At the end of World War I Germany became a republic and the former, strict, Prussian style was replaced by a desire for freedom, especially in larger cities. Berlin, with its vibrant cultural and nightlife scene became one of the most colorful global cities of the era. This longing for freedom and zest for life also influenced lifestyle trends.
Watch the testimony of Manfred Vernon who talks about Berlin in the 1920s.
Manfred Vernon (born Manfred Vohl) was born on May 23, 1907, in Düsseldorf, Germany, to an Orthodox Jewish family. After losing his mother in 1918, his father remarried. He attended a Jewish elementary school and later a high school, where he faced antisemitism but no physical violence. During the Great Depression, while studying law, he helped his father’s business. Interested in politics, he joined the German Social Democratic Party at 20, quickly rising to a leadership position. He also led a Jewish neutral organization, which became increasingly dangerous under Nazi rule. By 1933, he fled to the Netherlands, learning new trades to survive. News of Kristallnacht in 1938 and his family's persecution forced him to emigrate to the U.S. In 1940, he was drafted for military training and later recalled when the U.S. entered WWII, though he never saw combat. After the war, confirming his family’s survival, he studied political science and became a respected professor before retiring in 1974. Married in 1946, he had four children and nine grandchildren. This interview was conducted in the U.S. in 1997.
The development of today's socially accepted behavioral norms began after World War I. As Manfred Vernon described the era: "The Victorian behavior (one doesn’t do certain things) was not so important anymore."
After watching the clip, think about why Berlin might have been appealing to Otti Berger at the time.