PALEOCENTRIC

What year was the Berlin Wall built and who built it?
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by the Soviet Army.

What did the Berlin Wall create?
The Berlin Wallhe East from its capitalistic enemy, the West. It was also built to control the unstoppable flood of emigration from East to West Berlin.

What is Berlin's poorest district?
Berlin’s poorest district is Kreuzberg.

What does the Kurfurstendamn district of Berlin symbolize?
Kurfurstendamn is a showcase of western consumer goods and the capitalistic lifestyle. It is a very rich area with a lot of commercial and cultural activities. It is the symbol of the success of the capitalist system.

Compare and contrast the urban morphology (structure) of East and West Berlin.

The East is more radial than the linear West. The East is also a more classical and controlled urban model, with avenues converging on Alexanderplatz, both the history center of the town and what was the symbolic center of communist power
In the west there are shops that are compared to the Champs-Elysées in Paris.
The Ku’damm district in the west is a very rich area with a lot of commercial and cultural activities.
There are many department stores in the West that showed the success of the capitalist system.

The East is more radial than linear. East Berlin is a more classical and controlled urban model. There are many beautiful shops and department stores in West Berlin that shows the success of the capitalist system. The West was known as the "promised land" that had all the goods. The urban morphology of West Berlin is very rich because it was heavily financed by West Germany. The east has many deserted buildings.

What is the Potsdamer Platz and how has it helped to change the face of Berlin?
Potsdamerplatz is an ambitious attempt to build an entirely new corporate and commercial magnet right in the heart of what was prewar Berlin.
International corporations like Sony, AT&T and Daimler-Benz have invested in major construction, which also includes a vast shopping mall, hotels, and movie theaters.
Perhaps because it is so totally new and shows off a commercial, global culture instead of the city’s own past, Potsdamerplatz has become hugely popular with Berliners.
This is one place where residents of the former East and West can mingle freely and comfortably.
As much as Potsdamer Platz has changed the face of Berlin, the most significant development in the city’s new identity is not commercial but political: the decision to put the capital of a reunified Germany in its original historic location-Berlin.

Potsdamer Platz is an ambitious attempt to build an entirely new corporate and commercial magnet right in the heart of what was prewar Berlin. Many international corporations have invested in major construction of shopping malls, hotels, and movie theaters. Potsdamer Platz is so new that it shows off a commercial, global culture instead of the city's past. Potsdamer Platz helped change the face of Berlin because of its popularity amongst Berliners.

Why do you think the Germans located the new Federal Strip so that it straddled the former location of the Berlin Wall?
Both its location and the design of the buildings are meant to express the spirit of a reunified city and country.
The fact is, of course, that after reunification, East Germany, in economic and social terms, is considerably behind West Germany, and the decision to move or to designate Berlin as the capital is in part a reflection of a commitment to trying to show East Germany that it is indeed part of the new Germany.

The Germans located the new Federal Strip so that it straddled the former location of the Berlin Wall because it expresses the spirit of a reunified city and country. After the reunification of both sides, East Germany was economically and socially behind West Germany, and the decision to move or to designate Berlin as the capital shows the commitment of the country to incorporate East Germany into the country.

Explain why Berlin's relative location might be considered a disadvantage at present, but might become an advantage in the future?
The government is reforming Berlin so many big international companies will invest. There will also be lobbyists.
Berlin is now an open city and the site of major development efforts
Berlin is where the East and West meet and it has a cutting edge because of its location. It is being transformed into the capital of a unified Germany.
Berlin has assumed a physically central location in a new expanded European region.
Berlin’s future will be determined by an eastward shift of Europe’s economic core.
Berlin’s location is at the center of a new Europe

Berlin's relative location might be considered a disadvantage at present because of its troubling past. The two sides of Berlin are very different from each other, and the recent reunification of the two sides has not allowed the city to develop. However, Berlin's location will become an advantage in the future because Berlin is now an open city and the site of major development efforts. Berlin has assumed a physically central location in a new expanded European region and is at the center of a new Europe as Europe's economic core shifts eastward.

In what year did Poland elect its first non-communist government?
Poland became democratic almost immediately after the collapse of Soviet rule there. 1989

Poland elected its first non-communist government in 1989.

What is diffusion? What are carriers and what are barriers? diffusion is the transformation of people’s behavior, values and social institutions.
Diffusion is the spreading of an idea, innovation, disease, anything from its source outward across the landscape
Examples of Carriers are the media, tourism and universities, all of which help to spread new ideas and opportunities.
The barriers-such as isolation and massive unemployment-are high
The carriers-human or technological-are low

Diffusion is the spreading of an idea, innovation, disease or essentially anything from its source outward across the landscape. Diffusion is also the transformation of people's behavior, values and social institutions. Carriers are people and things that help to spread new ideas and opportunities. Barriers are things that prevent these new ideas and opportunities from spreading.

In the case of Poland, who or what were the carriers in the diffusion of democracy? Who or what were the barriers?
Carriers are people who are schooled in democracy skills. Back home the carriers will model democratic behavior by initiating town projects, networking and organizing the citizens of their villages and regions.

Carriers in the diffusion of democracy were the media, tourism and universities. There were also trained carriers who were schooled democracy skills. When the carriers returned home they would model democratic behavior by initiating town projects, networking and organizing the citizens of their villages and regions. Forms of barriers included isolation and massive unemployment.

What is a cooperative and what has been the fate of many Polish cooperatives.
In Korsze the mainstay of life has almost always been agriculture. Under communism, large state-owned farms like this one were the number one employers. But the political and economic reforms of 1989 have changed that dramatically. Since then, most of these cooperatives have either privatized and sharply reduced their labor forces, or they’ve padlocked their gates for good. The result in Korsze, the trainees say, is a record 32% unemployment and suspicions and resentment for the reforms.

A cooperative is a large state-owned farm. Cooperatives were the number one employers before the political and economic reforms of 1989. Since then, many Polish cooperatives have either privatized and sharply reduced their labor forces, or have been padlocked.

How would a table tennis tournament contribute to the diffusion of democratic practices in Poland?
The table tennis tournament is to begin with something simple. Grassroots organizing like this is the bedrock of a successful democracy. It is sidents of Korsze.

A table tennis tournament would contribute to the diffusion of democratic practices in Poland because it is an example of Professor Regulska's strategy. The tournament is a simple way to gather the people of a town and to gain trust amongst them. Grassroots organizations lire the bedrock of successful democracy.

Why did women begin to drop out of the democratic process? What is meant by a "gendered division of labor?"
The women are very patriarchal and conservative. They believed that they had to be told that they are better than men in order to be allowed to speak, in order to be heard by the people and in order to create within the meeting a space for themselves
They often dismiss their efforts-by the officials.
They would go with men to speak with the mayor but the mayor would speak to men and the women would be left out.
They were ry still traditional gender division of labor at home: They work, they take care of the family, of the husband, of the children. They have no time and they are exhausted. They want to but there are not enough hours during the day.

Women began to drop out of the democratic process because many of them were patriarchal and conservative. They were not used to being heard or even voicing their opinions. Women were also overburdened because of the traditional gendered division of labory, the women would have no time and would be exhausted.