France Marks Anniversary Of Berlin Wall's Fall

Copyright © 2009 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

Its MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Im Steve Inskeep.

As were hearing this week, the fall of the Berlin Wall, 20 years ago, brought euphoria and a sense of freedom to Eastern Europe. But that was not the case in Western Europe, where some feared that a reunified Germany might return to its old militaristic ways. That fear was especially palpable in a country that Germany had invaded three times and defeated twice. Eleanor Beardsley sends us this report about how the fall of the Berlin Wall was seen through the eyes of the French.

(Soundbite of music)

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY: Paris marked the fall of the Berlin Wall with a dazzling sound and light show at the Place�de la Concorde. Twenty-seven cellists representing the 27 members of the European Union played atop pedestals representing pieces of the wall. While the music floated out into the night air, images of the walls history were projected on the surrounding buildings.

The concert was a gift from the people of France to the people of Germany. And organizers said it was meant to banish the fears and doubts expressed during that period of history. Twenty years ago, Western Europe was less than enthused by the prospect of German reunification.

Mr. MICHEL MEYER: (Through translator) President Francois�Mitterrand�was panicked by the resurgence of a new Germany that suddenly grew by 17 million people. And his surprise and hesitation over the fall of the wall was really a reflection of the feelings of the French people at that time.

BEARDSLEY: Thats French author and journalist Michel Meyer, who wrote the secret history of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Meyer says, in 1989, France had still not fully gotten over its defeat by Germany in 1940. France was also fearful of losing the considerable political clout it enjoyed over Germany in postwar Europe.

After World War II, France and Germany gradually moved closer. In the 50s and 60s, the countries cooperation laid the groundwork for the European Union.

(Soundbite of music)

And in 1984, Mitterrand and German Chancellor�Helmut Kohl held hands during the playing of the two countries national anthems at Verdun, where nearly a million French and German soldiers were killed and wounded in World War I. that hand clasp became the symbol of a renewed Franco-German friendship. But the potential for German reunification five years later still shocked France. Roland�Dumas was French foreign minister at the time.

Mr. ROLAND�DUMAS (Former French Foreign Minister): (Through translator) Would a unified Germany remain a good citizen of Europe or would it assume its posture and attitudes of the Second World War. Yes, believe me, those were the worries of that time.

BEARDSLEY: Dumas and Mitterrands biggest concern was over Germanys eastern border with Poland. After World War II, part of German territory was seceded to Poland. Mitterrand feared a return that question could trigger a return to conflict. Roland Dumas.

Mr. DUMAS: (Through translator): Mitterrand kept asking Kohl, what is Germany going to do? He was so preoccupied with this that he summoned the German foreign minister for a private meeting. But he assured us that Germany would never return to the politics of 1939.

BEARDSLEY: Germany stuck to its 1945 borders, and Kohl coined his famous saying that Germany unity and European unity were two sides of the same coin. Joachim Bitterlich is the executive vice president of a multination French company. In 1989, he was Helmut Kohls advisor. As he sits at an outdoor caf� in Paris, Bitterlich looks back on that time. He says no one knew how fast things would go and where they would lead.

Mr. Joachim Bitterlich (Vice president, Veolia Environment): The French would say, were hesitating, as others, as the Americans, for example, because of the status of Germany. What would be the status of Germany within NATO? Would the new Germany remain in NATO?

BEARDSLEY: In the end, no one opposed the will of the German people, says Bitterlich. And whats a little hesitation in the history of nations? In the West, as in the East, he says, the fall of the Berlin Wall has meant the birth of a new Europe.

For NPR News, Im Eleanor Beardsley in Paris.

Copyright ©2009 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.