History

Professor’s talk commemorates fall of the Berlin Wall

Yesterday, students gathered to hear Adjunct Lecturer in History, Christiane Warren, Ph.D., speak about the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Dr. Warren served as a civilian translator, attached to the 5/502nd Infantry Battalion of the U.S Army Berlin Brigade during the final years of the Cold War. She also spent part of her early years with relatives on both sides of the Iron Curtain during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was able to offer a unique perspective into the lives of Berliners living in both East and West Berlin during the time. Students learned about the construction of the wall, starting as just a barbed wire fence in 1961 up to the complex, concrete structure which came down in 1989. They also learned about the incredible adaptability of East Berliners to their new life under Communism after WWII and the bustling lifestyle of West Berliners during the same period.

On her time spent in Germany, Dr. Warren reflected saying that although the fall of the Wall was unexpected and her time in Berlin came to an abrupt end, she could say she was proud to have served and leave knowing that the mission of protecting and building democracy in Germany was a success. When asked if she owned a piece of the wall, she answered, “I felt having lived with the wall, there was no need for me to have a piece of it.”

To see more photos from yesterday’s talk, visit the History Department’s Facebook page.