Test the West: Metamorphosis
in East Germany
Part I: 1990 First Encounter
With a New System
(filmed in English)
by Simone Shoemaker
A realistic look at the actual effects of reunification
on Eastern German citizens directly after the fall of the Berlin Wall from
the perspective of an Eastern German woman.
Specific Content Questions
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What monetary effects did reunification have on East Germans?
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What is a Trabant? When were they created? What are they made of? Why did/do
people buy them?
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What other system in the former "Eastern Block" was destroyed as a result of the introduction of a free market
economy?
-
What kinds of problems did the introduction of Western capitalism create
in the Eastern states? What effect has Western marketing had on the economy?
Why were East Germans more likely to buy Western products?
-
Why is free market competition detrimental to former East German professionals?
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What were the positive effects of the new free market economy?
-
What is the East Side Gallery? How could this exhibit provide a positive
picture of the new united Germany?
Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking
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How can art have an impact on a society?
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Is a Western free market the best economic system for everyone?
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How important is freedom? Have you ever experienced what it is like to
have no freedom?
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How are Eastern Germans different from Western Germans?
Return to "Materials and Teaching Suggestions!"