WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:08.880 This is one of the most formative experiences of my life. 2 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:14.599 When the wall itself fell, I was in the Harz and met with friends, 3 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:20.480 because we had a circle of friends with whom we met once a year. 4 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:29.280 It was indescribable - the streets were crowded with cars - the Harz was one big traffic jam, 5 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:36.219 the people were not aggressive but happy and shouted, "We are free, we are free". 6 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:45.679 That really impressed me, also because I never expected this reunion. 7 00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:51.840 I thought the system is too hardened. This is still going on forever. 8 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:59.859 I also talked to colleagues about it back then and I did not think it would be possible at that time that it would go so fast. 9 00:00:59.859 --> 00:01:10.060 Basically with bumps, but actually smoothly. Well, I think this was an absolute stroke of luck in the history. 10 00:01:10.060 --> 00:01:22.019 And then when the border fell, and you visited each other, from the side of the DDR came here so much people who were just curious, 11 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:29.340 how does it look here, how does the kinship live - we have hosted them because they simple had no accommodation - 12 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:38.260 it was a mutual getting to know each other - also here in Amelingenhausen - 13 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:44.260 many settlers did come here and that was no problem for us to accommodate, 14 00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:52.200 because we had many holiday flats and for our community this was a very positive input. 15 00:01:52.200 --> 00:02:01.359 There were definitely negative attitudes too - the well-known "everything is sticked up to the bottoms of them, they get everything and where am I" - 16 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:08.560 "I've worked here all my life and now they are getting the new furniture, new fridge and so on." 17 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:17.580 Economically, the DDR was scrapped - then much people have become self-employed 18 00:02:17.580 --> 00:02:23.300 and also with the automobile trade - they also helped and supported each other. 19 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:37.599 We also had relations with people in Tangermünde - it was a general spirit of optimism - 20 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:46.879 of course connected with a great deal of fears on the part of the former DDR citizens, 21 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:50.080 job loss - what shall I become? 22 00:02:50.080 --> 00:03:00.199 Even those who have lost their jobs, such as in schools, these people had existential fears 23 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:06.219 and had to reorientate in the middle of life, which is very difficult when you are not used to it. 24 00:03:06.219 --> 00:03:10.560 Moderator: What hopes or expectations were there then? 25 00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:23.939 I think the expectations were not so clear - you got rid of a system that you were tired of unless you were established. 26 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:32.939 I think it was also a stroke of luck in history that Helmut Kohl was chancellor, because the other parties were more hesitant. 27 00:03:32.939 --> 00:03:39.500 The SPD had other ideas at the time regarding the process of reunification. 28 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:53.280 Helmut Kohl has pushed this very hard - in international terms it was also pushed by Gorbatschow, who has been very liberal in such matters. 29 00:03:53.280 --> 00:04:01.960 This reunion procedure ended within a few months. 30 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:09.699 You may have been overwhelmed, because a lot has happened in a short time. 31 00:04:09.699 --> 00:04:19.759 Moderator: You also talked about the fact that the turnaround took place within a short time. 32 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:28.079 How do you estimate that? Are the expectations disappointed or justified? 33 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:33.319 Is the Eastern European expansion for you also mainly positive? 34 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:37.800 Well, I think that Europe... 35 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:47.420 the EU is actually criticised, since it exists. No matter if it is now called EU, EC, or EEC. 36 00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:55.160 It is always griped about it, but overall it is an impressive work of peace. 37 00:04:55.160 --> 00:05:04.660 The criticism after the last eastward enlargement in 2007 when Romania and Bulgaria came to it and in 2004 the ten other countries. 38 00:05:04.660 --> 00:05:09.420 Maybe it has gone a bit too fast but overall we all benefit from it, 39 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:17.259 especially in terms of liberality. I find it wonderful that you can travel freely within Europe, 40 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:24.860 pay in most countries with the Euro and that people can choose their jobs freely. 41 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:29.920 Moderator: What would you wish for Europe? 42 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:39.319 That this peace project does not bathe, but lives on and creates peace. 43 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:47.500 Yes, my wish would be, no matter how Brexit goes out, which of course is a disaster, 44 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:52.100 but maybe has something quite clarifying, that Europe grows even further - 45 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:58.660 that you look at the many similarities in history, also in terms of buildings, 46 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:08.680 because you see in every European city on a market place a small church. 47 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:13.680 The architectural styles are very similar. 48 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:20.779 We are growing together more and more, and the dividing becomes less and less important, 49 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:25.100 no matter where we live in Europe, what we do. 50 00:06:25.100 --> 00:06:36.379 I think the next generation will feel much more European as German, Dutch or Polish 51 00:06:36.379 --> 00:06:48.600 and I think we can be very proud of what has been built up over the last few decades, although it's not the end yet. 52 00:06:48.600 --> 00:07:02.060 Moderator: What should happen, what would we have to do in our country and in Europe to meet these people's fears created by xenophobia? 53 00:07:02.060 --> 00:07:09.399 What would you say, what is your tip to politics and maybe to the younger generation? 54 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:19.399 Well, I think, you always have to keep talking and always keep looking for the conversation and take the fears seriously because they are there. 55 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:25.279 You can not say that this are all the people who were neglected by society, that's not right like that. 56 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:36.540 But you also have to enlighten, report in the media and question why the fears are there. 57 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:40.959 Migration has always existed in human history - that is nothing new. 58 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:45.980 There was a large migration wave from Poland to the Ruhr area in the 19th century - 59 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:49.459 so that Polish was spoken in Bochum. 60 00:07:49.459 --> 00:07:56.339 There have been migration waves after the World War II throughout Europe and of course also in Germany, 61 00:07:56.339 --> 00:08:02.620 for example all the refugees who have gone to Schleswig-Holstein. That, too, has been mastered. 62 00:08:02.620 --> 00:08:13.680 Then the Yugoslav War has brought us a whole load of new migrants from their former republics. 63 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:20.800 The whole Russian-Germans who came from Asian countries or from Siberia. 64 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:28.939 So migration is the normal in human history and I see that completely relaxed 65 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:33.700 and it is the task of the state to organize this as smoothly as possible. 66 00:08:33.700 --> 00:08:41.279 Moderator: Do we need more political education with regard to democracy maturity? 67 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:46.360 So I think there's been a lot going on. In recent years I have only taught Politics Economy. 68 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:52.820 Politics has been taught for several years now at high school from the eighth grade on 69 00:08:52.820 --> 00:09:00.220 and starts quite easily with local politics, because the children understand this the best. 70 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:06.960 The youth is politically very interested, takes care and has many questions. 71 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:13.980 In many cases, however, the media, the press - the youth does not read a newspaper, they inform themselves differently, 72 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:20.600 they often say the articles are too long and the language is too difficult - 73 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:23.159 This should be considered. 74 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:30.720 But I see it already, that our young generation is politically very awake. 75 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:35.039 I also see this as a very positive development with "Fridays for Future", 76 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:43.519 which was for our German civil servants - namely teachers - very difficult to accept that young people do not go to school on Fridays, 77 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:48.120 but rather go to demonstrations. But thus, they are fulfilling a fundamental democratic right. 78 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:53.019 They have the right and in this time they learn an infinite amount, even more than in school. 79 00:09:53.019 --> 00:10:02.639 With hindsight, as an adult, I think you can always remember those demonstrations you took part in, 80 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:09.620 but not that you learned the gerund in French in the third hour on Fridays. 81 00:10:09.620 --> 00:10:17.440 I think it is very important to always be clear about what is really important in life. 82 00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:22.019 And what is not, is that I learned ten or twenty vocabularies more at the end of the day, 83 00:10:22.019 --> 00:10:27.600 but that I become a self-conscious and self-confident person.