The Cold War
Berlin
The NATO journalists dressed up as peasants carrying sacks of potatoes and travelled to East Berlin from a small station on the demarcation line in Staaken.
The scenes from the East show a certain level of destitution. Post-war reconstruction has started but at a very slow pace, and the aftermath of the war is still very visible.
East Berliners shopped in state-run stores. H.O was a chain with stores all over East Berlin.
Nevertheless, it was not always easy to find consumer goods. East Berliners rush to buy black-market soap on a street corner.
There was not much variety in the shops. Ladies' undergarment shop in the East.
The West did not have that problem...
They also had cinemas,
restaurants... Nightlife, freedom!
Many East Berliners were strongly tempted to flee to the West.
Those who wished to escape took a train or a bus, because before the Wall was erected, there were no systematic checks and it was still possible to cross over into the West.
Several European airlines even offered free tickets to refugees. This British European Airways plane is carrying East Berliners to Frankfurt.
Upon their arrival in West Berlin, refugees started their settlement process at the Marienfelde centre, where they received help to find a job and a place to live.
They were housed and fed until they found a new home.
Most of them were elated to have made it to the West. A little boy discovers bananas and eats a chocolate bar for the first time
Many of them, like Helmut and Isolde, decided to make a fresh start by following the path of democracy.