{"id":16879,"date":"2025-04-25T16:47:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T14:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=16879"},"modified":"2025-06-08T16:56:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T14:56:26","slug":"gen-z-and-the-berlin-wall-a-history-lesson-or-a-wake-up-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16879\/gen-z-and-the-berlin-wall-a-history-lesson-or-a-wake-up-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Gen-Z and the Berlin Wall: A History Lesson or a Wake-Up Call?"},"content":{"rendered":"

They weren\u2019t there when it was built, and they didn\u2019t watch it fall. Yet, the Berlin Wall remains an undeniable part of Europe\u2019s history. But born into a world so different, how does Gen-Z connect with events from the past? Can they feel its impact, or is it just a story from another time?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Little boy throwing rocks at the Wall<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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In a dimly lit room of the Berlin Wall Museum, Karsten, the museum\u2019s historian and tour guide, and I walk through an exhibition of videos and photographs depicting the Wall\u2019s turbulent history. \u201cFieldtrip classes usually stay focused until we get to this part,\u201d he says with a small smile, nodding towards a section of archival footage. \u201cThen, half of them drift off, some out of boredom, others because they\u2019re processing what it all means.”<\/p>\n

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Young couple stopping to read a plaque at the Wall<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Karsten observes that students’ engagement varies, often depending on where they’re from. \u201cBerlin youth often come in with awareness of the topic already, so for them, it\u2019s more of a background hum,\u201d he explains. \u201cFor people from other countries, it\u2019s more of a discovery and they\u2019re usually intrigued by what we display here.\u201d To bridge the distance between past and present, the museum offers specialized school tours and runs a blog that connects the Wall\u2019s history to current global issues.<\/p>\n

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School class visiting the Death Zone.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Recent studies show that Gen Z is more engaged with historical events than often assumed. According to the 2023 MEMO\u2011Youth Study by the Universit\u00e4t Bielefeld and Stiftung EVZ<\/a>, 63% of young adults aged 16-25, reported having \u201cintensively\u201d engaged with the history of National Socialism, which is significantly more than the general population. This suggests a strong desire among younger generations to understand and confront their national history.<\/p>\n

A study from the Rheingold Institute<\/a> shows that Gen-Z actively tries to engage with the past. 54% out of 1100 participants aged 16-25, want to put themselves in the victims’ shoes and empathize with the injustice done to them, but they also want to examine the evil perspective. Young people see connections with their own daily lives and try to understand their circumstances and environment better by comparing and contrasting the present with the past.<\/p>\n

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Class visiting monument of the Wall<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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This blending of past and present is something Dani\u00ebl Bokma, a history teacher at CSG-Comenius Mari\u00ebnburg, recognizes as well. \u201cIt feels like it all happened a long time ago, but that\u2019s nonsense,\u201d he says, emphasizing how crucial it is for young people to understand the Wall\u2019s impact on political and social divisions. \u201cIt\u2019s important to create a base of knowledge for students so they have the tools to reflect on the topic in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the historical distance, Bokma sees genuine curiosity from his students. \u201cIt\u2019s surreal yet recent,\u201d he notes. \u201cFugitive stories are particularly interesting because they are thrilling, and the different lives in East and West Berlin, capitalism or communism, are fascinating.\u201d He does, however, point out a common pitfall: \u201cIn Western Europe, we\u2019re raised with the idea that America is the good guy and Russia the bad guy, but it\u2019s not that simple.\u201d To convey nuance, Bokma uses authentic visual material in class: real footage and images that help bring the Wall’s era to life.<\/p>\n

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Gen-Z’ers hanging out near the Wall<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But how do students themselves relate to this part of history? To explore that, I spoke to three students in their early 20s from different parts of Europe.<\/p>\n

For Mare Bruinsma, a student from the Netherlands, the Berlin Wall feels strangely distant. \u201cIt feels very far away and unreal to me, even though it is quite recent and close to home,\u201d she admits. Although she studied the Wall in high school, she only valued what was needed for exams. Today, however, she recognizes its ongoing relevance. \u201cThings like this are still happening, and maybe even sooner and closer than we think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristin Lepp, from Estonia, shares a deeper personal connection. \u201cEstonia was influenced by this event as well,\u201d she explains. For her, the Wall isn\u2019t just a symbol, it\u2019s linked to Estonia\u2019s second independence and her own national identity. \u201cIf people don\u2019t know about it, then they can be manipulated into believing that something that shouldn\u2019t be okay, is okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julia Kaffka, raised in Berlin, feels the weight of the Wall\u2019s legacy every day. \u201cMany Berliners still identify as \u2018from the east\u2019 or \u2018from the west,\u2019 and stereotypes persist,\u201d she says. According to her, Germany\u2019s reunification is still an ongoing process. \u201cSo many things still have to happen to really, really reunite Germany.\u201d For Julia, remembering the Wall is about responsibility: \u201cWe need to make sure it never happens again and we remember this wall as part of our identity and not silence it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gen-Z’ers taking pictures at the Wall<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n

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Different generations interacting with the Wall<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They weren\u2019t there when it was built, and they didn\u2019t watch it fall. Yet, the Berlin Wall remains an undeniable part of Europe\u2019s history. But born into a world so different, how does Gen-Z connect with events from the past? Can they feel its impact, or is it just a story from another time? In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3749,"featured_media":16933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbj","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGen-Z and the Berlin Wall: A History Lesson or a Wake-Up Call? - International Journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gen-Z and the Berlin Wall: A History Lesson or a Wake-Up Call? - International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"They weren\u2019t there when it was built, and they didn\u2019t watch it fall. 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