Deutsche Version

Tracing the End of a Cold War

Undivided: Encounters with America

This year, Germany commemorates the peaceful revolution that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and unification. To mark the occasion, the U.S. Embassy in Berlin is taking a closer look at America’s ties to the people of the German Democratic Republic -- ties that were more multifaceted than most people knew then or are aware of today. To document this unique relationship, we are recording the impressions of both Americans who lived and visited in the GDR and GDR residents who were in touch in some way with America and Americans.

The Wall, at its most visible in Berlin, divided not only a country, but a continent and indeed the entire world. It was the symbol of the Cold War for people around the world but it became the icon that stood for much of U.S. foreign policy. The network of U.S. Embassy and Consulate buildings, Amerika Haus cultural centers, and military bases throughout the Federal Republic of Germany – and most importantly the people and programs associated with these institutions – formed the foundation for a bilateral relationship and a dynamic network of personal, cultural, economic and political ties that is unique in the world.

The noise and heat of this relationship did not go unobserved in the German Democratic Republic. People “looked” and “listened” across, over and around the Wall and took note, in various ways, of American popular and political culture. In that context, the relationship between the people of the GDR and the U.S. was often more “virtual” than direct. It developed slowly and under very special circumstances. Today, 20 years after the fall of the Wall and the end of the Cold War, the memories of what America symbolized perhaps still linger, even in the context of a unified Germany. This Embassy project has been designed to offer those with recollections to share a chance to give voice to emblems of this specific aspect of the unique German-American relationship.

Official Relationship

The United States established diplomatic relations with the German Democratic Republic in September 1974 following the normalization of relations between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. The goal of the first Ambassador in East Berlin and his staff was to “start a conversation” – to engage in meaningful dialogue with the GDR government in order to gain a better understanding of the country’s policies but also to establish a more comprehensive image of the United States in the eyes of a wider public audience. How did U.S. diplomats go about fulfilling these goals?

Personal Ties

German-Americans have made singular economic, political, social, scientific, and cultural contributions to the growth and success of the United States. More Americans trace their heritage back to German roots than to any other nationality. The Wall that divided Germany also divided Americans from family, friends, and colleagues in the GDR. Nevertheless, personal and professional ties between the United States and the GDR were often painstakingly developed and maintained -- either through direct contact, whenever possible, or via media and popular culture. How did citizens of the GDR perceive America – and what role did these perceptions play in the public imagination of the times? What did “the USA” look like from the other side of the Wall? What did the DDR look like from the other side of the ocean?