MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Boris Kaimakov) - His father was meant to become a rabbi in a small German town, but instead he became a well-known playwright and antifascist. Friedrich Wolf's main work, "Professor Mamlock," has been staged in many European theaters and was made into a film in the Soviet Union.
Friedrich's youngest son, Markus, or Mischa, grew up in exile in the Soviet Union and could not have become anything other than what he became: chief of one of the world's most successful intelligence agencies in a country that no longer exists, the German Democratic Republic.
Mischa Wolf died on November 9 at the age of 83. The German press has been very respectful in their coverage of this extraordinary figure's death. Professionals are always respected, even if they happen to be on the other side of the front line. Whether or not they are on the other side depends on one's perspective, though. Wolf was not an enemy of German people; he was an enemy of Nazism and an opponent of German revenge. European history split Germany into two parts, and each of them had its own ideals and goals. He was also one of the most loyal friends of Russia, which saved his family and sacrificed the lives of millions of its people to save Europe.
Germany's 20th-century history has numerous examples of intellectual elites with dramatic lives. Nobel Prize winner Gunter Grass enthusiastically joined the SS. Leni Riefenstahl, an outstanding film director, so skillfully praised Nazism in her films that they are still perceived as masterpieces. Friedrich Wolf and his son Mischa joined the other, antifascist camp. Which of these figures is dearer to their motherland's history now? Or should we stop throwing stones when it is time to gather them?
Germany's postwar generation denied their fathers. In his works, Grass did more than most to help people understand the new German identity. Mischa Wolf, however, did not have to take this painful path. They all went their own ways, but at the end of their lives, their ways crossed.
The fall of Communism meant the end of a chapter in European history, and the entire continent, not only Germany, had to search for a new identity, unity and values. Wolf was one of the first in the GDR's socialist nomenklatura to understand that the country's collapse was inevitable, so he performed a civic deed. Unlike the conservative Communist leadership of the country, he began to look for a way out. There was only one, and Wolf found it.
In an unprecedented move, he voluntarily resigned from his post. The entire country understood that this was a systemic crisis, that it was not about his personal disagreements with GDR leader Erich Honecker and Stasi chief Erich Mielke. As a true military man, Wolf could not stoop to personal reproaches, but he made it clear that the reforms Gorbachev had launched in the Soviet Union should become an impulse for change in the GDR as well. After the publication of his book "Troika," where he showed himself to be a brilliant analyst and a critic of the regime, Wolf was seen as an enemy of the GDR. Moral freedom is always expensive, especially if the one who aspires to it is a convert...
After German reunification, Mischa Wolf was put on a wanted list together with other former members of the Stasi. He was hunted like a state criminal. Again, Russia shielded him and he became an emigrant. But the very thought of being wanted like this was intolerable to the ex-general, so he returned to Germany to defend his honor and dignity. This was also an extraordinary deed.
The legendary figure of the East German intelligence services was tried as a traitor and sentenced to six years in jail. The sentence might have been different, but Wolf defended not only himself, but also the dignity of his colleagues. Apparently, his speeches, in which he tried to prove that "high treason" could not be used in indictments of former GDR citizens who had served their state, played an important role. The German Constitutional Court declared the charges legally invalid, and hundreds of his comrades escaped prison.
One of Wolf's last books was "Friends Don't Die." He was right.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
