GERMAN HISTORY AND THE COLD WAR

Liberation and hope for some, defeat, disillusion and fear for others. World War II, unleashed by Germany, ends with the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht on 8 May 1945. The Berlin crisis of 1948/49 makes it obvious: the Four-Power Government has failed. Germany becomes a divided nation. The Federal Republic of Germany emerges in the West, the German Democratic Republic under the dictatorship of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) in the East. The dispute between the superpowers USA and USSR exacerbates conflicts around the world. For the Germans, the division of the world into East and West has direct consequences: Berlin is a focal point of confrontation. With the building of the Wall in 1961, the SED cements the division of Germany.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY HISTORY, LEIPZIG

Since opening in October 1999, the Museum of Contemporary History Leipzig exhibits the history of dictatorship, opposition and resistance in the Soviet Occupation Zone and in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) during 40 years of German division. The exhibition follows the flow of contemporary history. It is constantly being optimized. In 2007, the revamped permanent exhibition was opened. Objects – documents, photos, sound recordings and film clips – these are the core of our exhibition. They are “witnesses” – historical records evoking memories of the past or inviting comparison with the present. More than 3.200 items are displayed on 2.000 square metres and the objects are placed in contemporaneous settings. On your tour through the exhibition you will encounter such events as the division of Germany after World War II; the revolt on June 17, 1953; and the building of the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961; the expatriation of singer Wolf Biermann in 1976; the “Monday demonstrations” and the Fall of the Wall in 1989.