A morning in Berlin. Reichstag, memorials, lessons.

Leaving behind discussion of The Wall, it's effectiveness, or ineffectiveness and the message it sent to the world of the inadequacy of the Communist East German society to provide for it's citizens, we now step back in time for the events prior. 
When Germany was Germany, not an East and West.
After World War 1 (then called The Great War) and after The Great Depression- both things that were NOT "Great" and I would not like to see them be made Great Again. 
They were so UN-Great, that the country of Germany was in a pretty desperate space. 
And, presented to them was a man who promised to give Germany wealth and respect again. 
Now. I suspect that even the most desperate of Germans, had they been able to see with clarity what would happen in the future, would've steered clear of this man. But, alas, they did not see. And those who did see, recognized his megalomania (meg·a·lo·ma·ni·aˌmeɡələˈmānēə/  noun: obsession with the exercise of power, especially in the domination of others.) and his demagoguery,(Demagoguery is an appeal to people that plays on their emotions and prejudices rather than on their rational side. Demagoguery is a manipulative approach — often associated with dictators and sleazy politicians — that appeals to the worst nature of people.) hoped he would be kept in check by the other parts of the government. 
I put the definitions for those two words right in the blog, because, those are two words I have not had a whole lot of use for in the past, and needed a refresher on what they meant. Both definitions are from Google, which, thanks to my nifty new computer, is easy to access into the blog. But, I also cruised definitions from Merriam-Webster and the Cambridge English Dictionary and though slightly different, the definitions are similar.  Also, the peak usage for the word "megalomania" in the last century was between 1945 and 1950. 
History shows Hitler was not kept on check. When he was voted to power as Chancellor of Germany, there were only two other members of the parliament , the Reichstag, who were in the Nazi Party. The hopeful thought the rest would balance out the Nazis. 

Huz and I headed out into Berlin to see the sights with few expectations. I had done only a little research about our Berlin trip, having spent most of my efforts in understanding Poland for the longest stretch of our travel. 

We made our way to the edge of Tiergarten, a large greenspace in the city centre. There we found this impressive Wilhelmian piece of architecture, The Reichstag. This is where the German Parliament convenes. It opened in 1894, and served as the seat of Parliament until a Great (and suspect, one month after Hitler assumed power) Fire in 1933. It was a ruin for 40 years, and only fully restored and used again after the reunification of Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1990's. 

Behind me, on the right of the photo, you can see a somewhat unattractive and temporary structure built along the bottom of the building. This is what is used for screening people prior to entering the building in our age of terrorism. 
To the side of this structure is a memorial to a piece of frightening history, that led up to even more horrific drama. 

Memorial to Politicians Who Opposed Hitler

 This unassuming row of slates is a memorial to all the members of the Reichstag who opposed Hitler. These were the folks that were supposed to "keep him in check". This was the division of politics that was to balance out the demagogue megalomaniac. 
They died. 96 of them.
Each slate has on the side the name, birthdate and date of death, mostly in concentration camps, of the elected member of the government. Most of them were accused of treason by Hitler and shipped off to a concentration camp to die. If they died in a camp, the name of the camp is also on the slate's edge. 

 Ravensbruck, Dachau, Neuengamme, Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Theresienstadt; dozens and dozens of names of death camps that took in the elected officials of Germany, and snuffed their voice, and any chance the world had of skipping the abominations to come. 

Now, diagonally across the lawn in front of the Reichstag, stands this building, the Bundeskanzleramt, or Federal Chancellory. This is where current Chancellor, Angela Merkel runs the business of Germany. 

I like that the people of Germany, affectionately? call the building "Bundeswaschmaschine" or "Federal Washing Machine" for it's looks. 


Before leaving the Reichstag, we went on a hunt through the edge of the Tiergarten for the 

Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Murdered under the National Socialist Regime

At the memorial, looking grim. In the park there is a glass wall with the time-line of the summary genocide of the Sinti and Roma people. Chilling to read, for how reasonable the politicians made it seem at the time. An accounting of a people who were mostly uncounted for they were a roaming population. Considered undesirable, and perhaps treacherous, impoverished and a threat to the German people, they were sent to camps. 

 Here,  in the shadow of the Reichstag, as if to remind the politicians of what can happen when the power is put in evil hands, there is a peaceful pool. In the center is a triangular stone that is the shape of the badges put on the prisoners of the concentration camps. A fresh flower is placed there daily. 

 The bronze pool is edged by a poem written by Roma poet, Santino Spinelli. It reads:
Gaunt face   dead eyes    cold lips    quiet   a broken heart   out of breath    without words  no tears

Surrounding the pool are stones, and on some of the stones are engraved the names of the concentration camps in which an estimated 220,000-500,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered. I guess they didn't bother to keep accurate records. 

 Just blocks from the Reichstag is the famed Branderberger Tor, or Brandenburg Gate. 
It was built on the site of the former gate to the road to....Brandenburg. It was erected as a symbol of peace in the time of King Frederick William II of Prussia, 1791. HA! Well, it wasn't a symbol of peace forever. The statue on top, the Quadriga, is a chariot of 4 horses, pulling a goddess- originally Eirene, goddess of peace. But, after Napolean defeated the Prussian army in 1806, he took the Quadriga to Paris. Peace no more. 

This is a man, happy to not currently be deliberating on Nazi mass murder.  Victory, small. 

When Napolean was defeated in 1814, and the Prussians occupied Paris, they took the Quadriga back to Berlin, to top the gate again. But, now, the gate was no longer seen as a sign of peace, but as a truimphal arch, and the Quadriga was redesigned into the goddess of Victory, with the Iron Cross and Eagle added to her lance. 

Part of the history lesson!
 Cool pictures of the Branderberger Tor moving through it's different stages.

 1945 looking a bit rough. 

After April 1945, note the portrait of Stalin in the center of the Pariser Platz.

 The wall around the Brandenberger Tor. 

1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall!

 Directly behind the Branderburger Tor is the Pariser Platz.  One of the buildings directly behind the gate is the US Embassy. 

It looks accessible.  Don't be fooled there are guards and concrete driving barriers and that's not a door. Just looks like a door.

A few blocks from the gate, and the Reichstag, is a dirt parking lot. This seems weird, as this is a busy, modern city where space is a premium. Who would own a dirt parking lot? 
Well, there is a small sign that gives you the reason. Underneath this dirt lot is the bunker where Hitler first married his mistress, Eva Braun, then committed suicide. With her. I think it was a "Thing" at the time to go out together. So, no one wants to use the space. No one wants to build upon it. Going back through my photos, I didn't even take a photo. Too disgusted to bother. 

And, within sight of the dirt lot is this eerie bunch of monoliths. There is no large sign, or anything flashy. This 4.5 acre space sinks to the center, and is filled with large granite stones, like rows of massive tombs. It's disorienting in it's scope and the way it sinks at the middle. It is the 

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

 The gloom of the weather fit the scene so well, with a rain falling in earnest. It seemed like the rain should always fall on this patch of ground. 

Huz walked around the rows a bit, but to be honest, I was so deeply saddened by the weight of it all, I hung around the edge. 

How do we keep our eyes open? How do we prevent the fear, the anger, the crazy minds that speak to those things and prevail? How do we keep ourselves from looking away? How to stand up for the persecuted? How to prevent history from repeating itself, pure, or in slightly different form? 
Were the people who were struggling and pinned their hopes on Hitler's promises of prosperity deceived or culpable? 
Tough questions. Revolting history, already written. History continues to be written, it is just, now, we are the authors.