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November 9 - Broken Windows, Broken Chains

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

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Two very different events on two very different days.

November 9, 1938. A government sanctions the destruction of religious centers, businesses, and homes of one segment of its population. The Night of the Broken Glass.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nazis-launch-kristallnacht

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November 9, 1989. A government realizes it can't control its population forever, and allows people to travel west, after 28 years. The Berlin Wall starts to crumble.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29938258

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Interesting perspectives, Tom - thanks.
 
A true study in contrast. The events are indelibly linked. It was the actions of the Nazi government that ultimate led to the division of Germany (not to mention its near-destruction), and set into motion the events which eventually caused the wall to come down.
 
One of the most profound memories of my childhood is when my Dad took us on a history tour of Europe (I was an Army brat and Dad was stationed in Germany in the 60's). Among the many places we visited was the concentration camp at Dachau. I remember like it was yesterday what it felt like standing in front of the ovens, knowing what had been done there. That experience never left me and probably has a lot to do with who I am today and how I view the world and current events (yes, Virginia, there is evil in the world). We also visited Anne Frank's house and saw where she and her family hid from the Nazis. Sobering stuff, even for a 12-13 year old.
 
Some of my in-laws were in their teen years and fled both the Nazis and the Russians.

Mitsy and mum-in-law have co-authored an autobiographical book about MIL's experiences. Some compelling tales.
 
DrEntropy said:
Some of my in-laws were in their teen years and fled both the Nazis and the Russians.

Mitsy and mum-in-law have co-authored an autobiographical book about MIL's experiences. Some compelling tales.
Click to expand...

And where is the book Doc? Is it available? PJ
 
Much like Doc my family fled both the nazis and the Russians by fleeing from what is now the Ukraine.
 
It took many years for my dad to talk about what happened over there. I, as a child, could never understand that, but as I grew up and got educated, I realized why he never told us kids. I won't say anymore, but understanding how humans could create that situation still leaves me cold and disgusted! PJ
 
TOC said:
What...the wall or the concentration camps?
Click to expand...

The wall; socialism is rampant, we owe communist China more than I care to admit and they are about to become the world's largest economy; can't do all that from behind a wall.

"Wall?! We don't need no stinking wall..." :whistle:
 
Is world's largest economy that surprising, or that impressive, when you consider their population is around 4.25 times the size of the United States who currently hold the top spot?? Sheer size sometimes will win out.
 
Gliderman8 said:
Much like Doc my family fled both the nazis and the Russians by fleeing from what is now the Ukraine.
Click to expand...

We've had a conversation about Ukraine and the familial connections! :thumbsup:
 
This famous story was in Time magazine some years back.

The choice of car will interest most of you.

Since the hated Wall went up in 1961, escapees have ingeniously gotten past it by tunneling, climbing, jumping, or by just knocking it down. Last week a young Austrian outdid them all, smuggling out his pretty fiancée and her mother through the simple expedient of keeping his head down. Heinz Meixner, 20, had moved to West Berlin two years ago to take a job as a lathe worker. As a foreigner, he was able to cross the line freely into East Berlin, where, at a students' dance last September, he fell in love with tiny, attractive Margarete Thurau. When Margarete applied for permission to emigrate to Austria, Communist police told her that she should marry her young man in East Berlin and settle down there. "As soon as I heard that," says Meixner, "I made up my mind to get her out." He laid his plans with meticulous care. To get a good look at the Communist side of the Friedrichstrasse crossing point for foreigners, Meixner stalled his motor scooter near the peppermint-striped steel beam that closes the last exit in the Wall. Pretending to have engine trouble, he measured the height of the barrier, found that it was only 37½ in. from the ground. His next step was to search the car rental agencies in West Berlin for a sports car small enough to slip under the beam. He finally decided on an Austin Healey Sprite, which, without its windshield, measured 35½ in. high. Meixner confided in another young Austrian, gave him an exact timetable of his plans and asked him to prevent any cars on the Western side from starting into the barrier area at the critical moment. At last, when his plans were complete. Meixner drove his little sports car back into East Berlin to Margarete's house. Margarete crouched in the narrow space behind the driver's seat; her mother was wedged into the luggage compartment. "Luckily," says petite Margarete, "Mother is just like me." Leaving nothing to chance, Meixner also let air out of his tires to lower the car. Shortly after midnight, Meixner drove to the entrance of the frontier area, showed his Austrian passport to a guard, who waved him on to the customs officer. Bricks for Mamma. It was the time for action. Instead of pulling up at the customs shed, Meixner gunned his motor, skidded around the slalom barriers, and shot past the startled guard. Looming before him was that last bar. For one terrifying moment, it seemed too low to clear. But he had measured well. Jamming his foot on the accelerator, Meixner ducked his head and whizzed into West Berlin. By the time he got there, he was going so fast that he left a 96-ft. skid mark when he jammed on the brakes. Safe with his passengers, Meixner explained his escape plan to startled West Berlin police: "I figured it would take the Vopos three seconds to draw their weapons once they realized what I was doing. But I thought I could make it in those three seconds. Besides, we had 30 bricks behind Mrs. Thurau to protect her if firing started."

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Thanks Nial; that was interesting!
 
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