A Night Divided

When World War II ended, the terms of Germany’s loss stipulated that it be split into four zones controlled by Great Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union, respectively. Berlin, as the capital, was split into four zones though it was in the Soviet-occupied region. During this time, political tension grew between the Soviet Union and the United States and their controlled or allied states due to their respective communist and capitalist ideologies, and this period became known as the Cold War since there was no direct fighting between these two powers. In 1949, the regions controlled by Britain, France, and the US merged to become the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), which became known as West Germany, and the Soviet region was named the German Democrat Republic (GDR), known as East Germany. West Germany established a capitalist economic system, received reconstruction aid, and joined NATO. East Germany was one of several states that comprised the Eastern Bloc, aligned with the Soviet Union; the Soviet-controlled Socialist Unity Party of Germany was its ruling party. The Stasi, a secret police force, supported them.

Many East German citizens, like Gerta and Fritz in A Night Divided, idealized the West and believed it stood for freedom. The contrasts between the East and West were starkest in divided Berlin, and many people left and went to West Germany. As Cold War tensions built, it became more politically urgent for East Germany to retain its citizens; furthermore, in 1958 Soviet leaders demanded that US troops pull out of West Berlin, which they did not. Just as is described in A Night Divided, East German citizens woke up on August 13, 1961, to discover a barbed-wire fence that went up overnight between East and West Berlin, which eventually became a fortified wall. Many families were instantly divided, as the novel narrates. At least 251 people died while trying to cross the wall, either killed directly by GDR border officials or due to injury or drowning (“Todesopfer an der Berliner Mauer [Victims of the Berlin Wall].” Chronik der Mauer [Chronicle of the Wall], 2017).

The people living in East Germany, like Gerta, were an audience for Soviet propaganda during this period. Gerta must join the Pioneer Club, which was compulsory for children between 6 and 13. In the club, children learned about socialist ideology in combination with scout-like adventurous activities. Fritz also faces fears about conscription into the National People’s Army (NVA), which was introduced in 1962 for men between 18 and 60. Under the Warsaw Pact of 1955, the NPA was obliged to fight for the Soviet Union if the Cold War became a direct military conflict. Fritz’s fear of joining the NVA reflects the reality that many men would have been forced to fight against NATO if Cold War tensions escalated.