der-letzte-sommer-der-ddr

the-last-summer-of-the-gdr

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, citizens of East Germany had to get used to a new way of consuming, working, and living. New-found freedoms were a breath of fresh air for many but in the chaos leading up to reunification with West Germany, the experience was also disconcerting.

Freedom and Anarchy

The Last Summer of the GDR

During the Cold War, when Germany was split between West and East, people still fell in love across the physical and ideological border. Some risked everything to cross over to join their partners.

Love in the Cold War

Le dernier été de la RDA

Der letzte Sommer der DDR

El último verano de la RDA

Ostatnie lato NRD

L'ultima estate della DDR

<p>After the fall of the Berlin Wall, citizens of East Germany had to get used to a new way of consuming, working, and living. New-found freedoms were a breath of fresh air for many but in the chaos leading up to reunification with West Germany, the experience was also disconcerting.</p>

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germans had to get used to a new way of consuming, working, and living. 

Despite the Berlin Wall, people from East and West fell in love and wanted to live together. But how?

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In 1972, in Germersheim, West Germany, the second edition of the British Rock Meeting saw some of the most prestigious bands of the day take to the stage, including Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Rory Gallagher and Status Quo at an enormous gathering of the hippie generation.

The 1972 British Rock Meeting was an important cultural event for the hippie generation in Germany.

The German Woodstock - Germersheim '72

In April 1974, left-wing factions in the Portuguese military staged a coup against the authoritarian regime which had been in power for half a century. The uprising was largely peaceful and went down in history as the Carnation Revolution. But the path to a democratic Portugal was not easy and not without obstacles.

Carnations against Dictatorship

On the night of 24 April 1974, a peaceful uprising put an end to the Salazar dictatorship, paving the way for a democratic Portugal.

Portugal

A circle with three intersecting lines: the emblematic logo of nuclear disarmament and the hippy movement, the peace sign is one of the most famous in the world. But its inventor, activist and graphic designer Gerald Holtom has remained a little-known figure.

Peace

Originally designed as a symbol for nuclear disarmament, it is now a widely recognised sign of peace.

I Saw the Sign

Why did French President Jacques Chirac chase Israeli police from a church in Jerusalem? Strangely for a secular nation, France owns property in the Holy Lands which the country ealously guards.

France's Holy Lands

Why did French President Jacques Chirac chase Israeli police from a church in Jerusalem? 

Crazy Borders

Rowing, and the eight in particular, has a long tradition that is not just about sport: political influence, relationships and women's fight for equal rights have also played a major role. This documentary follows the German men's eight as it prepares for Paris 2024 as well as the historic Boat Race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

With all eyes on the Olympic Games in Paris, the documentary sheds light on the myth of the eight-man rowing team.

Eight on Board: A History of Rowing

In one day in April 1974, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal put an end to the Salazar dictatorship and five centuries of colonisation. This documentary is a blow-by-blow account of this momentous day that marked a turning point in the history of a nation and its people.

A blow-by-blow account of one momentous day that marked a turning point in the history of a nation and its people.

Portugal: April 1974

Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was the most densely populated area on Earth. 33,000 people settled on 2.5 hectares of land that was disputed between Chinese and British - meaning neither country asserted its authority there. This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community. This is a case for Crazy Borders. 

Kowloon: The Lawless Super City

This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community.

Why does a Russian region in the far east have Yiddish as an official language? The region of Birobidzhan was the Soviet Union’s plan for a Jewish homeland within the socialist world.

Birobidzhan: A Jewish State in the USSR

Why does a Russian region in the far east have Yiddish as an official language? 

Bonuses and Extracts

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Chinese men are suffering. There are simply not enough women to go around since China implemented its one-child policy in 1979.  This means that 1 in 5 Chinese men will not be able to find a partner in five years’ time.

ARTE Reportage

Chinese men are suffering. There are simply not enough women to go around since China implemented its one-child policy in 1979. 

China: Men without Women

Entire generations have learned about sex through mainstream porn, blurring the lines between personal desires and platform-driven fantasies. But if our sexuality is shaped by algorithms, can’t we take back some control? The post-porn movement is doing exactly that. Aimed at creating pornography that reflects honest, consensual sex – its creators are making waves online.

Can Post-porn Awaken Our True Desires?

What if porn reflected our true desires? Post-porn aims to be more ethical, more honest and more revolutionary.

Tracks

Pre-Christmas discount shopping season is here. Black Friday has turned into a month-long shopping spree, combining with Singles Day and Cyber Monday to become an entire Black November. Europe’s frenzy of overconsumption damages the environment and often rips off buyers, but is also an opportunity to save money. Why are we so sucked in by shopping deals? Is Black Friday just one big fraud day?

Black Friday: A good deal or a rip-off?

The US holiday has taken over Europe – but it might not be as good a bargain as it seems.

ARTE Europe Weekly

Diwa is only 11 years old. She is one of the thousands of victims of a crime that is hardly reported on in Europe but which is causing havoc in the Philippines. She was raped by her parents, live on the internet, to satisfy the desires of foreign paedophiles who paid for the spectacle of her rape, giving instructions from a distance.

Philippines: Child Rape Online

Thousands of children in the Philippines have been abused, live on the internet. Report on a shocking crime.

When it comes to defence, Europe is dependent on the US. But now Donald Trump will be returning to the White House in 2025, and he’s threatened to pull out of NATO in the past. Meanwhile, the military threat from Russia is growing. Can Europe learn to defend itself without America?

Can Europe defend itself alone?

After Trump's election victory, Europe is increasingly worried about being left to fend for itself against Russia.

More and more city dwellers are getting a taste for foraging for food in the concrete jungle. They harvest herbs by the roadside and pick wild vegetables from cracks in the asphalt. From Brighton to Berlin, we meet the urban foragers who are making tasty and nutritious meals out of what they find in the streets and parks of major cities.

 From Brighton to Berlin, we meet the urban foragers who are making tasty and nutritious meals out of what they find in the streets.

Re: Urban Foraging

Horses have long played an essential role for the nomadic peoples of Mongolia, but as Mongolians have adopted a sedentary way of life, they now breed horses primarily for their meat. This has had disastrous consequences, including animal abuse, overgrazing and obesity in large swathes of the population.
Naranbadrakh Batkhuu wants to revive the age-old relationship between Mongolians and their horses for the good of the people and the natural world.

Mongolia: The Man Who Loved Horses

Naranbadrakh Batkhuu wants to revive the age-old relationship between Mongolians and their horses.

360° Reportage

Why is Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, still viewed as a Machiavellian manipulator? By marrying into the family her father wanted to forge an alliance with, she became forever associated with the worst scandals of Renaissance Italy.

Lucrezia Borgia vs Pope Alexander VI

Why is Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, still viewed as a Machiavellian manipulator? 

Duels of History

AIR perform their iconic album Moon Safari at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Return to the tail end of the 1990s with this exceptional concert, when the "French Touch" scene was conquering hearts and minds from the European continent to Hollywood.

Royal Albert Hall

Air bring their totemic French Touch founding album to London's Royal Albert Hall.

Air play "Moon Safari"

During his term in office, President Trump overturned the principles of American foreign policy and implemented his America first" doctrine whereas President Biden sought to restore traditional American multilateralism. Which foreign policy will prevail after the US Elections?

US Foreign Policy under Biden and Trump

A comparison of Donald Trump's and Joe Biden's approach to international relations.

Mapping the World

There have never been more opportunities to meet new sexual partners in our liberated world of dating apps, sex parties and queer liberation. But how come we are having less sex today than in the past?

Why Do We Have Less Sex?

There have never been more opportunities for sex in our liberated world. But how come we havz less sex today than in the past?

42: The Answer to Almost Everything

In eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus, the Bialowieza Forest is at the heart of an intense migratory and geopolitical crisis. Despite the change of government last year, the whole area and its inhabitants are in turmoil as the Polish authorities try to militarise the border and stop migrant crossings.

In eastern Poland, on the border with Belarus, the Bialowieza Forest is at the heart of an intense migratory and geopolitical crisis. 

Re: Migration Crisis on the Polish Border

Climate change is making the weather increasingly unpredictable and volatile. Extreme weather events are on the increase: In a matter of minutes, hailstorms can destroy an entire year's harvests and flash floods can take lives and destroy homes. What are the causes of these extreme phenomena? And how bad could they become in future?

Thunderstorms, Hail and Heavy Rain

Hail, thunderstorms, flash floods: Why are these extreme weather events happening?

Extreme Weather Events

All in their mid-twenties, models Vivian, Lisa, and Tanja chase personal fulfillment and career triumphs. As they grapple with societal pressures, their friendship turns into rivalry, their bodies becoming battlegrounds in a relentless pursuit of beauty, love, and success.

Three models juggle the pressures of love, career, and self-image in a seemingly glamorous world.

Models

Electro mastermind Moby celebrates the 25th anniversary of his cult album Play with a European tour. Here playing at the Antwerp Sportpaleis arena.

Sportpaleis Antwerp

Electro genius Moby celebrates the 25th anniversary of his cult album ‘Play’ with a European tour.

Moby: 25 Years of Play

Cécile McLorin Salvant has been described as ‘the heiress of Billie Holiday’. When she sings, it's as if time and space disappear, with a modern-day voice reviving the soul of ‘Lady Day’. Winning award after award, this Franco-American singer is now one of the leading figures in jazz today.

Leverkusener Jazztage 2024

A singer who has won three Grammy Awards and whose critics are full of praise for what they describe as a 'jewel.'

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Allegations against R. Kelly have dogged the R’n’B star for decades. With alleged sexual abuse and child pornography, can we still listen to R. Kelly songs?

R. Kelly

TAPE

In the Tenderloin neighbourhood of San Francisco, thousands of homeless drug addicts are in thrall to Fentanyl, an opioid painkiller 50 times more potent than heroin. With 700 drug-related deaths every year, the Californian city is in a drug death spiral with dead bodies regularly found on the street.

USA: San Francisco Ravaged by Fentanyl

With 700 drug-related deaths every year, the Californian city has a huge problem with Fentanyl and other drugs.

How did a simple tennis match between a woman, tennis star Billie Jean King, and a man, ex-player Bobby Riggs, become a television phenomenon and change the face of women's sport?

The Last Summer of the GDRFreedom and Anarchy

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Re: Urban Foraging