Lena Kemmelmeier and Liesel

Kemmelmeier
The Iron Curtain: Exchange and
Encounter Between East and
West Berlin
Junior Group Website
Process Paper Word Count: 489
Word Count (Student
Composed): 1,176

Process Paper
We chose this topic because of how the Berlin Wall is deeply rooted in our family
heritage. Our family lived in Germany during this time period, providing an immediate
connection for us to this subject. As it happens, my German relative, an anthropologist, is a tour
guide and expert on the Berlin Wall, which helped guide our decision. In addition, the two of us
shared an interest in this time period. As we did some background research, we found that the
Berlin Wall was the embodiment of the Cold War and the height of communism in Germany as
well as a representation of the divide between communist and democratic nations, which only
added to our interest in this topic.
In order to conduct our research, we started with secondary sources for background
information and then worked toward primary sources. To visualize what was going on during
this time, we watched a Berlin Wall video from the Discovery Channel. This introduced us to
what our topic represented and its significance. We began researching on the internet, looking for
any additional background information on historical value. On a trip to the Mathewson-IGT
Knowledge Center, located on University of Nevada, Reno campus, we gathered books written
about the time period and the exchanges of cultures and ideas as well as people that were
affected by the Wall. For obtaining resources, we looked to National Archives, where we found
speeches that US presidents delivered about the Wall. One of our most useful secondary sources
was an online exhibition we found on the NATO website, The Wall: A Border Through
Germany, which answered a lot of questions and provided pictures taken during the time period.
Additionally, we interviewed our expert, Florian Kemmelmeier.
We selected a website for our presentation category because we felt it would offer plenty
of tools to organize our content. Along with that, we are big technology lovers, so it seemed

natural to do a website. In comparison, a documentary required skills that we did not have, and
an exhibit board would not have looked good with our topic, as our visual representations were
mostly black and white. Because of this, we found that a website would be best at reflecting our
research.
The Berlin Wall ties into exchange and encounter because for an important time in
history it symbolized an exchange of ideas from the people of East Berlin to those in West
Berlin. In West Berlin, capitalism created prosperity, while in the East, streets, cafes, and other
locations remained barren, creating images of opportunity in the West. Meanwhile, there were
many problematic encounters, resulting in East Berliners defecting to West Berlin. This lead to
the creation of the Berlin Wall. During the existence of Berlin Wall, many nations were
involved; the US, Britain, the USSR, and France. This global involvement illustrates an
exchange between countries. Escapees were willing to explore new methods of escape, showing
their commitment to freedom.