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Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze

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Factual: History

Bridget Kendall presents an oral history tracing decisive moments of the Cold War.

Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze: Series 2

Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze: Series 2: The Fall of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification

19/07/2017

The Fall of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification

Series 2

BBC Radio 4 - Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze, Series 2, The Fall of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification

Bridget Kendall hears how East and West Germans experienced their country's reunification.

Bridget Kendall hears how East and West Germans experienced the reunification of their country and how it had changed their lives for better or worse.

When the Berlin Wall tumbled on 9 November 1989, joy spread through the city. 

Change had been in the air but when it actually happened it took many by surprise - and not everybody welcomed it, let alone could foresee the dramatic chain of events that followed.

Governed by two different kinds of regime - communist in the East and democratic in the West - Berlin and Germany were divided for over 40 years. Two different societies had developed and when they were to be reunited, it was not always an easy process.

Bridget Kendall hears how the lives of three East Germans - an English teacher, a radio music producer and a university graduate - took an unexpected turn when their country dissolved. While for some opportunities opened up, others had to face personal crisis.

West Germans, too, found themselves in situations that had previously been unimaginable. A journalist and a manager of a theatregoer club from West Berlin tell us about strange encounters and the joy of embracing the whole city again. 

With: Elisabeth Heller, Katharina Herrmann, Gisela Hoffmann, Andreas Austilat and Otfried Laur

Producers: Sabine Schereck and Phil Tinline.

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Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Bridget Kendall presents an oral history of the early Cold War.

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Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze

Series 2

The Fall of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification

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