- The Solution according to Brecht

Berlin, 1953. - In the month of June, a strike by East Berlin construction workers escalated into a general political uprising with thousands of protesters calling for the resignation of the East German government. On June 17, the protesters were brutally subdued by the Volkspolizei with the help of several Soviet T-34 tanks (an eerie foreshadowing of the incident in Tiananmen Square in 1989).

In the aftermath of the 1953 event, Bertolt Brecht (1998-1956) writes:

"Die Lösung" - The Solution

After the uprising of June 17th
The Secretary of the Writers' Union
Had leaflets distributed all along Stalinallee
Proclaiming that the people had squandered away and lost
The government's confidence in them
And could gain it back only
Through redoubled efforts.

"Would it not be easier, then, for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?"

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[See also: The History, Politics and Culture of the former GDR]
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[Current topic September/Oktober: The 2005 Elections in Germany]

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[Related Post : - A Theodore Roosevelt Quote -]

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