OSHER 39 - A Look Behind the Iron Curtain: Life, Politics, and Institutions of East Germany

What was "East Germany?" How did this country come about? What was life like behind the Iron Curtain? What sustained East Germany and made it tick for forty years? We will look at how one country existed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as we discuss daily life, politics, institutions, culture and art. The classes will be a combination of stories and images, debunking some stereotypes and confirming others. Come prepared to share your own views of history, to time travel and even to imagine living there yourself.