A new decade has dawned. The 70s. The situation in and around Berlin seems unchanged: 2.1 million West and 1.1 million East Berliners hope that everyday life will be easier. But there is a new way of talking about it.
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Far from the capital, in Erfurt, something historic is happening: the Chancellor of the Federal Republic and the chairman of the GDR Council of Ministers meet for the first time. And at Easter it snows in Berlin.
What concerns music lovers a lot more is the separation of the Beatles. This is also hotly debated in both parts of Berlin. Even if you have to be careful in the east who listens.
Meanwhile, the GDR’s capital continues to be redesigned. The skyscrapers on Leipziger Strasse soar into the sky, in April a larger than life-size monument to the Soviet founder is unveiled on the new Leninplatz at Volkspark Friedrichshain – but before Walter Ulbricht’s eyes there is a breakdown: the panel of material only falls from the head after some tugging Lenin’s.
In the west, not only is the SFB’s television center being built, but the Tegel military airfield is also being expanded into a passenger airport.
But not only the city, but also the discontent of many young West Berliners is growing. They not only try out new ways of life, but also regularly take to the streets for their ideals – the Berlin police’s new water cannons are in constant use. With the liberation of Baader, the mood finally changes, and militant groups are now relying on terrorist violence.
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