Good Bye Lenin Essay

The Lives of Others and Goodbye, Lenin are two movies cleverly depicted about the fall of Communism. One director chooses to portray humor as the base of his movie, while the other chooses a more dark and serious tone. Both directors clearly want their viewers to understand the seriousness of what the fall of the Berlin Wall meant and the importance of Germany’s East West unionization for the citizens of the GSD. However, a hidden truth in both movies is revealed. Truth about a culture that once existed, but has since been swept under the carpet of change. The late 80s brought on the fall of the Berlin Wall signifying the end of the Stalinist regimes that had once held so much power. Outlined below are two movies that, while so different in their delivery, end with the same clear message.

Lenin was able to consolidate Bolshevik rule in Russia by combining popular policies and repression: To what extent do you agree with this statement.

Set at the end of the Cold War in East Germany, the movie Goodbye Lenin is the story of a young man, Alex, trying to protect his mother, Christiane, who just spent the last eight months in a coma. Christiane is a personification of the values and ideology of socialism. She carries them out in her interactions with society, and is very hopeful towards the success of the regime. During her absence, the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the German Democratic Republic leads to a radical and turbulent change in society: the fall of socialism and the triumph of capitalism. Because of the shocking effect of such information and the danger of another heart attack, Alex creates for Christiane an ideological form of socialism. Fundamental themes in the movie are the difference between ideal and reality of socialism, as well as the positive and negative aspects of the transition to free market capitalism. Such themes are carried out through a juxtaposition of an ideal society and its reality in the form of a constructed reality of socialism. This idealized version of socialism served as an oasis from the chaotic transition from a problematic socialist regime to free market capitalism.

The era that preceded the formation of the Soviet Union was earmarked with social unrest, famine, and failed governments. After many struggles, many smaller soviet republics joined to form a large conglomerate nation, known as the Soviet Union in 1922. Vladimir Lenin, leader at the time, replaced the failing capitalist government with a communist government. . At the end of WWII, most of Eastern and Central Europe’s countries were being occupied by the soviet army. They came to be controlled by the Soviet government and pulled back behind an “iron Curtain”. Winston Churchill’s famed Iron curtain remark refers to the countries that fell under the spell of the Soviet Union and shut out the western world ways of capitalism. The countries of

After Alex’s dad died, his mom got very ill so she didn’t go to work.A week later his mom got fired for not coming in. She had returned to health but had no job, she looked all over

Lastly, there were many things to learn and take from the film, Good-bye, Lenin. I learned how the sudden switch to capitalism from socialism affected the citizens of East Germany, especially how the old socialists were negatively affected. Besides that, I feel as if I already knew about most of what the film went over through the AP Euro history course. The only thing that really surprised me was when the mother admitted that Alex and his sister’s father did not actually cross to West Berlin over a woman. Rather, the father was harassed by the GDR because he was not a

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Lenin was the Bolshevik leader. He was a clever thinker and a practical man; he knew how to take advantage of events. When Lenin arrived in Russia, he issued a document called the April theses, promising ‘peace, bread, land and freedom’. He called for an end to the ‘Capitalist’ war, and demanded that power should be given to the soviets.

Compare and contrast the ideologies and the political and economic practice of Lenin and Stalin.

The authors of “Good-Bye Lenin (or not?): The Effects of Communism on People’s Preferences” employed document tests to determine predilections of government intervention or communism in western and eastern regions in Germany. The research incorporated several motives that individuals in favor of communism may impose to continue the use of redistribution. These explanations concluded that individuals that were wealthy believed that those in poverty should have assistance; similarly, those that are in poverty wanted assistance so the individuals would not be without necessities or income. Likewise, the researchers observed previous surveys conducted within the two regions, and then created another survey question with placebo type questions

Eventually, Alex decides to go to court to terminate his mother’s parental rights. This ultimately places him an institution for boys. Shortly after arriving at this institution, Alex learns that he will be taken out of his current high school and placed in a different high school. Unfortunately, Alex’s high school environment has been the only constant in his life. Thus, Alex seeks a foster family that will allow him to continue attending his current high school and follow his

Communism in the USSR was doomed from the onset. Communism was condemned due to lack of support from other nations, condemned due to corruption within its leadership, condemned due to the moral weakness of humanity, making what is perfect on paper, ineffective in the real world. The end of this system was very violent. It left one of the two most powerful nations in the world fearful of what was to come. <br><br>Communism can either be called a concept or system of society. In a society that follows the communist beliefs groups own the major resources and means of production, rather than a certain individual. In theory, Communism is to provide equal work, and benefits to all in a specific society. Communism is derived from many ancient

The film opens with a train traveling through the European countryside. It is 1938. Liesel Meminger sits on the train with her mother and younger brother, only to look over and find that her brother dies in her mothers arms. As they bury her brother, the gravedigger drops a book and Liesel picks it up and takes it with her. It is the only left that she has to remember her brother. She is then taken to her new foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Upon her arrival, she meets Rudy Steiner who will be her best friend until the end; his end at least.

Lenin was able to consolidate his power because of the weakness of his opponents. Find evidence to support or refute this statement.

only had the firm support of 15 of 25 members on the 15th of October.

The command system, which is also described as Marxism, socialism, or communism, is both a political and economic philosophy. In a communist economy, the government owns most of the firms, subsequently controlling production and allocation of resources. One of the most well-known and well-documented cases of a communist government took place in the Soviet Union, beginning in 1917 and eventually falling in 1992. Idealistically, communism eliminates social classism and provides equal work for all in a particular society. The government appoints a central planning board to “determine production goals for each enterprise and to specify the amount of resources to be allocated to each enterprise so that it can reach its production goals.”