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Description
The life and character of Berliners has been defined by a struggle for freedom. In 1963 president Kennedy declared that All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. But centuries e...arlier, the rulers of the city offered freedom to the oppressed. Jews moved to the city from Vienna and eastern Europe, and were instrumental in creating the city we know today. But during the Nazi years Berlin's Jews were driven under-ground, unable to leave the city they loved. When the Russians arrived at the end of the Second World War, Berlin's women found themselves at the mercy of rapists rather than liberators. Citizens became pawns in a global game through the Berlin blockade, and when the Berlin wall was built, both East and West claimed they offered their citizens true freedom. In truth, the wall enslaved Berliners once more, and only when it fell did they attain freedom that their early rulers had promised them.
The life and character of Berliners has been defined by a struggle for freedom. In 1963 president Kennedy declared that All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. But centuries e...arlier, the rulers of the city offered freedom to the oppressed. Jews moved to the city from Vienna and eastern Europe, and were instrumental in creating the city we know today. But during the Nazi years Berlin's Jews were driven under-ground, unable to leave the city they loved. When the Russians arrived at the end of the Second World War, Berlin's women found themselves at the mercy of rapists rather than liberators. Citizens became pawns in a global game through the Berlin blockade, and when the Berlin wall was built, both East and West claimed they offered their citizens true freedom. In truth, the wall enslaved Berliners once more, and only when it fell did they attain freedom that their early rulers had promised them.
| Series: | Berlin |
|---|---|
| First transmission date: | 28-11-2009 |
| Original broadcast channel: | BBC2 |
| Published: | 2009 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:58:51 |
| + Show more... | |
| Director: | Sam Hobkinson |
| Presenter: | Matt Frei |
| Contributors: | Peter Aschendorf; Frau Bauer; Le Luc Duong; Matt Frei; Peter Frei; Rolf Joseph; Detlef Mairose; Frank Quade; Clemens Schwender; Norbert Tiede |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Subject terms: | Berlin (Germany) |
| Production number: | FKAE213N |
| Videofinder number: | 82240 |
| Available to public: | no |
