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Berger, Monica (audio interview #2 of 6)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This interview was conducted at Berger's home at Leisure World in Seal Beach. She lived there by herself. 5/18/1979
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- 2020-10-30
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- SUBJECT BIO - Monica Berger and her husband owned and managed apartments and other real estate in downtown Long Beach and other parts of southern California in the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, she saw the area change from a residential community of retired folks into a modern civic and international trade center. Berger was born in Germany and followed other members of her family by emigrating to New York. By the time of the Second World War, she'd moved to Los Angeles and opened a beauty shop. She cut and styled women's hair in her shop to support herself and her son. She also participated in local social and political organizations of German immigrants until the war made such activities suspect. After the war, she met and married Peter Berger who had saved his money and retired as a real estate owner and manager. She took over management of some of his real estate holdings and negotiated the sale of a large apartment building in Long Beach when the city took over the land to expand its civic center. Later she and her husband lived in the desert and bought and sold real estate there, before moving back to Long Beach. When her husband died and she became older, she moved to Leisure World, a retirement community in nearby Seal Beach. TOPICS - early life in Germany; father's blacklisting due to association with Social Democratic Party; brother's birth in 1893; smuggling socialist papers; growing interested in politics; mother's death due to blood poison life in small German town; learning new language in America; dealing with post-war economic downturn in Germany; brother's injuries fighting in war; father's work in leather factory; early educational experiences
- *** File: cbmberger3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:19)... During Berger's early life in Germany, her father had trouble finding work because he had a rebellious reputation and was involved with the Social Democratic Party. As a result, her family lived with Berger's grandmother. When Berger's brother was born in 1893, her father worked in a factory as a time keeper and they lived in factory provided apartment. (3:19-6:10)... There were many animals around the factory provided apartment where Berger lived. She and other children who lived nearby liked to watch the animals, especially when one of the cats had kittens. Her father disapproved and wanted to get rid of the animals. There was also a bulldog among the animals that the children cared for. (6:10-9:48)... While living in the factory apartment, Berger helped smuggle socialist papers, which were outlawed, around Germany. She recalls the new laws that reduced the workday from twelve hours to ten hours After WWI and the Treaty of Versailles, Berger felt that many poor Germans grew receptive to Hitler because he seemed to promise a better life. (9:48-12:53)... Like many other German families, Berger's family was quite poor. Following WWI, Berger grew more interested in politics when she saw the suffering and poverty of the people. As a child, Berger lived in poverty, although she never realized her family was poor. They received gifts from Berger's uncle in New York from time to time. Berger was also distracted by story books which she loved to read. (12:53-16:39)... When Berger was still young, her mother became sick and was diagnosed with blood poisoning that affected her brain. Just three days after she was diagnosed, her mother died. Her grandmother encouraged the children to pray when they experienced troubles. When Berger's and her brother's prayers for their mother's recovery did not come true, she lost faith in God. (16:39-18:50)... After her mother's death, Berger and her brother went to live with their grandmother. Her father remarried and the children did not get along with their stepmother. The stepmother was much younger than Berger's father, and treated the children badly. When Berger's father lost his job at the factory, he bought a restaurant. His new wife could not handle the customers, so he sold the restaurant. (18:50-21:26)... Berger's father still owned the restaurant when the idea for Berger to go to America arose. Her father was conflicted about sending her to America, but finally agreed. At this time, he had another child with his second wife, but his wife did not treat her own daughter any better than she treated her step children. Berger became anxious when it came time to go to America as she thought about the long trip she had ahead of her. (21:26-25:02)... Berger boarded a ship for America and had a cabin to herself. She was supposed to travel with a family, but they did not like her and sent her to sit elsewhere. During meals, she sat with a farmer and his two sons. She could not read the menu and was unfamiliar with the food, so she just ordered what the farmer did. She felt more comfortable around the poorer travelers and spent time with those in the steerage. (25:02-28:01)... The funeral for Berger's mother began at their house; a school choir sang there for the family. Then they had to walk for over an hour to get to the cemetery. During the funeral, she and her brother played and joked with each other because they did not understand the seriousness of the event. (28:01-31:35)... Her mother's death was difficult for Berger. She still had to work in the restaurant and go to school. Living with her grandmother, she had to eat spinach and other foods she did not like. She tried hiding the spinach in her pocket, and it made a mess in her clothes while she was at school. Her grandmother was upset when she learned what Berger had been doing. (31:35-34:02)... Berger wanted to impress her friends at school, so she took some gold from her father's Bible to show the other children. Another time, she took her mother's wedding ring and lost it at a carnival. Berger often found herself in trouble, and was also criticized as being nosy. Her inquisitive nature sometimes caused problems with her family members. (34:02-38:12)... Berger lived with her maternal grandmother after her mother's death. Berger also visited her paternal grandmother in the Black Forest during the holidays. Her paternal grandparents lived far away, on a farm in the woods. Berger remembers going on sleigh rides and also helping with chores when she visited there. She visited the farm again, after living in America, and none of the neighbors believed her stories about her life there. (38:12-41:40)... Many of Berger's relatives on her father's side moved to the US after WWI. Berger's relatives on her mother's side lived in an agricultural area. They were Catholic, but there were no Catholic churches in the area. Religion was an important part of their lives. The Social Democrats, however, criticized churches which collected money in impoverished communities. (41:40-45:08)... Berger's maternal grandmother grew up in a beautiful, wooded agricultural area. A mountain spring to provided water and later, villas were built nearby. Berger's uncle joined the military and served with Count Zeppelin. Later, he became a police officer. After he married, he took Berger with him on visits to the nearby villas . END OF TAPE *** File: cbmberger4.mp3 (0:00-3:28)... Berger's mother had one sister and two brothers. At that time, there was a high child mortality rate in Germany. One of her uncles had 18 children. He ran a well-regulated house and everyone had to do chores. One of her aunts married a man who had horses and delivered goods around the country. Another of her uncles was sent to New York. Both of Berger's grandmothers were widowed at a young age. (3:28-7:40)... Many people in Berger's town shared the same names. To cope with this, nearly everyone was given a nickname. Berger's father had a rare last name, and some people suspected that he was from a Jewish family. Everyone in the town, however, was Christian, partly in response to a caste system in German society. Residents used honorary titles when addressing certain persons. (7:40-9:30)... After moving to the US, Berger became familiar with people who spoke "greenhorn English," a mixture of German and English. Berger found herself using a similar mixture of German and English when she returned to Germany after living in the United States. She was inconsistent about using the proper titles in formal communication. (9:30-13:54)... Berger preferred living in the US, but knew many people who returned to Germany to retire. She disliked many aspects of the physical and social environment in Germany. One of Berger's German nieces was preoccupied with material things and wealth although her niece's children were successful in their careers. (13:54-17:35)... Berger's stepmother had a sister who was a midwife. She was recognized as an outstanding midwife by the King. Sometimes, Berger visited her to help with her work, even though she did not understand how babies were created. She thought that women became pregnant from douches. Berger tried to show off by telling others her understanding of how babies were born. (17:35-18:51)... Berger's parents did not provide her with any sort of sex education. Talking about sex was taboo, and her parents did not even kiss in front of the children. Like many other families, they felt that sex was dirty and talking about it was inappropriate. Berger, however, felt that information about sex was important for everyone to know. (18:51-19:51)... The social caste system in Germany sometimes separated family members. After the midwife's daughter married a doctor and elevated her social status, she was considered above her other relatives. (19:51-23:00)... Berger's stepmother was raised in a strict household. As a young girl, Berger's stepmother was engaged to a man whom the stepmother's father disliked. He ruined their marriage because the man owed him some money. Berger suspected that her stepmother married Berger's father to spite her own father. They were married until Berger's father died. (23:00-26:26)... Berger's father was able to take advantage of the economic downturn in Germany after the war. He bought land before the war began and paid it off after the war when inflation drove down the value of money. His brother fared worse during the war, and lost his legs while flying an airplane. Berger's stepmother's brother got a woman pregnant and she was sent to America before their parents found out. He later moved to America and married another woman. (26:26-29:05)... Berger's father worked in a factory that produced leather from cow hides. Although the factory provided apartments where her family lived were later destroyed, the factory grew to one of the largest in the world. The factory was supplied with skins from all over Germany. After the war, German industrial development improved. (29:05-32:00)... Berger's uncle brought her an assortment of school supplies when he visited Germany from the United States. He had come to get married, and Berger received even more gifts at the wedding. Her uncle had three children who all learned English, but their mother never did. (32:00-36:07)... Berger has fond memories of her first teacher. She began school when she was seven. She did well in school and was second in her class, but suffered when her mother died. She began to misbehave in school and was known as a problem child. Although the teachers were strict, Berger enjoyed school. When she went to America, however, she did not continue her education until much later in night school. (36:07-40:50)... In Germany, the government controlled of the schools, and the Social Democrats, when they were part of the government, criticized the church for its influence on society. Berger's father was not against religion, but he disapproved of church officials who took advantage of their positions. When Berger was growing up in Germany, students could choose to continue in a secondary school to earn a diploma in a certain industrial field after finishing their basic education. Berger did not want to continue her education in Germany; she didn't want to work there, especially after living in France and seeing how workers were treated there. (40:50-42:45)... Berger had to adjust to life in Germany after visiting the US. When she was living with one of the families she worked for, the family's mother told Berger she could bathe only once a month. Berger was astounded that they did not expect her to bathe every day, especially because she was caring for their child. After some discussion, the family allowed to take more frequent baths. (42:45-44:59)... Berger lived for a year with her paternal grandparents in the Black Forest and went to school there. She also learned how to knit and sew because girls were expected to have such domestic skills in order to get married. After that, Berger returned to live with her father and work in his restaurant. END OF TAPE
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