Paul Stein

HIST 384
4/14/15
After The Wall Response
After the Wall, by Jana Hensel, describes the period after the October 1989 fall of the
Berlin Wall and the subsequent reunification of Germany. Hensel, who was only 13 years old
when the wall fell, writes from her own perspective as an East German having to integrate into
the new, unified Germany. Throughout the book, Hensel struggles to reconcile her East German
identity with the new Germany. After the Wall reveals how East Germans struggled to grasp with
the reunification of Germany.
Hansels description of her parents reactions perfectly illustrates how reunification
developed a generational gap. Indeed, she describes her parents as unable to understand the
situation- they still believed that Western goods had some sort of inherent value.1 On the other
hand, Hensel and her age group, much unlike her parents, felt as though they were children in the
proverbial candy store. Whereas the older generations veritable expeditions stopped, Hensels
generation would search for the perfect gift.2 Her parents, while appreciating the gifts, would
show a mixture of disgust and horror, clearly indicating that they thought them a waste of money.
3

This example elucidates the generational gap that the reunification created; the older

generation, who came of age under socialism, did not understand the purpose of having status
symbols or anything of the like. On the other hand, the younger generation, while raised
nominally under the socialist system, truly came of age under capitalism. Indeed, Hensel
recognizes that her generation quickly capitulated to capitalist ideas.4 It quickly shed the ideas of
1 Jena Hansel, After the Wall, trans. Jefferson Chase (New York: Public Affairs 2004), 48.
2 Ibid, 50-1.
3 Ibid, 51
4 Ibid, 51

Paul Stein
HIST 384
4/14/15
socialism, and embraced the new free market. In short, German unification creates a generational
gap, well-illustrated by consumerism. As Hensel states, the Walls fall destroys the parental
generations views; there was nothing left to tear down.5 However, this is not the only change
that Hensel records.
Hensel also makes great light of the fact that, while the physical East-West German border is
gone, the proverbial wall in the head still remains. This is very well illustrated throughout
After the Wall. One of the most poignant examples comes from the anecdote about the grocery
store. Since Hensel, who comes from the East, did not grow up with such things as Coca-Cola
and (presumably a certain brand of) chocolate cookies, she takes every opportunity she can to
acquire them; they may not be available tomorrow. However, Jonathan, from the West, takes
time to inquire whether the apples are locally sourced, and apologizes for his use of nonrecyclable packaging. When he sees Hensels goods, he wonders if the Wall just fell. 6 Another
example stems from the discussion of parental backgrounds. Whereas the Westerners are more
likely to state that they are from a humble background or allude to some type of wealth, the
Easterners simply do not see it as important. Indeed, they are shocked that parental occupations
actually mean something, as East Germany was fairly classless by design. Indeed, this idea was
hammered into East Germans, surviving the fall of Communism. Hensel relates that West
Germans will laugh at her notions that anyone can do anything, provided that he/she has the
talent and is willing to put in the work. 7 Finally, the wall in the head is well illustrated by
Hensels statements about World War II. Whereas in the West, Germans were largely forced to
5 Ibid, 74
6 Ibid, 55
7 Ibid, 110

Paul Stein
HIST 384
4/14/15
accept some form of collective guilt for the Nazi crimes, the East painted a picture of heroic antifascist resistance. Moritz, Jans friend, tells a story of his grandfathers high rank in the Nazi
Party. On the other hand, Hensel states that her world begins in 1945, when the war ends.8 This
episode perfectly illustrates how the wall in the head is very much present. Due to Hensels
education, she sees World War II as irrelevant; the East Germans were good Communists, and
resisted the fascists. However, Moritz and Jan, due to their education in the West, see World War
II as something that Germans bear guilt as a whole for, and that, while some resisted, far more
are guilty by association, if not by direct involvement. Arguably, this is the best example of the
wall in the head that Sheffer, Schneider, and Hensel have alluded to or directly addressed.
Overall, After the Wall unveils how East Germans had to reconcile their new lives with the ones
that they lived under Communism. It is a fairly effective telling of how culture changed as a
direct consequence of German reunification, with qualification. I believe that Hensels
perspective as an East German inherently biases how she sees the results of reunification. It
would be interesting to see a similar book by a West German, detailing how his/her life changed
as a result of German reunification. Seeing as how I have now read this book twice, I didnt find
it as illuminating as I did the first time. However, I will say that it still surprises me how much of
a culture shock reunification truly was. I would have no qualms recommending it to a friend,
provided he/she knows something about the political climate of the time.

8 Ibid, 116-17