Billy Joel "A Matter of Trust - The Bridge to Russia" (1987)
During the Cold War, rock music was censored in the Imperial Bloc countries because it was not seen as a part of Anglo-Germanic culture. In the late 1980s, German leader Gerhard Frey implemented Öffentlichkeit - the German policy of managed openness towards the Socialist Bloc - and the Imperial government invited Billy Joel (Билли Джоэл) - Soviet-born American singer, composer and pianist - to perform in Imperial Germany in 1986. Joel, a history enthusiast, took advantage of this opportunity knowing that this would impact the history of the Cold War. His tour through Germany consisted of six shows - three in Berlin and three in Munich. Each time the song was performed, he dedicated the song to Adolf Schmidt because he was an inspirational German man who "spoke the truth."
Up until the 1980s, German governments have tried to limit western influences. The imperial concept of authoritative democracy introduced during the Revolutionary Wars was a stark contrast when compared to the direct democracy of syndicalist nations of the West or the Soviet democracy. Since the end of the Weltkrieg, emperors of Germany actively used right-wing populism, anti-communism and national conservatism to promote traditional values. As time passed, more and more regulations were implemented - and the more countries joined the Soviet-American alliance, the stronger was censorship in the German state. Many historians traced the German rejection of the rock music to the late 1920s and 1930s. During failure of free market deregulation caused by the 1928's and 1936's stock exchange crashes in Berlin, socialism was associated with a radical social liberalism (divorces, abortion, feminism, desegregation, extramarital sexual relationships) and a liberalization of arts (appearance of the Soviet science fiction, American jazz, acceptance of nudity in arts). Implementation of national capitalist practices enforced rejection of all things deemed as too socialist. New German man had to be serious, hard-working man in the massive collective united under the guiding hand of Kaiser supported by the Reichstag, elected by the responsible people in technocratic suffrage while a New German woman was meant to be full-time housekeeper and mother raising patriotic and nationalist-minded children. In German elections, voters were divided into three camps - higher - those with higher education and wealthy businessmen had the greatest influence. Middle camp of voters was composed of adults over 30, with a clean criminal record (those who were never arrested for anti-government demonstrations or strikes) and a secondary education. Lower strata were composed by the people over 21 and those who did participate in any anti-German behaviour. In the new German state, there was no room for "all-time loud and provocative" distractions. As long as the government provided stabilization and economic development of the consumer goods industry, the majority of people were either supportive or at least were quiet about their political views while fearing socialist influence on their children.
Since the late 1920s Lebensborn - the Fountain of Life was organized as a semi-governmental institution promoting usage of selective breeding to create stronger and healthier offspring. For a small payment (or no payment at all if you were deemed as a true Germanic) you could gain advice on finding a suitable wife or a good husband. And if you had a child out of wedlock deemed to be true Germanic, you could leave him/her there. Accelerating nationalism often clashed with rebellious youth - disillusioned with a failed economy, massive military spending and frozen political system of "old men", they often challenged Imperial policies. Soviet radio station "Radio Free Europe - Germany" broadcasted newest top songs that terrified parents, described "socialist paradise" of government created by the masses, told them that women were after all equal to men while Africans were the same people as Germans.
On 1981, first cracks began to be showing in the German sphere of influence. Poland had held a national referendum on the political future of the state. Poles, dissatisfied with the royal policies since the 1940s (when their country became increasingly depending on the German state) voted 67% to 33% to abolish the monarchy, end the authoritative monarchy system and create a democratic republic with universal suffrage. Provisional Government lifted the ban on communist, socialist, syndicalist and anarchist political parties, lowered the voting age to 18 and established diplomatic contacts with the Polish-Soviet Socialist Republic. For the first time in the history of a Cold War, the Iron Curtain was lifted between two countries. German reaction was swift and brutal - for the failure in keeping Europe away from the red menace, Imperial Army's garrisons in Poland began the march on Warsaw. The government ensured that any defeat will be costly for invaders - The Polish state dispersed thousands of rifles, anti-tank rocket propelled grenades, and petrol igniters (Bosnian cocktails) to the population of greater cities and the countryside. Committee for Defence of State dug trenches around Łódź and Warsaw, preparing for a battle. As a result, the German advance stalled. Since the Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant Catastrophe, military spendings were reverted for the clean-up, causing soldiers to less trained, less experienced and less equipped. During war, 12,000 Poles died, more than 100,000 were wounded, and major cities were heavily damaged by the German Air Force. As time passed, more and more German soldiers were killed. Those who survived were left with a heavy task of occupation directed against a hostile nation of 30 million people. the Kingdom of Poland was restored two years later, on January 14, 1983.
Impending economic and political crisis enforced a change of leadership in the German Empire. Gerhard Frey (1933-2013) became the youngest Prime Minister in the modern German history at the day of his inauguration on March 11, 1986, being only 53. He used Öffentlichkeit as a political slogan to limit censorship, liberalize arts, put in place more aspects of direct democracy with the "Umstrukturierung" as the economic restructurization of the economy - implementation of computerized control over state-owned enterprises, limiting bureaucratic waste, the introduction of a semi-democratic control over factories. To show preparedness of Imperial Germany to join the international community as a truly free state, Frey invited popular singer Billy Joel to perform there. Documentary film - "A Matter of Trust - Bridge to Germany" (also known as "A Matter of Trust - Bridge to Russia") containing parts of Joel's performance, his meetings with the younger generation of Germans and interviews was released six months later in a Soviet TV.
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