West Germany: The Bridge on the River Saale

Nothing is quite so symbolic of unity as a bridge, and last week West Germans celebrated the opening of a bridge that seemed the very embodiment of their dreams of reunification. The structure, 656 feet long, spans the River Saale, the boundary that divides the southern parts of East and West Germany. To add to the glow, the bridge was the first project of any kind on which the two Germanys have collaborated: the West put up the money, the East supplied the labor.

But symbolism and reality do not always coincide. Although...

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