Marcel Thomas – författare

The division of Germany separated a nation, divided communities, and inevitably shaped the life histories of those growing up in the socialist dictatorship of the East and the liberal democracy of the West. This peculiarly German experience of the Cold War is usually viewed through the lens of divided Berlin or other border communities. What has been much less explored, however, is what division meant to the millions of Germans in the East and West who lived far awayfrom the Wall and the centres of political power. This volume is the first comparative study to examine how villagers in both Germanies dealt with the imposition of two very different systems in their everyday lives. Focusing on two villages, Neukirch (Lausitz) in Saxony and Ebersbach an der Fils inBaden-Württemberg, it explores how local residents experienced and navigated social change in their localities in the postwar era.Based on a wide range of archival sources as well as oral history interviews, the work argues that there are parallel histories of responses to social change among villagers in postwar Germany. Despite the different social, political, and economic developments, the residents of both localities desired rural modernisation, lamented the loss of ''community'', and became politically active to control the transformation of their localities. The work thereby offers a bottom-up history of dividedGermany which shows how individuals on both sides of the Wall gave local meaning to large-scale processes of change.

The division of Germany separated a nation, divided communities, and inevitably shaped the life histories of those growing up in the socialist dictatorship of the East and the liberal democracy of the West. This peculiarly German experience of the Cold War is usually viewed through the lens of divided Berlin or other border communities. What has been much less explored, however, is what division meant to the millions of Germans in the East and West who lived far awayfrom the Wall and the centres of political power. This volume is the first comparative study to examine how villagers in both Germanies dealt with the imposition of two very different systems in their everyday lives. Focusing on two villages, Neukirch (Lausitz) in Saxony and Ebersbach an der Fils inBaden-Württemberg, it explores how local residents experienced and navigated social change in their localities in the postwar era.Based on a wide range of archival sources as well as oral history interviews, the work argues that there are parallel histories of responses to social change among villagers in postwar Germany. Despite the different social, political, and economic developments, the residents of both localities desired rural modernisation, lamented the loss of ''community'', and became politically active to control the transformation of their localities. The work thereby offers a bottom-up history of dividedGermany which shows how individuals on both sides of the Wall gave local meaning to large-scale processes of change.

The division of Germany separated a nation, divided communities, and inevitably shaped the life histories of those growing up in the socialist dictatorship of the East and the liberal democracy of the West. This peculiarly German experience of the Cold War is usually viewed through the lens of divided Berlin or other border communities. What has been much less explored, however, is what division meant to the millions of Germans in the East and West who lived far away from the Wall and the centres of political power. This volume is the first comparative study to examine how villagers in both Germanies dealt with the imposition of two very different systems in their everyday lives. Focusing on two villages, Neukirch (Lausitz) in Saxony and Ebersbach an der Fils in Baden-Württemberg, it explores how local residents experienced and navigated social change in their localities in the postwar era. Based on a wide range of archival sources as well as oral history interviews, the work argues that there are parallel histories of responses to social change among villagers in postwar Germany. Despite the different social, political, and economic developments, the residents of both localities desired rural modernisation, lamented the loss of 'community', and became politically active to control the transformation of their localities. The work thereby offers a bottom-up history of divided Germany which shows how individuals on both sides of the Wall gave local meaning to large-scale processes of change.

We live in an ever-changing world, and acceptance is now more important than ever. Why not teach children early? Imaginationland is a happy place, a place of dreams. In this world of fantasy, everyone gets along, regardless of skin color. There is no judgment of race and no hatredonly love shared between friends across all cultural lines.Marcel Thomas thought-provoking collection of playful poetry is for all ages, as we all need to learn how to love one another. It is a childs wish for a perfect world where there is no bigotry or rage. We should not be judged by the color of our skin, our religion, or our cultures but instead learn from each other with patience and peace.Children are more likely to overlook cultural differences, whereas adults can be harder to change. Therefore, we start teaching positive ways of life to the young through carefully crafted poetry. However, even adults can learn new things from this collection or at least be reminded that we are all human, thriving together on this earth, and we all deserve tolerance.