How did West Germany feel about everything that was going on? As former German Prez von Weizsacker's twelve-page speech (seriously, it's a long one; pull up a comfy chair) tells us, it's complicated.

Paul Lincke may have told us there's something in the air in Berlin, but it's von Weizsacker who describes what's actually floating around out there: it's a heady mix of shame, pride, defeat, embarrassment, gratitude, fear, and hope. That's a lot of feels to have all at the same time.

But pretend to be a German for a minute. This speech was given in 1985, forty years after the end of World War II and four years before the Berlin Wall was dismantled. So in the past seventy years, Germany had instigated—and lost—both World Wars. They'd been responsible for attempting to systematically exterminate entire categories of people. Other nations had stepped in and divided the country up like pie, and there was a big freaking death wall running right through the capital city.

Bad stuff.

But there'd also been positive progress. West Germany had literally rebuilt itself from ashes (with help from some new friends). West Berlin was becoming beautiful again, and Western capitalism was flattering its svelte economic figure big-time.

Yeah, maybe we can see how emotions could get a little complicated.