the did east germany cease to exist as a state more than a generation ago but what do we really know about east germany will discuss that today with roland the federal commission and for the stasi records hello. welcome to the d w interviewer i'm thomas. mr yon there was a pervasive sense of mistrust in east germany because the state authorities could spy on any citizen at any time. you were targeted by the stasi and now you're in charge of their archives do you still have a sense of trust. so i wouldn't put it quite like that they're working isas in east germany where you'd find that someone you had trusted was actually working for the stasi the secret police but that's why we have to keep studying these archives so that we can find out what happened and deal with it. as we need to confront the past and i think that will be a step forward for germany now and in the future. when you have a betrayed by so-called friends. yes i had a few disappointments it's beneath me negatively but i learn from those situations and that's a good thing. when things like that happen you can make a new

mr yon there was a pervasive sense of mistrust in east germany because the states with or t.'s could spy on any citizen at any time. you were targeted by the stasi and now you are in charge of their archives do you still have a sense of trust. so i wouldn't put it quite like that they're working asses in east germany where you'd find that someone you'd trust that was actually working for the stasi the secret police but that's why we have to keep studying these archives so that we can find out what happened and deal with it. as we need to confront the past and i think that will be a step forward for germany now and in the future. when you have a betrayed by so-called friends. yes i had a few disappointments it's beneath me but i learn from those situations and that's a good thing. when things like that happen you can make a new start and deal with it effectively. sometimes you can talk to the person who disappointed you and then decide whether you really can make a fresh start. off your east german citizenship was revoked nine hundred eighty three and you moved to west berlin i

moscow pulled five hundred thousand soviet soldiers out of east germany alone. the group of soviet armed forces in germany was the largest permanent army ever stationed by an occupation force abroad. the logistics needed to get them back home were just as fast. as. poland had also broken with moscow so most of the troops left germany via the ferry port of new kron on the baltic island over again. observers followed the huge enterprise with great interest nobody knew exactly what weapons the soviet army had kept in east germany. as foreign feel good feel hugo there were a lot of hazardous materials so we kept out of everything so you could almost piece it together these were initiatives those were special russian rail cars which were somewhat larger than normal but enclosed and when they passed through then you knew either there was a rocket inside or maybe there wasn't like you didn't go off like a kind of like. the soviet withdrawal gave me a cry on a much needed boost. as one of east germany's last big transportation projects the port had been built specificall

but it's one nine hundred eighty nine and everybody but bill him suspects that east germany is cracking up. and in france is the. book and that's where the monkey. see this. by turns both funny and sad the director captures the feel of the novel the gloomy decline of east germany just before the fall time travel to a country that no longer exists. just to be put it is or. is for a mistress for greatness for. satire is one of the hardest genres to get right whether in literature or of film our number two pick walks that fine line between wit and provocation daring us to laugh at the worst man in history but. look who's back. in people of them mrs bestseller adult hitler wakes up unharmed in berlin circa two thousand and fourteen. the most sort of considerable. instead of a straight adaptation the director turns the novel into a bore out style prank comedy sending his lead actor as hitler among unsuspecting germans the feeling in the book and movie becomes a media phenomenon shocking yes surprising last. image viewer tom from. the beginning. i don't see why. women who cover the mother who

boy goes in times of fading light a family drama set against the collapse of communism in east germany won the german book prize in two thousand and eleven. the film version distills the epic novel into a single day. friends and comrades gathered to celebrate the ninetieth birthday of communist hero. but it's one nine hundred eighty nine and everybody but ville him suspects that east germany is cracking up. and influences the show. and that's why the only way. to see this is that even. by turns both funny and sad the director captures the feel of the novel the gloomy decline of east germany just before the fall time travel to a country that no longer exists. and celebrity there's a that. is for me mr sr frame this for. satire is one of the hardest genres to get right whether in literature or it felt our number two pick walks that fine line between wit and provocation daring us to laugh at the worst man in history. look who's back. in people of them mrs bestseller adult hitler wakes up unharmed in berlin circa two thousand and fourteen. almost sort of considerable. instead of a straight

sure of the real reason, but prior to the direction of the wall, almost anyone who could get into east germanyhis feet held out. many dead. once in west berlin, you were outside the iron curtain. the free passage of people between east and west berlin was the only physical gap in the iron curtain. the russians sealed it. the wall is a solid [indiscernible] ♪ narrator: and the wall remains. it stands in berlin today. it stands will stand forever the road or communism leaves -- wherever the road or communism leads. ♪ narrator: someday according to its builders, it will surround not merely though world but the moon, the stars, outer space, the universe. their objective is clear, and so is ours. they intend to put the world on their road. we intend that the world shall be free, each man and each country to choose the road that suits him best. to achieve our objective, we need above all to understand ash new threat must be met, in korea. military action with military aid as in greece and turkey. economic weakness with economic aid and cooperation to keep western europe independent. red or dead. not

according to them, west berlin was a base for intrigue and imperialist assault on east berlin and east germanynjoy the finer things in life. ♪ tak narrator: but they were going the other way. east to west. so has every other casualty at the wall. no one can be sure of the real reason, but prior to the direction of the wall, almost anyone who could get into east germany would reach west berlin with his feet held out. many dead. once in west berlin, you were outside the iron curtain. the free passage of people between east and west berlin was the only physical gap in the iron curtain. the russians sealed it. the wall is a solid fact. [indiscernible] ♪ narrator: and the wall remains. it stands in berlin today. it stands and will stand wherever the road to world communism leads. ♪ narrator: someday according to its builders, it will surround not merely though world but the moon, the stars, outer space, the universe. their objective is clear, and so is ours. ♪ narrator: they intend to put the world on their road. we intend that the world shall be free, each man and each country to choose the road t

but it's one nine hundred eighty nine and everybody but vilhelm suspects that east germany is cracking up. and in france is the she is a girl and that's why the monkey see this is the best is made by turns both funny and sad the director captures the feel of the novel the gloomy decline of east germany just before the fall time travel to a country that no longer exists. in sicily but it is about. this for him is the sister bravest of. satire is one of the hardest genres to get right whether in literature or in film our number two pick walks that fine line between wit and provocation daring us to laugh at the worst man in history. look who's back. in people of them mrs best seller adult hitler wakes up unharmed in berlin circa two thousand and fourteen. the most sort of conflict because. instead of a straight adaptation the director turns the novel into a borat style prank comedy sending his lead actor as hitler among unsuspecting germans the feeling in the book and movie becomes a media phenomenon shocking yes surprising. movie which i'm from. not a mechanic. and i don't see why. women

occupation want to continue influence and control with east germany and north korea.hological warfare, trade agreements spread the soviet influence in africa and the middle east. when it is needed, it is used. the expulsion from the mainland of the chinese national government is a military exercise complete with artillery, tanks, the infantry, and secret operations. casualties and refugees. seclusion is of course an important technique. czechoslovakia, an established democracy. communist deputies found the their desks as demonstrations reach riot proportions. on february 25, and formed the alternative is civil war and with the unmistakable invasion, the president accepts a communist cabinet. but the son of the countries greatest euro will not go along and does the country's greatest hero will not go along. his body is discovered dead. whether he was murdered or killed himself is not known to this day. ♪ three months later, a constitution, soviet-styled, is adopted by parliament. the president refuses to sign it and is forced from office. before the year is over -- ♪ j

and here bridges musician marlon reed desk which stars in communist east germany and discovers they all have a lot in common. but i think this show is so important to bring great live musicians together small crowd intimate vibe. a lot of free styling a lot of different things happening it's not all you know strict and that makes you feel like you can breathe as a musician. you need the moments brought to you every week in our new show night proves. to be the best. let's go. to with if you. like a lot of fun write a large collection of works from the late art collector gurlitz is going on display here in europe gurlitt drew drew international attention in two thousand and twelve after hundreds of masterpieces were discovered in his possession when he was being investigated for tax evasion many of the works were believed to have been looted from jewish owners under the nazis more on that story coming up at the top of today's express.

her athleticism is no accident born in east germany in one thousand nine hundred one color was a gymnast before turning to acting that solid basis in sports helps her when preparing for action films such as the superman movie man of steel. but she's now being offered a wider spectrum of films getting the chance to show she can do more than just action movies we're sure can play just about anything. yet for los angeles but she's already making a name for herself in hollywood expect to see her coming soon to a theater near you international success also seems a given for our next talent thanks to one film in particular. is immaculately on fox with a live for the in the poorly run plan is. going to be counterproductive you know for some time as an ambitious businesswoman the daughter of an practical joke loving father it's the role of a lifetime. and that's good too she says of course it's wonderful to get a role like this and to master it without failing miserably so i don't know. there's no hint of failure here the film has been showered with praise and prizes including a best actress awa

attack he gets his nickname nimitz the german from his years as a secret service operative in east germany he knows the mechanisms of power and believes that the pillars on which the soviet union rested haven't been lost forever. reassured and anxious at the same time all eyes are turned to moscow where the lights are back on in the kremlin. yes. miramax this week's highlights. linguini jewelry artists display their beautiful ads in vietnam massively monumental postwar brutalist aka tech just once despised it's now been celebrated. sighing gravity fabio vid most spectacular bikes down. your romance in thirty minutes w. . will miss the subtle enticed me when i ask him to donors or dealing with a name that i killed many civilians with him in the us come that including my father was the first and i was a student because i wanted to build a life for myself but they stuck totally at ease but suddenly life became elish kind of sob. providing insights global news that matters d. w. made for mines. g w true diversity. where the world of science is at home in many languages. on its own for thought

for athleticism is no accident born in east germany in one thousand nine hundred one to tell it was a gymnast before turning to acting that solid basis in sports helps her when preparing for action films such as the superman movie man of steel. but she's now being offered a wider spectrum of films getting the chance to show she can do more than just action movies we're sure can play just about anything. hasn't yet left ireland for los angeles but she's already making a name for herself in hollywood expect to see her coming soon to a theater near you international success also seems a given for our next talent thanks to one film in particular. is a record of your own songs with a live for the in the where the rubber on the. going to become called. you know for some time as an ambitious business woman the daughter of an practical joke loving father it's the role of a lifetime. and that's good too she says because of course it's wonderful to get a role like this and to master it without failing miserably so she went on and there's no hint of failure here the film has been showered with p

viewers in more than one hundred countries followed as an east german spy in west germany at the height of the cold war. the actor has appeared on t.v. shows around the world to talk about the role that's made him famous but. born in one nine hundred ninety in lubec here last night i went to his first audition after seeing an ad in a newspaper the start of an impressive career. which has included a role as a teen who gets mixed up in anti foreigner violence in northeastern germany after the fall of communism and eunice knight is just getting started. like you on the next day repeat and acting when she was still teenager she's not as well know and yet as our other favorites but we think that's about to change. lives liza freeze likes to look at new roles from several different perspectives before saying yes to them and intellectual at heart she prefers more serious projects. like playing a woman with cystic fibrosis and a drama about assisted suicide can you remind me. or the survivor of a killing spree who knew the murderer. live lisa flees was born in berlin in one thousand nine hundre

>> peter: i was born in east germany, and east germany, that meant you will never go out. >> anthony:eak down and said, "wow! you will go!" >> anthony: i haven't seen anything of this country yet. but what i read was, the world's backwater, filled with bombed-out banks that have been looted, institutions that didn't work, everyone carried a gun. it was like the wild west, but poorer. it's not that anymore? >> peter: uh, a bit of this is true. i, by myself, got a .45 on my head last week, that's -- that's pretty common stuff, for me. >> anthony: seldom, in the history of the world, have i seen any country where, one after the other, you've had absolutely the most maniacal, insane, suicidal group of piss-pot dictators, century after century. >> peter: you are right. even in the stroessner times, the better part of paraguayans was behind him. paraguayans are very, very easy to influence. and this is, i believe, unchanged until a short time ago. now, there is a growing middle class, better education than before, and that makes the people say no. >> anthony: how was the soup? >> peter: i l

you think we were we've been in germany i mean since the end of world war two in the division of germany east and west we start with germany with the germans with west germany for decades now i don't know that that means it's going to be decades before ukraine is is reunited that crimea is returned but i think the the west has shown. that we are willing to do what it takes to protect sovereignty and to protect democracy and. people in ukraine they saw how much better life was in poland when poland joined the e.u. and joined the alliance people in ukraine wanted to make while that same choice ukraine's the only country in the world where people have died with the e.u. flag and they're here answer is russia or is in the ukraine the answer is russia is occupying crimea that's the answer from the russian side rather was in east germany also and they're gone so you compare this sure show up actually i'm actually optimistic if we can all stick together. you know time is not in russia's favor you said that russia could conquer the baltic states vote quicker then we could get there to defend them quo

stuff schneider and please john lawfulness the six friends played in various bands in communist east germany in one thousand nine hundred four they joined forces to form. the sexten are like a family where communication is key. the most i'm stein is about talking to and we like having good discussions seventy percent of the time we spent together is chatting on. a trip back in time to the late one nine hundred eighty guitarist hollanders and keyboard push on the flop alarm and were part of the legendary east berlin punk outfit feeling big. i. i. i i i yeah. we were really lucky to meet up when you reach of the from the old days and had something in common. you could have all come to nothing with the same music. the music isn't any better than other music it was. like to thank you. for. the trademark homage tined sound would soon make its mark the big breakthrough came with the one nine hundred ninety seven single angle which spent several months in the german charts. hans john have released sixty two albums to date everyone a good. strong start try starting to please supply. the band's pensi

reaction and the supporters of have said this is illegal this is just like the stars used to do in east germany the alternative for germany party has a lot of support in east germany so i think with that act part of the action of the piece i think they've gone one step too far maybe see that they're really trying to provoke an argument more than more than a debate who is this group had they done something like this before yeah they're actually quite well known i mean this type of our activism has become very very popular now you have people like i way way famous chinese artist that's all he's doing now but these guys that's basically what they've done from the start and they they always take very provocative actions they they had an event earlier last year where they took tigers and put them in a cage outside a theater in berlin and then said they were going to throw refugees into the cage to be eaten alive it was obviously to protest the reaction against refugees here in germany with the crisis from last year and so obvious it's again a very blunt political point that they're trying to make wi

here bridges musician my laundry desk which stars in communist east germany and discovers they all have a lot in common. i think this show is so important to bring great live musicians together small crowd intimate vibe. a lot of free styling a lot of different things happening it's not you know strict and that makes you feel like you can breathe as a musician. because moments brought to you every week in our new show my craves. me. let's go. down. the. aisle it's no exaggeration to say the german capital is a melting pot of cultures these days as people from no less than one hundred eighty nine countries now call it their home so it stands to reason that they have influenced the city's callen area seen as many of them have brought a taste of their homeland and their cultures with one of them is this how group from morocco who has recreated his very own cast in berlin. i think the first six weeks of talks me for between to get in because it's the greenest city in europe and also i loved it so i don't really. and it turns in every day and i love it. that's. hydras sa good opened his meri

that's extraordinary, and it really points to farmer east germany, which feels kind of like rust beltappalachia but in germany, 50% of voting age people in former east germany say they don't believe reunification worked, that they were left behind, and 27% of the population voted for the a.f.d. in recent elections. that trend will only grow and one of the reasons why if you were to have new early elections in germany, the potential for outcome will be worse for merkel than the last election she had is very real. >> the possibility of new elections, mrs. merkel said she doesn't like the idea of a minority government, soon to be opening the door to new elections, but you say the outcome is likely to hurt her even more? >> it could easily. there niece good outcome for merkel. this clearly weakens her significantly. it means that the ability of the germans to act as a real partner for emmanuel macron in france and strengthen european institutions really off the table now. it's up to the german president to decide how he wants to respond now. does he want to put merkel forward or someone e

army the biggest in the world maintained its vigilance with five hundred thousand soldiers in east germany and tens of thousands in czechoslovakia hungary and poland. the council for mutual economic assistance comic-con linked to the economies of the socialist countries each country had its own specialisation. socialist planning in the comic-con network meant one country. we build engines the next cars and other tractors and so on. but in the big brother reserve the right to build aircraft for itself. the soviet union had most of the raw materials especially oil a hard currency on the global market. the socialist system managed to establish itself across continents from the arctic to the steps of central asia. or a. in space the soviet union even stole a march on its so-called class enemy the first unmanned satellite sputnik. the first living creature. the first manned national hero yuri gagarin. and the first woman but on tina turner. were sent into orbit around the earth from the cosmos drummin baikonur kazakstan socialism was conquering the universe lenin would have been pleased. back o

here bridges musician marlon reed decimeter family which stars in communist east germany and discovers they all have a lot in common because i think this show is so important to bring great live musicians together small crowd intimate vibe. a lot of free styling a lot of different things happening it's not you know straight down that makes you feel like you can breathe as a musician. you think of moments brought to you every week in our new show cribs. with the the sad. people. to still be there. but let's go. me this. will be you sit with me. and the like a lot of fun all right a large collection of works from the late art collector gurlitz is going on display here in europe gurlitt drew drew international attention in two thousand and twelve after hundreds of masterpieces were discovered in his possession when he was being investigated for tax evasion many of the works were believed to have been looted from jewish owners under the nazis or on that story coming up at the top of today's express. an exhibition called gurnet status nazi arced past and its consequences opens at the bundle