For Those Who Dare

When WWII came to a close, the Allied victors – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia – carved spheres of interest from the European continent. The former Allies soon became enemies, the U.S., U.K. and France pitted against Russia and the Cold War began, a global conflict drawn on ideological principles – capitalism versus communism. The German nation, initiator of the global cataclysm, was divided among the victors. West Germany was administered by the U.S., U.K. and France, East Germany was overseen by the Soviet Union – Russia and her satellites. Germany’s former capital, the city of Berlin, was also split into East and West with the same administrators. West Berlin, located one hundred miles within East Germany, became a capitalist island in a socialist sea, a remote outpost of freedom often used as a pawn in a global game of chess. Initially, East and West Berlin had no controlled borders. Residents worked and worshiped in either sector, had friends and family on both sides, and were free to pass from East to West, or West to East, with no repercussions. But socialism soon became a symbol for suppression and stagnation, a society that trampled invention and innovation, stemmed the free flow of ideas, and offered no reward for those who took risks – the entrepreneurs who ultimately transform civilizations. The professionals in the East, those with desirable skills like doctors and developers, architects and engineers, scientists and psychologists, fled to West Berlin to better their lives. Between 1945 and 1961, two and a half million East Germans escaped to West Berlin, some fifteen percent of the entire population. The Socialist government in East Germany eventually took drastic measures to stop the unwanted exodus. In August of 1961, they built the Berlin Wall, wrapping West Berlin in concrete and barbed wire to prevent any more in the East from escaping. I decided to write this book because I was intrigued by those who risked everything for dreams of a better life, determined to escape East Berlin regardless of the method – tunnels, sewers, fake passports – and regardless of the personal cost. Many were successful. Many more were not. Although For Those Who Dare is purely fiction, it’s based on fact, inspired by a political system that has failed repeatedly throughout the course of human history, but is continually reinvented with different faces and footprints, as if the muddled masses won’t recognize it and somehow embrace it for all eternity. The stark reminder to which I always return, is that in East Berlin in August of 1961, people risked and often lost their lives to obtain the freedom that most in the world are now so fortunate to enjoy. For Those Who Dare