The Problem of Berlin’s Cross-Border Commuters. Integration and Systemic Competition before the Building of the Berlin Wall

By addressing the problem of Berlin’s cross-border commuters, the author traces a hitherto largely neglected phenomenon in contemporary history. Until the building of the Berlin Wall, numerous inhabitants of the divided city worked in their “other” Berlin. However, the Cold War and conflicting economic systems made commuting across the Iron Curtain a problem that plunged many into conflict and was symptomatic like no other of the tensions in the divided city.

This account opens a new window on a time of extraordinary challenges in politics and everyday life.