After the Berlin Wall

Documenting an incredible unification in the history of Europe, this account examines the merging of East and West Germany following the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1990. Describing how a totalitarian, atheist, and communist system was married with a democratic, Christian, and capitalist one, this study explores relevant questions such as How did this marriage affect the everyday life of ordinary Germans? How did combining two telephone systems, postal services, hospitals, industry, and railways work? and How were women’s rights, welfare, arts, and housing affected? Spotlighting how this consolidation was never forewarned and how no country had ever tried joining two completely opposite systems before, this investigation presents a fascinating chronicle told through the words of the people who lived through it.

Christopher Hilton is a writer and journalist. He is the author of Mayflower: The Voyage that Changed the World, The Wall: The People’s Story, and The Women’s War: Voices from September 11.