A learning from the "forbidden city"
#350
My Dear Friend,
How do we save democracy?
By ensuring that those who are armed are defenders of democracy.
In Wünsdorf, 40 kilometres south of Berlin, during the GDR era, there was the largest Soviet military city outside the USSR. In addition to the 2,700 residents of Wünsdorf, at times up to 75,000 Soviet soldiers and their families lived in the "forbidden city" with walls, fences, and strict security protecting the restricted area.1
In 1994, four years after the reunification of Germany, Soviet troops were withdrawn there, and a company for urban development, housing, and transport is still working on finding alternative uses for the 600-hectare site (an area the size of 840 soccer fields). Many buildings have now been renovated and converted into apartments, however parts are still cordoned off and falling into disrepair.
A hike on the weekend took me through the “forbidden city” (or rather past it, as you can see above).
While walking there, it is easy to imagine that if the Soviet leadership had decided in the fall of 1989 to preserve the GDR state and its leadership, they would have had every opportunity to do so. Luckily, they didn't. The revolution in the GDR thus became a largely peaceful one.
So, Wünsdorf is full of history.
But it also teaches something for the present.
It makes us realise how important it is what those who wield weapons think and do. Weapons in the hands of democrats defend democracy. Weapons in the hands of enemies of democracy destroy democracy.
That's why it's so important that those serving in the police and military have an exceptional understanding of and a special conviction for democracy.
This must be considered in the personnel selection and during their training. Then the state monopoly on the legitimate use of force will ensure that when push comes to shove, democracy is saved.
See you in Democracy,
Johannes
This text by Karina Geburzky (only in German) gives an insight into the history and present of the place. > Geburzky, K. (2021, Dezember 5). Lost Place: Wünsdorf – die “verbotene Stadt” im Süden von Berlin. STERN.