| The history of tourism's dramatic and sustained growth into the largest industry in the world cannot be understood without the Cold War. In order to better understand the causes and consequences of the development of mass tourism, and to examine more closely the relationship between the Cold War and mass tourism in the mid-to-late twentieth century, this dissertation focuses on divided Berlin, one arena of this global phenomenon. In the context of divided Berlin, the Cold War and mass tourism had a reciprocal relationship. The Cold War influenced tourism in Berlin. Tourism in Berlin influenced the Cold War. The Cold War provided the context in which authorities on both sides of the Wall turned to tourism promotion as an extension of political propaganda, or their battle to win the hearts and minds of travelers, and potential travelers, East and West. Tourism in Berlin helped extend the Cold War to the level of the everyday on the domestic and on the international front. Tourism, defined broadly as a discourse and as a practice, drew potential travelers into the global competition by encouraging them to view their leisure travel practices through a Cold War lens, or what I term a "Cold War worldview." I introduce the term to describe the notion that the legitimacy of capitalism versus socialism revolved around perceivable evidence of freedom and progress, defined as technological and economic development, and material abundance. Leisure travel often served as an occasion to realize, or crystallize, a "Cold World worldview," that might otherwise have remained latent. Historically, Berlin was not one of the great travel destinations of Europe. The Cold War, however, brought Berlin into the limelight, transforming it into a viable tourist destination, and transforming ordinary travelers into Cold War travelers. |
