Dietmar Schultke, of Germany, speaks with 6th-graders on the consequences of World War II and the loss of freedoms by those who lived in the areas controlled by the Soviet Union.
Students at Kettle Moraine Middle School had the unique opportunity to hear from an eyewitness to history. Dietmar Schultke shared his firsthand experiences of life behind the Iron Curtain, his longing for freedom, and his exhilaration when the Berlin Wall finally fell. Addressing the students, Schultke revealed, “My teachers lied to me when they taught me that the West Germans were fascists.” They called the wall separating East and West Germany an “anti-fascist protective wall” and pointed to the people of West Germany, but in reality, they were imprisoning their own population.
In the 1970s, the GDR military installed tens of thousands of SM 70 mines on the border fences, aimed at their own population. This mine was originally a Nazi invention. They were supposed to be installed in concentration camps, but mass production never took place. The GDR obtained the Nazi plans and used them for the border fortifications.
Schultke explained how he realized, at their age, that he was the one living under a totalitarian regime in East Germany. The government tightly controlled many aspects of his life, from the music he listened to, the books he read, and the TV shows he watched, to the news he received. Schultke's understanding of American freedoms began through a family friend from West Germany who migrated to New York City. Despite his desire to travel, obtaining a visa meant facing a 50-year wait. The people were tired of the scarcity of food and goods and political repression; in the autumn of 1989, they demonstrated for free elections and human rights, which ultimately led to the peaceful revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Faye (left) and Avery (right) enjoyed meeting Mr. Schultke in person.
Schultke, now residing in the reunified Germany, found his way to Kettle Moraine Middle School thanks to two sixth-graders, Avery G. and Faye M. Intrigued by his research on the fall of the Berlin Wall, they discovered a lecture he had given at a German museum on YouTube. Through a Google Meet online call, the girls interviewed Schultke for their National History Day project, which ultimately led to his visit to the U.S. and his enlightening talk at the middle school.
The girls' 10-minute documentary, which includes Mr. Schultke, focuses on a single rock ‘n’ roll concert that inspired the young East Germans to challenge the government and then bring down the wall. Their video was one of three at a recent regional competition and will be competing at the state level in Madison on April 20th.
