Understand the consequences of the post-war and recent political history of Germany on the culture of the German people; explain how this history influenced the performing arts of Germany; identify examples of this influence in theater, music, and dance.

Hitler's policies and the Second World War left Germany in a shambles. Almost 4 million Germans died in the war and its cities were in ruins. Germany's post-war fate would be determined, in large part, by the chilling of relations between the democracies of the West and the communist government in Moscow. By 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany became the self-governing democratic state, known as West Germany, but the German Democratic Republic, known as East Germany, remained under Soviet control. In 1961, the Communists built a barrier to stem the tide of refugees escaping from East Berlin to West Berlin. The Berlin Wall symbolized not only the split in the two Germanys, but also the ideological split between democracy and communism. When the threat of Soviet intervention in East Germany abated in the late 1980s, demands for freedom and democracy led the new East German leader, Egon Krenz, to open the Berlin Wall. The Fall of the Berlin Wall also represented the fall of the East German Communist Party and Krenz's government was forced to resign. Now Germans became more determined to reunify their nation.

2 class periods

• Student Activity Sheet
• German Timeline of Historical Events 
• 2-Column Table Graphic Organizer
• Speech Rubric

Use the instructions below to guide students in writing a Speech.

What impact did the Cold War and the period of the Two Germanys have on the performing arts? What were the most pressing problems facing the reunified Germany? How was the reunification of Germany reflected in the performing arts?

Cause and Effect Students will write a speech in which they explore the impact that German political history has had on the performing arts since 1945. Students will research the division of Germany, its reunification after 1989, and one branch of the performing arts, such as music, theater, or dance.

Have students research these topics using the provided links. Encourage them to use the graphic organizer as they read the articles.

Beethoven Monument in Bonn. Photo by Eckhard Bernstein.

To start students thinking about the role German post-war history has had on the performing arts, have them consider the photograph.

Key questions students should answer are:

• What does this statue of Beethoven tell you about the pride Germans feel for their cultural heritage?
• As a nation looks to its past for feelings of pride and patriotism, what contradictions might Germans feel?

Distribute the Student Activity sheet. Tell students that they will write and perform a speech examining the impact of recent German political history on the performing arts.

To prepare for their speech, students will research the following topics.

• Post-War conditions of Germany
• The division of Germany into the East and West German states
• Economic and political differences between the two Germany
• Fall of the Berlin Wall
• Reunification of Germany
• German theater, music, or dance

Explain to students that their speech should explain how the political situation of Germany changed over time and how those changes are reflected in one of the performing arts.

Use the Speech Rubric to assess students' performance.

Have students reflect on their performance and use the list of expectations to judge how well they met the criteria.

Ask students: How might significant political events affect other cultural institutions such as film or literature?

Newspaper Article Have students use World Cultures Today to conduct research and write a newspaper article circa 1989 detailing the fall of the Berlin Wall.