The DDR Museum, to my disappointment, but not to my surprise, did not consist of arcade games and dance moves, but instead focused on the lifestyles and cultures of people living in East Germany after World War 2. I have heard much about the harsh conditions that sparked open riots, which were violently surpressed., but never had I seen so in depth a look at how people lived I this part of the world, completely walled off from everyone else. Everything was detailed here, from the traditional trabak cars, built for two, to the nude beaches which miraculously thrived while under the Soviet supervision. Yes you heard that last part right. Nude beaches were common in East Germany. Which is especially surprising given the Soviet’s strong stance against the influence of radical west cultural ideals. Nude beaches were definitely not considered traditional.

The anti western movement was on full display here in the museum. I fact, come to mention it, so far, while I’ve been in Germany, anything at all having to do with either the wall or East Germany division, has always been spun to have the westerners be portrayed as the good guys or the heroes with the right ideals, while the east, communists, Russians and so on, are depicted as evil. I am aware that building a wall was definitely extreme, but it is incorrect to assume that this whole side of the wall was hidden in a shadow. Here, though, most likely to accommodate the constant influx of American tourists, the west is victorious and claims the right to portray the east as less than ideal. The room with the interrogator was a great example of this. Yes there were prisoners taken, yes they were mistreated, but when is this not the case in any radical social movement? The American Government has claimed responsibility for torturing prisoners at Guantanamo, yet we will probably never hear from their perspectives. This may be an extreme point, but it is one of the best examples that I can really think of.

Other examples of culture on display were the musical movements, the prevalence of rock and roll surely did its part to disrupt the soviets vice grip on Berlin. While people were taught and raised to do the specific waltz, which was clean and fluid, westerners when wild, let their hair grow out and headbanger their brains out. Maybe that wasn’t this time period quite yet, but you get the point.