long history of germanys hollywood still film studio today right film is yes and in production lets go back to nina who is standing by in front of that venue let me ask you again what can we expect from standby as the speech today is certainly not lacking for topics is it. And i i would strongly support thomas barrass point i think its more important than ever to stress. That many is still seeing division and it is still seeing differences and some gaps are why didnt they are not necessarily along the east and west frontier is more along political conviction and theyre often people dont. You believe because it is starting his speech from. The side to do it. I mean is this verse 3 of german unity in a very different ways with packed halls with big public open and festivities here in pakistan with thousands of people from all of a germany and europe in neighboring countries we wanted to have a festival in part some that represented the diversity of our country but if only. We almost got used to the speeches of the pandemic has scuppered many a time and i think looting is a big german unity celebrations that. Even if we cant hold a big official celebration the significance of this day remained the single moment the day oh sure im in unity is an important moment to think back with joy and courage and be free to give everything we remember of the peaceful revolution. Thats and we have a grateful about the end of birdland wall of deadly bullets fired there the spying on dont post on state paternalism we take strength from the courage of the people who brought about these changes in 1989 we look back with gratitude and annoying sight and become at the end of the cold war in the mind of the beginning of a new anyone should be and we can look back together at the common road that our country has traveled. To have been united peaceful democratic country at the heart of europe what underlies an amazing and even let us use them. And why we are rightly proud of this day no pandemic can stop that and i use the. Thank you guest guests you believe and also anniversary years of major historical watershed moment of speak for themselves normally these are young but this year the nuts and commemorating german unification has a 2nd layer to hearings it is a striking coincidence that almost. At the same time as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of german unification we celebrate in the same year the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the 1st german nation state and this coincidence focuses our gaze for how different these 2 events how different the idea was i know i have them and the national german. Eyes known to not being made on the enough history formation of a stadium 871 was forced brutally with iron and bloody with wars with our neighboring states based on prussian don my mums militarism and nationalism just a few weeks ago i was in the military History Museum of the german im twice as the bundeswehr and dressed and and hanging from the ceiling on long strings what countless childrens books from this time. In one of these books to you when i saw this small boys who could barely look over the edge of the table standing up at what you were already wearing proudly uniforms and were beating the war drums. You know if occasion militants nationalism with this graphic ation of war and the death of heroes instilled even in children the good guys this was the spirit that defines that age it was only a short distance from the foundation of imperial germany to the disaster of the 1st one was minor damage but how different is viewed with the images that we all have engraved on our memories i own them from that turning point in history 30 years ago people celebrating on the berlin wall together for tears of joy strangers hugging each other west german soldiers in east German Police dropping their weapons dogs my fear had changed sides the state power lost all power because the people refused to obey it. And another thing thats different about all that it would have been to see if you like the ones a german unification from 1990 was not to come to it by saber rattling on the wars of conquest you know it was negotiated internationally cast into an agreement embedded in a european and to a national interest. Because whenever a shift in u. S. Policy makers had tried very guilty about this order. In the way in the 2nd world war in the face of all the setbacks of the long years of cold war. In my view dont you must remind ourselves again and again today that without the peace treaties of poland and the then soviet union of a doubt the international acknowledgment of the ordinary. Thinking process that nato and the European Union german unification could never have happened on. Me or not just couldnt have happened to that the courage to go to shore for he will soon be celebrating his 90th birthday because we do not forget any of this and we want to express our gratitude the right. One to all of the finally and without the United States of america when even without their indispensable efforts to create a strong postwar order that was respected as well without its. Unconditional support for european integration and we would not be unified today my meal and we clearly expressed our gratitude to this america. And to our european friends in the countries that neighbor germany as well. Yes i did talk there was a day of german unity makes us very much aware of the International Order that we have though it is widely contests. Today even in western societies unfortunately you know we germans are committed to International Cooperation even if it is becoming more difficult particularly when it becomes more difficult we want to fight for strong and fair International Order and together with our partners and. Ladies and gentlemen guests this to me is a lesson from my history and a mandate from my history thank you. I dont know down maybe just a moment how completely different 871 was from ny going to rise or the iron hands cut in imperial germany you wouldnt go there no rule was exerted catholics socialist jews were considered enemies of the german empire they were persecuted excluded long time women excluded from political code determination and now we live in a unified country without even expecting everyone to blow the same high school it used to be we are the people. But i mean all of us other people varian coastal inhabitants eastern john knows they all have their own sense of who they are theyre proud of who they are rural inhabitants have different ways than urban once christian miss the muslims jews and atheists are part of our country by the way easterners and westerners continue to exist in a unified germany but it just goes on vox this one often difference has long stopped being a decisive advantage by the growing together in eastern and western germany it through immigration and integration as well our country has become more diverse and more different in the last 30 years and organizing a way of coexisting peacefully in our country means the of. A view that we must face the this challenge today its a livingston job and that we have to face today that we all know it isnt always easy most but its also an expression of the freedom that makes this country what it is a freedom that so many have fought for before us and a freedom ladies and gentlemen that we cannot live without. Either against the ones i know what. Guests our unity is a unity in freedom im deaf or city a unity that must always define germany 3 european lands and obviously we have decided against nation states navel gazing and in favor of a european germany and this is the road line that we want to continue to travel nice again to be there are those out there who look for the answers for question almost 2 questions about the future always in the past. But how your blind to history must those people. Who waved. The black white red flag of the german empire of 18th century want to even the imperial war flag. In front of them democratically elected its no wonder sometimes having your own do you need food usable big they want another which states them and are thought to terry and im aggressive state excluding minorities they do not stand in the traditional the tradition for which this democracy stands they do not stand for democracy no today we stand firmly on the foundation of a democrat Freedom Movement and the history of democracy in this country we see a future with what it is in the ideas of a hamburger fest the St Pauls Church the weimar democracy the constitution the peaceful revolution we are proud of these traditions of freedom and democracy proud of these historic roots if our buildout ever avoiding looking into the abyss of the shore are. The farben view the democratic colors of these democratic of this democratic history of the colors of black red gold the colors of unity and justice i have pretty these are the colors of. The country and these are the colors of the flags waving in front of the buildings of our democracy and we will not allow them to i pushed aside that misused or coopted it got black granite gold thats the color of our flag and no one can take that away from us. My grandma down ladies and gentlemen and you have enough to virtually years after german unification where we now believe and i believe we live in a paradox were still not nearly as far along as we should be but at the same time were much further along than we think we are going to argue that we. Without a question these sweeping changes hit the people in the east of our country much much harder than the people in the west. And these changes still leave their mark with just by all of the progress we have made toys not just in the broken biographies but particularly in the hearts of the people who know him up. To many people whose hopes were lost half his were interrupted in people who had qualifications that were not recognized invited you are going to lead to villages and towns where an entire generation is missing because the young people simply saw in a future for himself they only went away moved around in order to fill it and there still is not in my significant wage gap between an eastern and western germany there are still too many too few rather major corporations who are headquartered east of the river and you still have to look with a microscope in the top echelons of Companies Universities ministries the german one of an army the bundeswehr have it to find eastern germany see we have underestimated how long some forms of discrimination will can continue to win and by the often they are passed on from generation to generation and we must not rest until these discriminations. Abolish. Until your chances of a good life do not depend on whether you live in the east or the west of our country. Or never both and another thing we have learned. We need the growing together of east and west and germany does not just stop at labor market statistics and Economic Data will give you a sense of belonging a sense of being taken seriously on an equal footing. Is not something that is decided just on your pay slip. And it remains my job and we just heard this in the discussion that we have just now to become closer to one another. Human beings to remain with them and curious and to at least know a little bit of the worlds the lives and the values of the other and ideally to respect these as well this reaping the changes that my father in the fall of the wall and packed in nearly every family in eastern germany was in the west most people experience it out of just honest i dont think im not im saying language since the german unification and the statistics show this nearly all is done germans have been to western germany but nearly one in 5 western germans have not yet interest in germany so you when used in german they talk about it in their lives they always factor in western germany and they thought of it in their lives western germany because of the dominant role but many western german narratives dont contain a single word about eastern germany with georgia because the west and german perspective assumes far too often completely without questioning because im good with that it is the pan determined you leave me in austin but life even up by noon on the north east germany wasnt just a deviation from the norm it was a completely different life. And its also true that he was in eastern germany tories are still not as selfevident much of our common history as good mind shared sense of we you can see the full time a long history of division and unity and a difficult time of transformation in the middle and on the tile and visa sharing these experiences remains something we need to do even 30 years after german unification. I mean part of this is speaking openly about mistakes that were made about injustices of the kind of good and that we also count of all smiths no matter on which side they are in marriage i think its a good and even important beyond i dont think that the files of the toy hand youve got a television you agency have finally become public not the floor sort of but inside women naturally 30 years down the line we just wish the decisions that were made them that at the time we considered right or wrong the only way or acceptable if we dispute these now we can but one thing we cannot dispute is the question of the reason the traumatic hang and results of Closing Entire companies and the social and cultural structures of your least in germans who were dependent on these companies. In the way and just how much this defines the way we look at not german unity 32 years later. Longer you just how much this still defines the lives of those annoying after dinner 191000 eastern germany is something that you know i really only began to understand as a member of parliament in eastern germany. Yes i mean i still encounter this ground to our listeners in germany and in conversations that ive regularly by people to come to know and this is something we must acknowledge just to also on the basis of the files we now have access to if we want to to write our history together we can minds not. Allow myths and i think you do and you say john goes to find out coming out you sure you are and this is why i say give us a very seriously that its more about on the question of style here its not about on the likenesses there were no t. V. Actors you know the way we shot its hard to modesty because if people feel pushed aside continuously tenuously if their views do not all the money i have just as some kind of. Platform. Politically. If they begin to lose faith in their ability to have access it is and is then we must not ignore this because then cohesion this mother drama will be a fragment and then distrust and policymakers increases and this is a breeding ground for populism and extremist parties are is why we must not be amused simply accept injustices and on speaking. Down and were going to master it god of work have it to improve the situations and we must listen to one another and learn from one another whether were in the eastern part of the western part of the country or in the northern or southern parts of the country for that matter thank you i dont want to run but that isnt gentlemen this is only one side of caution you know what it all started i think if you abide is that were much further along than we think apart from all the work that lies ahead there is so much like we have succeeded in joining us wow leipzig and haw stocks we are economically much stronger than some cities in the western or valley. More people move from western germany to eastern germany than the other way around and many eastern german universities and Research Institutes have long become magnets for students and academics not just from germany and europe from above but from across the world to mention again and again i meet impressive people who have founded Successful Companies who have made their shrinking cities more attractive with new ideas who tackle every challenge with pragmatism. Incline and and. Who have a. Very hard work to overcome these transformations when im traveling through eastern germany i see a lively dynamic country i see more changes in a positive than a negative im im travelling around things i see instead of reconstructing reason germany to match the west to the country in the world but i see the west needing to keep problem with the eastern part of the country and spread cow and saxon for example the Biggest Company for electric vehicles has just been built in europe and brandenburg and couldnt hide it just outside but even tesla city has been built a factory for the mobility of the future and says there are already so many creative swarms of startups and innovation workshops that the Unemployment Rate is not lower than in north rhinewestphalia in the west. It can be so simple up to they say implantable you by the way the fact that it isnt always so simple was 30 years after german unification theres not just more and more east enders i mean Success Stories but there are also many things that weve only achieve together because we are unified with all of our differences and all of a different strength and they have contribution to this which is just story and Timothy Garton ash wrote in the last few days that the 30 years since german unification of the past 30 years that germany has ever experienced is not not that may not tally with the experience of every individual is and our country but what it is true is that without the courage and the impulses of a peaceful revolutionaries without the merging and growing together of ideas from eastern and western germany we would not have become the modern and successful country at the heart of europe that we are today thank you and good to be a duty under some is. To be able to take him and if they think in the home for printing. Be informal printing of books round table obviously do all sorts of civic participation in the health care and birth areas comprehensive child care special i look at east and Central Europe the list of eastern germany and initiatives that have made our unified country better is long and diverse. And also beyond these individual and. I have experienced. So many new things that were enriching and that really did as good for example a kind of healthy pragmatism but also almost a remedy for some of the ideological debates from western germany and pressure to change which eventually came to a modern place isnt just by western germany with a certain today. Often i get in gentlemen because we want to travel our common road together our country is your margin our oath and most of this and we often think were further along in the middle to avoid to live in the other because we can you know i experience this from eastern and western germany we can do justice to the special role that we play as a strong country at heart you obviously have to carry now when that force is pulling on your back and these voices are getting stronger being of dunking yes we live in the best germany there has ever been and let those and say thank you to all of those who made it what it is let us be grateful for this and that is build on it for a strong future. That all for namely free to come down because building the future is something we need to do because one thing is for sure we meet our future. Is not simply a continuation of a successful present day covered 19 has taught us humanity you know abundant Climate Change is challenging us to change the way we live. Old alliances are weakening the world is becoming you i am certain and the more uncertain and many things we have taken for granted for so many years are no longer things we can take for notice but what is important for me ladies and gentlemen is that humanity not mean resignation and lack of courage quite the opposite we need courage now. Just as we did 30 years ago and we can have this courage and god to view why should it be that we are fortunate few at the heart of europe lack courage why should be and thats the question. When the lunts like country outside has shown in this times in these times of. 1100 that we can join forces that we are strong so that we can act responsibly we have every reason to look confidently in the future certainly the pandemic will not take the future from us so yes we must be on our full yes i must concentrate on contacting the virus going mustnt become a paralyzed by worry you know we must look at the other things that we urgently need to do because life after covert 19 is being discussed discussed a negotiator now as the lone words on the environment digitize ation cohesion and we must be part of this process we need to act in a good way we need to act quickly we need to be prepared to rethink the way we have lived so far and in many cases quite radically so it will be all the melting north and south poles the raging inferno is in california the old internets and on and they tell us that the future cannot wait for tomorrow night the erosion of the International Order of the forces that are calling out to unify cura the new division in some our societies wherever these come up i know we must act im not sure we can build on our economic strength this well the hard work of your people in this country their sense for what needs to be done and on their willingness to roll up their sleeves on time and off and we can build as well on the experiences of a peaceful revolution when the berlin wall didnt simply fall but was pulled down by hundreds of thousands of people who stood up and fought for a better life oh no if you give up can be built on the enormous achievement of 16000000 people whose lives were turned upside down who had to start from scratch you know who had to learn a new way of life who had to reinvent themselves using more underdone created a reconstruction of the entire country this courage this is what we still need today. Thank you doesnt because now this is what i would like to conclude jonathans which is by encouraging you by saying if it is the case. That the peaceful revolution can inspire us today then let us create a place to commemorate theres a card i think at the heart of berlin soon there will be a unification memorial has a central symbol already sedate there are many places that commemorate the lawless east german regime. The berlin wall. The prisons juvenile labor Detention Centers and it is important that we commemorate these places but do we all still not need a unique place that is more than a memorial you can. Have a place that reminds us of impulses of freedom and democracy of the peaceful revolutionaries that she who achieved so much a place that reminds us of the dreams you know that were fulfilled and those that were not fulfilled dreams of a better and more just future a place that my mind was that the east germans took their fates in their own hands and liberated themselves so. It would be a place that would commemorate unknown activists and the well known ones 2 of you stood up for a just against a state of power with candles on their hands a place that reminds them to make the very men and women who are civil rights and painters. A place to their minds of their anger and discontent but also the hope all those forces and theres nothing people had giving them a voice in the face but also in a place that reminds us of how we became what we are and reminds us what we can learn to count as long. As there are practical reason for why we havent got a place like this already in east germany in its civil rights activists tended to meet in private apartments or in churches and the round tables met after the fall of the berlin wall in various different places the symbol of the german Liberation Movement 848 is the St Pauls Church of the 1st german republic is linked to the via my National Assembly view and the movie im sure in the german constitution is linked to have to head home teams to a palace and a kind of museum and there isnt a place like that for the peaceful revolution not a single place anyway what wouldnt the 30th anniversary of german unification be a good time to think about how we could change that. The Peaceful World revolution brought the dictatorship to its knees this is an incredible moment one that will always have a place in the history of democracy in germany the government tell you still with us ladies and gentlemen of historic remembrance is never a means to defend itself. And history is never done. It is painful but we must admit that the battle for freedom and democracy is never one know when the will it continues to challenge as every day and you let us tackle this challenge. And that is do this with the knowledge of the experience of 989 me the courage and resolute as of the civil rights activists and the peaceful revolution i said to someone courage of you with the many challenges ahead of us by looking back at our successes. And. Gentleman. And yards wide and runs against 2020. The federal republic of germany this is a country that has i know old and i live under to give my least time germans and western germans as long as stablished inhabitants and some newcomers who have. Come to germany. Just on carrying that getting confidence from a sex addict to. The ideas of 1989 that responsibility will prevail over paternalism that freedom will prevail over absence of freedom and if we look around us in the world if we look around us and youre out then this legacy of 989 was never assume what and i said yesterday thank you thank you for joining president fox 5. Ron writes in 30 years all. Units in a school so some facilities in. That was a long speech back in the studio our correspondents. Standing by from the gates Thomas Sparrow is also waiting to give us his take on this speech but we start with what stood out for you. What stood out to me is that whenever we celebrate german unity and an anniversary really what with the liberating is not like that of october where celebrating the 9th of november the year before that the 9th of november 1909 was what was a big it see from and that there was a peaceful revolution that came out very clearly clearly in front by just on my own speech a peaceful revolution that brought this system to a collapse and of course later on it is also a historic miracle that german unification the prophet political process of merging these 2 systems actually happened and actually worked but its not the day when most germans take to the streets to go out and celebrate this is more done on the 9th of november and by this time i did say that german sit be proud of it and what i personally found most interesting was that in a typical german style he used a historian to say look at german Timothy Garton ash said this is the best germany that has ever been in the history of 150 years of existence and we should be proud of it and of course by and by steinmeyer being a demin wouldnt say that himself he uses a historian to quote him of course you would question to you what was the standout point that for you. I think what struck me was the attempt to. Stretch this historical from the 19th century from the 1st. Which i thought time obviously was an empire was a monarchy to today and to try and show up the progress that has been made in all of this time and especially important i think 1st time i have there was the aspect of how peaceful things have become in that period germany obviously as weve said before it was responsible in the period for a lot of suffering that had brought over the world through the 1st world war and the 2nd world war and knowledge as i think one can say germany tries to be is a force for peace and so he was addressing also the german neighboring countries poland the soviet union over days russia the countries in Eastern Europe. You know addressing them and say in saying that germanys attempts to establish peace in the center of europe continues and continues to be. Stretches into the future i think he really struck the right notes there mentioning all the nasty parts really of german history but also looking at the joyful celebration that we can be with germany can be proud of its achievements Thomas Sparrow at the Brandenburg Gate the scene of absolute awe of jubilation normally 30 years ago especially how does that speech feel today that way you are. One important element to understand this is a matter of context the fact that the german president is the german head of state thats the reason why he was actually in charge of getting this very important speech today 30 years since german reunification and it was one sentence there that i found particularly important he described it as a paradox saying that germany has not advanced as much as it should but at the same time it has advanced more than what people think and this gives you an idea of what to really think a. Means today 30 years since that very important very historic moment on the one hand the fact that germany has advanced and progressed a lot it is a peaceful country a prosperous country a country deeply embedded within European Union institutions yet at the same time it is not a task reunification that has been completely concluded far from that there are still many challenges that German Authorities have and in particular to try and bridge those differences between east and west front but thats time i himself stressed some of those differences but again what he what is important here and particularly important from that sentence that he said which he described as a paradox is the fact that you have those 2 very important sides the fact that germany has progressed a lot and advanced a lot yet at the same time there are still challenges ahead. Well thomas. Just behind you that we can on the screen left of you we can still see that fly that imperial german flag has not banned but is very very controversial is used in germany is very very controversial front of us drama in his speech touched upon this very flag so lets just listen in to an excerpt from this from the president s speech there are those out there who look for the answers for questions to questions about the future always in the past. But how youre going to be history must those people. Who waved. The black white red flag of the german empire of 18th century want to even the imperial war flag in front of them democratically elected its no wonder sometimes being the only need food use of it they want another which states that an author or terry and i guess the state excluding minorities they do not stand in the traditional tradition for which this democracy is they do not stand for democracy no today we stand firmly on the foundation of a democratic Freedom Movement and the history of democracy in this country so thomas was seeing that flag that he just mentioned right there behind you is that right wing demonstration thats going on behind you and you know. It does seem to be a right wing demonstration its also a demonstration against the German Government and against corona virus Protection Measures and thats something its a small protest in comparison to wander we saw a few weeks in berlin the one that mr stein my actually referenced in his speech its important to understand that these people waving those flags many of them belong to a group that actually questions the existence of the german state as such and thats why at a time when germany celebrating 30 years since really thick asian at a time when germanys actually stressing once again the importance of defending german democracy by the time i asked point in that speech focusing on those people who are few months ago a few weeks ago actually tried to storm the German Parliament is particularly important because it stresses to what extent among certain groups even though they are small groups but nevertheless theyre loud groups there theres a questioning of german democracy theres a questioning of the german state theres a questioning of german institutions and thats why from an institutional point of view from the german president from the german chancellor from german politicians its particularly important to stress the importance of defending german democracy and the current german political system as well and also the lessons that have been learned as a result of this german reunification 3 decades ago. Tom thank you for that lets come back to another issue of that speech he said steinmeier said he would that the legacy of 1809 has never been more important than today what is he referring to that i think his parting referring to the peaceful transformation that happened then that it was people who went to the streets and in fact risked their lives in these demonstrations of thousands of people in east germany. Demanding an end to the communist system. But i think what hes especially. Emphasizing and again and again is the peaceful nature of that transformation both in terms of the east german protests that happened which were very very largely peaceful but also what happened afterwards there were the basis of this unification. Its countries after the 2nd world war in effect. This example of a peaceful transformation is i think what he is setting i think possibly looking east at the moment if you look at the situation better roost at the moment for instance where similar sorts of protests going on at the moment that shows that these kinds of demands very very. Current something that is really something have. Another thing that he mentioned which i find quite important and its often forgotten i think we always think the germans always think that we did it all this self but of course it was imbedded in a framework of a lot of International Partners that had to agree that he. Mentioned there as well just run us through this well i mean if you look at the situation lets say around the 2nd world war germany was a very Strong Military militarily and economically very strong country in europe and started the war against the whole of europe and the whole of the world this country was then divided into 2 parts and in terms of the cold war that led to this time of peace the cold war within europe certainly was a time of peace stable time was a stable time now the stability was starting to crumble and the question was what would happen if this very strong state in the center of europe would be unified again so there were concerns against it then what it was and i dont stick you could say that in a sense everyone was against it the french were against it because they had fought many many wars against germany the. British were against it Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister at the time she had huge doubts about whether this was a good idea the polls were against it because they had suffered heavily during the 2nd will