RIESTER

9 November 1989, celebrating at the Berlin Wall. For the first time in two generations people move freely between East and West Berlin. Political systems have a profound impact on culture. Photo by Sue Ream.

9/11 in the U.S. marks a dark day in American history. Europeans use a different syntax to express dates. The day comes first and then the month. 9/11 in Europe is a day to celebrate. On the ninth day of November, exactly twenty years ago, a non-violent revolution brought down the Berlin Wall.

For forty-four years Germany had been divided. The East lived under the grip of a Communist police state. The West thrived under what is best characterized as a social market economy. After the Wall fell, Germany was reunified. Yet, twenty years after the reunification, significant differences remain between the eastern and western parts of Germany. How could this be?

If you travel to Berlin today, you can see how arbitrary the division of the city was. The same was true for the 858 mile-long border that split Germany into two separate nations during the Cold War. German culture dates back over many centuries, it seems implausible that a divide that lasted less than two generations would alter a culture so much. Yet it did. It may take two more generations for the cultural divide that grew between east and west to dissipate in Germany.

The story of Germany’s division and reunification holds some unexpected lessons in multiculturalism. The effects of living under different political systems for as short as two generations impacted the respective parts of Germany more than one would have imagined.

As people from other cultures move to new places they are challenged to adapt and assimilate quickly to the dominant culture. The case of Germany is interesting because few people physically moved after 1989, yet the former East Germans found themselves needing to assimilate within a unified nation. In some regards people adapt quickly in these circumstances, but the process of acculturation is uneven and people are slow to let go of certain parts of their cultural heritage.

RIESTER’s understanding of cultural issues goes beyond any specific cultural group. We are fortunate to have the ability to truly comprehend other cultures prior to applying acculturation models for marketing purposes. Only when one clearly understands different cultures, is it possible to understand the societal dynamics that arise as people assimilate, and then identify what matters most to those people.

Today the boundary that split Germany for nearly half a century is gone. November 1989 was a turning point in history. After decades of tensions, a non-violent uprising brought an end to communist rule over East Germany. Political systems are more important than we often realize. An oppressive regime can have a profound effect on the culture of a people, no matter how old that culture may be.