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One morning in 1961, the residents of East Berlin found themselves cut off from family, friends and jobs in the West by a tangle of barbed wire that ruthlessly cut a city of four million in two. Within days the barbed wire became a 103-mile-long wall guarded by three hundred watchtowers. A physical manifestation of the Cold War that would stand for nearly thirty years, the Berlin Wall was the fault line between East and West on which rested the fate of all humanity. Historian Taylor weaves together official history, archival materials and personal accounts to tell the complete story of the Wall's rise and fall, from the postwar political tensions that created a divided Berlin to the internal and external pressures that led to the Wall's demise. He also explores the geopolitical ramifications, as well as the impact the Wall had on ordinary lives, still felt today.--From publisher description.… (més)
While I generally prefer memoirs or character-driven narratives for non-fiction subjects, I still found this book to be quite a good read. The author's narrow focus on Berlin provides us with an in-depth view of this historical city and the tumultuous time period that separated East and West Berlin. The language is clear and concise, so chronological events are presented in an orderly and easy to understand manner. It would have been useful to have a chronology and cast of characters though presented in addendum (there are a lot of political players from various countries and allegiances), but the major characters are pretty easy to recognize and the author provided mini-biographies as the book progressed to set up important background information.
Most of these characters are political or military in nature (expected considering the postwar era), but Taylor throws in just enough personal stories of local Berliners to keep things interesting. Most of these stories relate specifically to major events (escapes, politically-driven murders, etc), which is useful, but I find it surprising how few personal interviews or documents the author included. There's plenty of quotes from the politicians from their speeches, letters, and other peoples' interviews, but it doesn't look like the author gathered any information from personally conducted interviews (some of these people must still be alive?!?!). Even including quotes from memoirs or diaries held in archives could not have been that difficult, and really would have given the narrative a more personal feeling.
I've studied the post-war era in German history quite extensively, so my only major complaint about this book is that the author's bias is a bit too obviously tilted towards the Western German perspective. Some events (such as the airlift which provided food and supplies to cut-off West Berlin) paint the Western Allies in a rightly heroic light, but the depiction of life in East Berlin (and thus East Germany) is decidedly dark. Sure, there was a lot of corruption in government, a lack of access to information, and a huge Stasi spy network, but people still lived and some even flourished. There is little talk about the community aspects of living in this society - a huge positive to the all-inclusive Soviet lifestyle - so the benefits as such (increased cooperation, close neighbourhoods, practical outdoors training programs, etc.) are swept under the rug. ( )
At school they taught me that, after World War II, Germany was divided in two, with the soviets on one side and the other allies on the other. And that Berlin suffered the same fate. The story is a lot more complicated than that, and this book details all the painful processes that brought to the birth of the two separate states and the suffering the people in Berlin had to go through. Strongly recommended! ( )
Je m'attendais à un ouvrage précis et technique sur le mur, et en fait il s'agit d'un excellent livre sur la division de l'Allemagne, le mur restant bien évidement l'acteur majeur. ( )
A wall which divided a city and thousands of lives for decades and where dozens of people died. An easy to read and informative book about maybe the strangest symbolic monument of the XX. century. ( )
I really enjoyed reading this book. Taylor has a good 'flow' in his account and just the right dose - in my humble opinion - of personal remarks. If I had had the time I would have read it continuously
So, if you feel an irresistible urge to read about The Wall, this book is a very good choice. Go ahead and enjoy ( )
Informació del coneixement compartit en francès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
« Les autorités gouvernementales et militaires de la République Fédérale allemande, en usant de la tromperie, du chantage et de la corruption, incitent certains éléments installés en RDA à partir pour l’Allemagne de l’Ouest... les États membres du pacte de Varsovie ne peuvent pas ne pas prendre les mesures nécessaires pour assurer leur sécurité et, en premier lieu, la sécurité de la République Démocratique allemande, et cela dans l’intérêt du peuple allemand lui-même. » — Déclaration des membres du Pacte de Varsovie, publiée à 1h 11 du matin, le samedi 13 août 1961, alors que les premiers barbelés étaient mis en place le long de la frontière entre Berlin-Est et Berlin-Ouest
« Tout l’automne, raclements et secousses d’une guerre nucléaire ; nous avons parlé de notre extinction à la mort. » Robert Lowell, Fall 1961<>/i
Ce qui résultait le plus souvent, dit Austerlitz, du recours à des mesures de fortification, marquées en général par une tendance à la paranoïa, c’est que vous attiriez l’attention sur votre point le plus faibleb W. G. Sebald, Austerlitz
« Alors... ils ont construit le Mur pour empêcher les gens de fiche le camp, et maintenant ils le démolissent pour empêcher les gens de fiche le camp. Vous parlez d’une logique ! » Un consommateur anonyme dans un bar de Berlin-Est, juste après la chute du Mur, novembre 1989
Dedicatòria
Informació del coneixement compartit en francès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
A mon père Thomas George Arthur Taylor, 1909-1961
Primeres paraules
Informació del coneixement compartit en francès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
Introduction Vingt ans plus tard Le lundi 9 novembre 2009 verra le XXe anniversaire de la nuit dramatique où s’ouvrit une brèche dans le mur de Berlin, symbole de la division de l’Allemagne et du monde entre capitalisme et communisme. Soudain, la guerre froide était terminée. [...]
Préface Bienvenue au Mur
C’était un week-end d’août 1961. Après une enfance heureuse, j’avais atteint l’âge de treize ans, le seuil de l’adolescence, sans incident fâcheux. [...]
Sabl
1. La ville de marais
À l’été 1961, seize ans après la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le monde affronta pour la première fois la menace concrète d’une catastrophe nucléaire.[...]
Citacions
Darreres paraules
Informació del coneixement compartit en francès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
(Et le mur tomba)
[...]. Et, inévitablement, d'une de spires gueules de bois. Mais ça, c'est une autre histoire
[...]. Lorsqu'on se promène ainsi, et que le soleil brille, on arrive parfois à se convaincre qu'Hitler n'a jamais existé, qu'Auschwitz n'était que le nom allemand d'un obscur village polonais, et que le mur de Berlin ne fut qu'une création imaginaire.
[...]. Ce livre est dédié à mon père, mais comme toujours, a été achevé en grande partie grâce à la patience et à la considérations étonnantes dont ma femme, Alice Kavounas Taylor, continue de faire preuve face à mes longues heures de labeur et à mes états d'âme d'auteur.
One morning in 1961, the residents of East Berlin found themselves cut off from family, friends and jobs in the West by a tangle of barbed wire that ruthlessly cut a city of four million in two. Within days the barbed wire became a 103-mile-long wall guarded by three hundred watchtowers. A physical manifestation of the Cold War that would stand for nearly thirty years, the Berlin Wall was the fault line between East and West on which rested the fate of all humanity. Historian Taylor weaves together official history, archival materials and personal accounts to tell the complete story of the Wall's rise and fall, from the postwar political tensions that created a divided Berlin to the internal and external pressures that led to the Wall's demise. He also explores the geopolitical ramifications, as well as the impact the Wall had on ordinary lives, still felt today.--From publisher description.
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Most of these characters are political or military in nature (expected considering the postwar era), but Taylor throws in just enough personal stories of local Berliners to keep things interesting. Most of these stories relate specifically to major events (escapes, politically-driven murders, etc), which is useful, but I find it surprising how few personal interviews or documents the author included. There's plenty of quotes from the politicians from their speeches, letters, and other peoples' interviews, but it doesn't look like the author gathered any information from personally conducted interviews (some of these people must still be alive?!?!). Even including quotes from memoirs or diaries held in archives could not have been that difficult, and really would have given the narrative a more personal feeling.
I've studied the post-war era in German history quite extensively, so my only major complaint about this book is that the author's bias is a bit too obviously tilted towards the Western German perspective. Some events (such as the airlift which provided food and supplies to cut-off West Berlin) paint the Western Allies in a rightly heroic light, but the depiction of life in East Berlin (and thus East Germany) is decidedly dark. Sure, there was a lot of corruption in government, a lack of access to information, and a huge Stasi spy network, but people still lived and some even flourished. There is little talk about the community aspects of living in this society - a huge positive to the all-inclusive Soviet lifestyle - so the benefits as such (increased cooperation, close neighbourhoods, practical outdoors training programs, etc.) are swept under the rug. (