Other titles:NATO DOCUMENTARIES [Allocated Series Title]
Summary: A documentary made to inform members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) about the rebuilding and regeneration of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). The documentary optimistically points to a new generation, too young to remember living under the Third Reich, for whom a revitalised West Germany is being built against the backdrop of the Cold War.
Description: President Theodor Heuss symbolically welcomes back the last German POWs to be released by the Soviet Union following the end of the Second World War. The narrator refers to 2.5 million people who had since travelled from East to West, to escape Communist Eastern Europe. Continuing with a narrative strongly in favour of Western democratic values, the new Federal Republic is contrasted with the “puppet states” of the Warsaw Pact nations that are under the influence of the Soviet Union.
The rapid regeneration of industry in Germany, built out of the ruins of war, is profiled. Much attention is given to manufacturing, where starting afresh has allowed factories to install modern equipment for their workers. Joint military manoeuvres help to make a link between the arms industry and the revitalised German motor industry (including the iconic Volkswagen Beatle). The metal and coal industries are acknowledged as being the backbone of this economic regeneration, allowing industries such as shipping, to turn out almost a million tons in a year.
German cultural activity is shown to have flourished under the democratic republic. The return to productivity of artisan industries, such as the making of classical instruments, draws parallels with the great German composers of the past. Traditional Bavarian music also helps to demonstrate how culture has been revitalised on a more local level.
West Berlin is upheld as an example of how being supported by NATO has encouraged successful post-war reconstruction. Despite being isolated from its allies in the West, the new homes, cultural revitalisation, security and economic growth of West Berlin is shown to be in stark contrast with the Soviet sector. Landmarks, such as the Berlin TV tower (or Fernsehturm), and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (or Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche), serve to demonstrate that democratic values have triumphed of over war and extreme political ideology.
Alternative Title:NATO DOCUMENTARIES [Allocated Series Title]
Colour:B&W
Digitised:Yes
Object_Number:NAT 2025
Sound:Sound
Access Conditions:IWM NATO
Featured Period:
Production Date:1957
Production Country: Berlin, Germany
Bonn, Germany
Production Details: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Production sponsor)
NATO INFORMATION SERVICE (Production company)
Sandoz, Henry (Production individual)
Sandoz, Henry (Production individual)
Beatty, Robert Rutherford1909-10-191992-03-03 (Production individual)
Curtis, Jacques (Production individual)
Brodsky, Bella (Production individual)
