If my parking lot illustration didn't convince you, maybe this second
attempt will show just how deep and convoluted Berlin's history really
is.

The building I've photographed is a number of things. It was built in the early 1900's
as a representation of the triumph of Fascism. During the war, it was a central location
for Hitler. After the war, it became the Communist "Ministry of
Ministries" building (how Orwellian is that!) and now, it is the German
IRS.

Completely incredible.

Some changes have been made to it over time. At first, it was just
this gray building with lots of Fascists inside. When the Communists took over, rather than bomb
the building, they decided to adapt it to their needs. They called it the "Ministry of Ministries" and created a 20-30
foot long propaganda mural (pics included) that showed workers shaking
hands with managers, happy women working together, people smiling and
laughing, and everyone working as one unit - the way socialism is
intended to work.

2 days after this mural was created, workers went on strike in East Berlin. This was years before the creation or the fall of
the Berlin Wall, but it was the first threat that rose against the
Communist government, and it was stopped by force. Over 200 people died that day, and over 500,000 people fled Eastern Europe over the next 6 months. In spite of those set backs, Communism continued on for over 40 - 50 years.

Although Communism is long gone, the mural is kept as a reminder of
the dream of Communism. However, there is one change. Someone happened
to get a picture of the strike, and today, that picture is placed in
the square in front of the mural, to make it very clear there is a
dream of socialism, but that dream differs greatly from the reality.