The streets echoed with chants: The urban experience of post-War West Berlin

Due to the current politicisation of public spaces and the “reclaiming of the commons”, there has been renewed interest in historical protest movements instigated by the Left and particularly in relation to the idea of reclaiming physical spaces of the city. Literature has tended to focus on global and continental perspectives, with recent publications demonstrating an increasing trend towards memory studies and literary analysis. By contrast, this monograph will offer cultural analysis in relation to urban planning in order to present the experience of the protester in direct relation to their contemporary condition. This monograph attempts to illustrate this relationship through a focus on the politicisation of urban space and the symbiotic relationship between protester and city space. In contrast to studies of a global or transnational nature, this analysis focuses specifically on the case study of West Berlin. The city’s turbulent history had a profound impact on the identity of the city and its inhabitants, which caused post-war planning policies to become laden with political and ideological symbolism. As the first generation to seriously consider the impact of National Socialism, with the city a haven for the left-wing, with an education system which allowed for substantial extra-curricular study and movement between disciplines, the ‘68 student movement in West Berlin operated under a different set of circumstances to other European cities and it is this specificity of time and place which is at the centre of this analysis