review
This intriguing book surveys the history of protest movements and demonstrations in Berlin both East and West, from the aftermath of a Rolling Stones concert in 1965 to neo-Nazi marches in 1992. Far more than a simple chronicle, this lively portrait of Berlin over nearly three decades is full of remarkable stories, depicting the network of individuals who organised the demonstrations and their relationships with the divided city of Berlin.
The authors’ clear and well-considered perspective on this crucial period in Berlin’s history is presented in the lucid foreword and afterword. Reports on the protests are accompanied by press photos and press reactions of the time, and interwoven with subsequent conversations and assessments from participants as well as from the authors themselves. While radical action is not the only means for change, this book revisits a period in which it was seen as urgently necessary and practically viable in both parts the city. Berlin – City of Protest documents the city’s longstanding history as a place where ideologies collide and where individuals are often prepared – and required – to undertake political action.
All recommendations from Autumn 2018