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Rise of a Wall
(Connection to "Division of a Family")The Berlin Wall was built by Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the USSR Communist party which controlled East Germany. It started as a fence built overnight by border guards, but was eventually replaced by a wall. The wall stood for 29 years. -
Division of a Family
The Berlin fence is built overnight. Gerta wakes, and finds she is trapped in East Germany with Fritz and Mother. Her father and younger brother were in West Germany when the wall was built and her family is very sad that they may never see each other again. -
Peaceful Protests
(Connection to "End of a Friendship") Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to peacefully end the racial inequality in the U.S. peacefully. He spent many years organizing protests and went to jail many times. He persevered through this however, and got equal rights for all people. -
Building a Tunnel.
(Connection to "Tunnel to Freedom") In 1964 the Nagoya Metro was being built. It is part of the Meijo Line which is a massive subway line. The lines total length is 20.1 miles making it one of the larger in the world. -
Escape! In a car!
(Connection to "Escape!") Horst Breistoffer was a brilliant East German who smuggled 9 people with him over several trips. He modified his Italian Isetta so that a person could hide in the place where its battery and heating system was. He knew that small cars weren't stopped by guards since they thought it was unlikely they had people in them. Although he was caught eventually, he gave 9 people a better life. -
Beatles Enter the Music Scene
(Connection to "Listening to Music. Pondering the World")The Beatles release their first album, ¨Meet the Beatles¨. It had hits like ¨I Want to Hold Your Hand¨. The group started in Liverpool and included the musicians John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. -
Listening to Music. Pondering the World
Fritz and Gerta listen to the Beatles album they purchased on the black market. They talk about East Germany and their sadness about being trapped. They listen on low volume so the neighbors don't hear that they are listening to western music. -
Tunnel to Freedom
Gerta thinks her father is trying to act out digging a tunnel when she spots him across the Berlin border. Her and Fritz begin digging a tunnel in a building that their father sends them a picture of. They're worried about getting caught, and are very cautious about not being seen so they act like they're gardening. -
End of a Friendship?
Gerta's friend Anna is interested in her "Gardening" and decides to stop by occasionally. Gerta is forced to be rude to keep her from finding out whats really happening. She is later forced to fix the friendship in order to get a view of where the tunnel is going from Anna's apartment. -
Escape!
Fritz, Gerta, Mother, and friends they invited, go through the finished tunnel and narrowly escape East Berlin. Despite what happened with their friendship, Anna comes with her family and leaves East Germany with Gerta. The two friends forgive each other and presumably live happily in the free nation of West Germany.
