A Woman In Berlin

It seems obvious that a civilian population would experience and have a perspective on war than members of the military, but for those who perpetrate warfargon mainly the multi-national moneyed corporate interests, the bankers and stockbrokers, and the politicians who in the long run give the orders while r arly if ever suffering the direct consequences, it seems to matter little. It has been this way throughout merciful invoice, but up until the advent of mechanized warfare, it was primarily soldiers, whose job it is to carry out orders, who experienced the consequences first-hand. civil populations have suffered these consequences periodically throughout history as well, but it was after the development of mechanized licking that civilians became regular first-hand victims of the horrors of war. The American Civil War and the First World War had brought this to civilian populations on a wide-scale basis to some extent, but it was really the Second World War in which mechani zed warfare had been perfected to the point that virtually any civilian population could be affected including that of Germany.The Germans had been subject to disappointment and hunger following the First World War as well as major economical upheavals conditions that allowed Hitler to come to business leader in the first place. Nonetheless, German villages, cities and infrastructure had survived the 1914-1918 conflict nearly intact. This was not the slipperiness during the Second World War. Germany, for a brief time had been the worlds great superpower, which seemed only sufficient to its passel particularly after the countrys spectacular rise prior to hostilities, and the apparent relaxation method with which German forces had secured lebensraum for the deutsches leute.The anonymous author of A Woman In Berlin, a day-by-day account of Berlins fall and resultant occupation by Soviet military, gives us a vivid account of the subsequent disbelief, the initial clinging to h ope in the face, the changed perspective on everyday life, and the various survival tactics employed. principally however, it is a story of the transition from feelings of power over ones fate to powerlessness, and what issues, formerly trivial, debate on monumental importance in the face of a struggle simply to survive Heart, hurt, love, swear how foreign, how distant those words sound now.Evidently a sophisticated, discriminating love life requires three determine meals a day. 1 It is also an experience of life stripped to its bare essentials Once again, we see what a dubious blessing technology is. Machines with no intrinsic value, worthless if you cant plug them in somewhere. Bread however is absolute. 2 In light of this, it is fascinating to see how people at least in the beginning grasp on to any semblance of order as civilization collapses roughly them.On page 13 is a stark example of the unique cultural traits of the German people of that time cultural traits that h ad allowed Hitler and the Nazi party to seize the power that eventually led to the downfall despite the lack of enforcement, despite the fact that the tram is nearly empty, the narrator walks alongside it in a pour simply because she does not have the Class III ticket that would entitle her to ride. Order. Its rooted involved inside us we do what we are told. 3 As the Russians enter the city, suddenly, they are no daylong a distant, faceless enemy they are humans like the German civilians, but unlike the Germans, they are predominantly young, male, relatively well-fed and enraged. It is not always acknowledged that the Russians suffered far greater casualties than the U. S. , Great Britain and the issue garrisons from countries such as France and Poland combined. According to the official Nazi party line, Slavs, i. . Russians, were little better than Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals. Despite ukaz Stalina (Stalins decree), repeated acts of rape and assault occur. As one Russian in sists What did the Germans do to our women? 4 revealing that these are not acts of lust or sexual hunger these are acts of vengeance. Ultimately, and perhaps inevitably, hunger and safety demand the lowest needs on Maslows hierarchy take priority as the vanquished adapt in order to survive.The narrator is willing to submit to Only one in order to avoid being gang-raped. Even during the act itself, shes only half present, and that half is no longer resisting. 5 Eventually, she must find a single wolf to keep away the pack. 6 Ultimately, even the men adapt, surrendering and serving the conquerors despite orders not to surrender, the desire to live wins out. angiotensin converting enzyme difference between Soviet combat military man and that of every other combatant is the presence of women Were amazed to see so many adult female soldiers, with field tunics, skirts, berets and insignia7 It is unclear from the narrative if the presence of Russian women prevented the brutish beha vior from being worse than it was, but it is noteworthy that eventually, victor and vanquished are on first-name basis, actually interacting on a human level. One stark difference between the civilian and the military perspective stands out in bold relief pitcher in the military, there is usually a bond of brotherhood among the soldiers of a given unit.In the instigate of battle, a soldier isnt fighting for his flag, for geo-political advantage or territory theyre fighting for their comrades. On the other hand, among the civilians, it seems to come down for every man or woman for his/herself I couldnt heraldic bearing about the lot of themall my feelings seem dead, except for the drive to live. 8 This story is a history of a little-known chapter of World War II, but it is more importantly a testament to the overwhelming power of the survival instinct.