As September came to a close, winter winds swept across lower Germany. The morning rains subsided, but storm clouds loomed over the Muller house. While Max ate breakfast, ßilver sat at his feet. Max dropped some bacon beneath his chair. ßilver snatched every piece as soon as it hit the ground.
“Maxie, if you feed that dog, you’re only going to encourage him to become a beggar.”
Frau Muller cleaned up after Max, wiping the kitchen floor with a paper napkin. The little gray dog followed her to the trash can, knocking it over. The contents of the trash can spilled across the clean floor.
“Dog!” she barked at ßilver. ßilver yapped back at her. He thought she was playing a game. When Frau Muller spanked the little gray dog, he tucked his tail between his legs and hid behind the furniture.
“Maxie, I will not be fighting with your dog every day. You’ve got to teach him that I am King of the kitchen, not him.”
“Yes, mama,” said Max obediently. He picked up the trash and returned to his breakfast.
“Maxie, you’d better run along,” said Frau Muller as she took Max’s plate and cleaned up after him as well.
Max fastened every button on his overcoat and tied a scarf around his neck. Max always hated the long walk to school on cold days. The morning rains had subsided, but storm clouds still loomed over Stuttgart.
As he walked to school, he passed several houses and stores along the way. German flags flapped steadily in the breeze, their colorful black, red, and gold stripes even looked cold against the gray sky.
He passed three more flag poles as he approached the school. The one on the left was the Baden-Wurtemburg state flag. It consisted of a black and a yellow stripe. The flag on the right represented Stuttgart’s coat of arms. A black stallion kicked up its front feet in the center of a yellow shield on the otherwise plain white flag.
Max glanced up at the black, red, and gold flag on the center pole. The Germans called their flag the 'Schwarz-Rot-und-Gold.' Max tucked his scarf into his overcoat and ran the all the way to his homeroom.
The first class for Max was always the same. His desk sat next to the desk of Fraulein Gerdau. She was taught German History. As Max settled into his seat, the first bell rang.
"Guten Morgen, klasse," she greeted them.
"Guten Morgen, Fraulein Gerdau!" they replied.
She grabbed the hook sitting in the chalkboard tray, using it to pull down one of the maps of Germany. This one was split into two halves: East and West.
"Yesterday, we were talking about the Berlin Wall. Does anyone know why we called it the Iron Curtain?”
“Was it because it was made from iron?” asked one student.
“No. It was neither iron nor a curtain. It was a wall made of concrete. People called it the Iron Curtain because it represented a division between East and West. People on one side of the Berlin Wall were not allowed to cross to the other side.”
“Why was Germany divided?” asked Max.
“During World War II, four countries invaded Germany. They were Britian, France, America, and the Soviet Union. These armies met in Berlin, forcing the Germans to surrender.”
“We’re not German?” asked a student.
“Of course we’re German. After the war, the invaders split Germany into four parts. Eventually, the Soviet Union wanted to change Eastern Germany. When that happened, they erected a wall around West Berlin. The Berlin Wall marked a time of great change for West Berliners.”
More than Fraulein Gerdau could explain, the changes brought by the Wall affected much more than West Berlin. Not only was Germany divided, but so was the world.
People took sides with either the people of East or West Berlin, based on their own views. This came to be known as the Cold War.
“Why did it come down?” asked Max.
“The Soviet Union had problems of its own. Most of that was due to their failing economy. Also, the people of East Germany revolted against the communist government.”
“Sort of like the Weimar Republic?” asked Max.
“How do you know about the Weimar Republic?” asked Fraulein Gerdau.
“My father just brought home a Weimaraner. My mom said our house was a republic, even though our dog thought he was a king.”
Fraulein Gerdau laughed, “There have been many who thought they would be King of Germany.”
She pulled another wall chart into place. It included a wide variety of flags and banners. She pointed to a yellow shield with a two-headed black eagle.
“It looks like the coat of arms for Stuttgart!” said Max.
“For nine-hundred years during the middle ages, Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire. You can even see symbols of that heritage in most German flags and coats of arms.”
“Is that why there is an Eagle on the Porsche coat of arms?” asked Max.
“Yes. Most symbols of Germany are black, red, and gold. They often have eagles or lions. Those fierce creatures represent the kings of Germany.”
“Wasn’t there a flag with a black, white, and red stripe?” asked a student named Johann.
“Only for a very short time. Lawmakers banned it from use because it was too political.”
“What happened then?” asked Johann.
“They used the Swastika flag.”
“Wasn’t that flag political, too?” asked Max.
“Even without World War II, Germany’s flags carried a deeper meaning. The Swastika flag was replaced with a temporary flag. It was used to designate German ships traveling on the North Sea.”
She pointed out the a blue, white, and red pennant on her chart.
“Why didn’t we stay with that flag?” asked Max.
“It didn’t represent Gemany. It represented the other countries. Soon, we adopted this flag.” She pointed to the Schwarz-Rot-und-Gold.
“My father was from East Germany,” said a girl, “He even has a flag from there. It has an anvil, a wreath, and a compass.”
“The anvil symbolized the workers, the compass represented the craftsmen, and the wreath represented the farm workers. All East Germans worked together for the success of their country.”
“Why didn’t they work together with the West Germans?”
“It was a time called the Cold War. Berlin was also divided into separate parts. Some people from the east part of Berlin went to the western part. The East German political leaders didn’t like this, so they made it illegal to defect (or leave) East Germany.”
“My father was separated from the rest of his family,”said the girl.
“The Berlin Wall separated people from their families, friends, and even their jobs.”
“How could they do that?”
“The Cold War was a fight over German land. Germany was still recovering from World War II. Even though we had our own flag, we still had the identity of these foreign countries. We didn’t truly get Germany back until the Berlin Wall came down.”
Max didn’t think much about the Cold War until he returned home. Frau Miller had been fighting over kitchen space with ßilver. At the end of the day, she won, creating a little Berlin Wall of her own – putting ßilver on the back porch, out of her way.
“Mama, ßilver is freezing.”
“I told you I wouldn’t fight with him. You can let him inside when you’re home, but when you’re gone, ßilver goes outside, okay?”
“Okay, mama.”
“Maxie, if you feed that dog, you’re only going to encourage him to become a beggar.”
Frau Muller cleaned up after Max, wiping the kitchen floor with a paper napkin. The little gray dog followed her to the trash can, knocking it over. The contents of the trash can spilled across the clean floor.
“Dog!” she barked at ßilver. ßilver yapped back at her. He thought she was playing a game. When Frau Muller spanked the little gray dog, he tucked his tail between his legs and hid behind the furniture.
“Maxie, I will not be fighting with your dog every day. You’ve got to teach him that I am King of the kitchen, not him.”
“Yes, mama,” said Max obediently. He picked up the trash and returned to his breakfast.
“Maxie, you’d better run along,” said Frau Muller as she took Max’s plate and cleaned up after him as well.
Max fastened every button on his overcoat and tied a scarf around his neck. Max always hated the long walk to school on cold days. The morning rains had subsided, but storm clouds still loomed over Stuttgart.
As he walked to school, he passed several houses and stores along the way. German flags flapped steadily in the breeze, their colorful black, red, and gold stripes even looked cold against the gray sky.
He passed three more flag poles as he approached the school. The one on the left was the Baden-Wurtemburg state flag. It consisted of a black and a yellow stripe. The flag on the right represented Stuttgart’s coat of arms. A black stallion kicked up its front feet in the center of a yellow shield on the otherwise plain white flag.
Max glanced up at the black, red, and gold flag on the center pole. The Germans called their flag the 'Schwarz-Rot-und-Gold.' Max tucked his scarf into his overcoat and ran the all the way to his homeroom.
The first class for Max was always the same. His desk sat next to the desk of Fraulein Gerdau. She was taught German History. As Max settled into his seat, the first bell rang.
"Guten Morgen, klasse," she greeted them.
"Guten Morgen, Fraulein Gerdau!" they replied.
She grabbed the hook sitting in the chalkboard tray, using it to pull down one of the maps of Germany. This one was split into two halves: East and West.
"Yesterday, we were talking about the Berlin Wall. Does anyone know why we called it the Iron Curtain?”
“Was it because it was made from iron?” asked one student.
“No. It was neither iron nor a curtain. It was a wall made of concrete. People called it the Iron Curtain because it represented a division between East and West. People on one side of the Berlin Wall were not allowed to cross to the other side.”
“Why was Germany divided?” asked Max.
“During World War II, four countries invaded Germany. They were Britian, France, America, and the Soviet Union. These armies met in Berlin, forcing the Germans to surrender.”
“We’re not German?” asked a student.
“Of course we’re German. After the war, the invaders split Germany into four parts. Eventually, the Soviet Union wanted to change Eastern Germany. When that happened, they erected a wall around West Berlin. The Berlin Wall marked a time of great change for West Berliners.”
More than Fraulein Gerdau could explain, the changes brought by the Wall affected much more than West Berlin. Not only was Germany divided, but so was the world.
People took sides with either the people of East or West Berlin, based on their own views. This came to be known as the Cold War.
“Why did it come down?” asked Max.
“The Soviet Union had problems of its own. Most of that was due to their failing economy. Also, the people of East Germany revolted against the communist government.”
“Sort of like the Weimar Republic?” asked Max.
“How do you know about the Weimar Republic?” asked Fraulein Gerdau.
“My father just brought home a Weimaraner. My mom said our house was a republic, even though our dog thought he was a king.”
Fraulein Gerdau laughed, “There have been many who thought they would be King of Germany.”
She pulled another wall chart into place. It included a wide variety of flags and banners. She pointed to a yellow shield with a two-headed black eagle.
“It looks like the coat of arms for Stuttgart!” said Max.
“For nine-hundred years during the middle ages, Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire. You can even see symbols of that heritage in most German flags and coats of arms.”
“Is that why there is an Eagle on the Porsche coat of arms?” asked Max.
“Yes. Most symbols of Germany are black, red, and gold. They often have eagles or lions. Those fierce creatures represent the kings of Germany.”
“Wasn’t there a flag with a black, white, and red stripe?” asked a student named Johann.
“Only for a very short time. Lawmakers banned it from use because it was too political.”
“What happened then?” asked Johann.
“They used the Swastika flag.”
“Wasn’t that flag political, too?” asked Max.
“Even without World War II, Germany’s flags carried a deeper meaning. The Swastika flag was replaced with a temporary flag. It was used to designate German ships traveling on the North Sea.”
She pointed out the a blue, white, and red pennant on her chart.
“Why didn’t we stay with that flag?” asked Max.
“It didn’t represent Gemany. It represented the other countries. Soon, we adopted this flag.” She pointed to the Schwarz-Rot-und-Gold.
“My father was from East Germany,” said a girl, “He even has a flag from there. It has an anvil, a wreath, and a compass.”
“The anvil symbolized the workers, the compass represented the craftsmen, and the wreath represented the farm workers. All East Germans worked together for the success of their country.”
“Why didn’t they work together with the West Germans?”
“It was a time called the Cold War. Berlin was also divided into separate parts. Some people from the east part of Berlin went to the western part. The East German political leaders didn’t like this, so they made it illegal to defect (or leave) East Germany.”
“My father was separated from the rest of his family,”said the girl.
“The Berlin Wall separated people from their families, friends, and even their jobs.”
“How could they do that?”
“The Cold War was a fight over German land. Germany was still recovering from World War II. Even though we had our own flag, we still had the identity of these foreign countries. We didn’t truly get Germany back until the Berlin Wall came down.”
Max didn’t think much about the Cold War until he returned home. Frau Miller had been fighting over kitchen space with ßilver. At the end of the day, she won, creating a little Berlin Wall of her own – putting ßilver on the back porch, out of her way.
“Mama, ßilver is freezing.”
“I told you I wouldn’t fight with him. You can let him inside when you’re home, but when you’re gone, ßilver goes outside, okay?”
“Okay, mama.”
ßilver scampered through the house as soon as Max let him inside. The little gray dog was sure to stay out of Frau Muller’s way. It looked as if she was the King of the kitchen, after all.
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