Twenty-one years after German reunification, Communist East Germany—or the German Democratic Republic, as it officially and inaccurately called itself—has receded like a bad dream. Many university students in Eastern Germany today weren’t even born when the Wall fell, and for them, life in the GDR is evoked mostly through period-piece movies, such as The Lives of Others, (...)
Article
The Cold War on Ice
Coming of Age in East Germany
The remainder of this article is only available to paid subscribers. If you’re not currently a Commonweal subscriber in print or online, an online-only subscription costs just $34 a year. Click here for immediate access.



Lest we forget, a cautionary tale about certain Patriot Act measures. The only saving grace to these historical KGB and Stasi activities is that they were probably as incompetent as our FBI and CIA. Of course, who needs corrupt spies when we have congress?