On Wednesday June 17, 2009, three citizens of Germany -- who grew up in communist East Germany and who had just begun their university studies when the wall came down in 1989 -- participated in a panel discussion in Dr. Molly Johnson's summer class, History 479/579, "Europe in the Twentieth Century: Special Focus, The Cold War, 1945-1991."
Pictured here from left to right see Jana Sachsinger, Katrin Rebiger, and Bill Rebiger. (Katrin and Bill's son Simon was an exchange student at Huntsville High School in 2008-2009.)
Pictured here from left to right see Jana Sachsinger, Katrin Rebiger, and Bill Rebiger. (Katrin and Bill's son Simon was an exchange student at Huntsville High School in 2008-2009.)
UAH students asked the panelists a wide range of questions pertaining to topics as varied as the Stasi (the East German secret police), the Free German Youth organization, their views of the positives as well as the negatives of East German communism, their participation in resistance activities and demonstrations in 1989, their memories of shortages of consumer goods in East German times, the phenomenon of nostalgia for East German communism, etc. Bill Rebiger commented afterwards to Dr. Johnson that he was extremely impressed by the questions the students raised. Hurray for UAH students!
Many thanks to Jana, Katrin, and Bill for sharing their insights and experiences and enriching the class experience for all students.
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