The Historical Context
In the aftermath of World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allied forces:
Britain, United States, Soviet Union, and France. The Soviet block continue to rise, tensions between the Western powers and the Soviet block continue to rise.
Germany became the scene of the Cold War, and Union escalated. The nation’s capital was
deep within Soviet controlled East Germany strategically placed.
The Decision to Build
In 1961 the Soviet Union made one of the most divisive and controversial decisions when it became a part of the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Khrushchev and its leader. East Germans seeking freedom and economic opportunity were beginning to Mass exodus.
The Soviet government wanted to halt the brain drain, yet marshal opportunities in West Germany and West Berlin.
to prevent further destabilisation of East Germany.
The Main Actors
Nikita Khrushchev
The
the decision to build the Berlin Wall. For him the growing number of East German people leaving the country was growing.
a threat to the stability of the socialist regime.
Walter Ulbricht
He also took a leading role for Walter Ulbricht, General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of East Germany.
related to the building of Berlin Wall. But Ulbricht was keen on controlling East as tightly as possible.
It’s why, rather than join their countrymen and prevent Germany from draining further of its own population, he returned to the country.
The Border Guards
The people who actually built the Berlin Wall were border guards, East German military and police.
forces. It was their responsibility to build the barricades, fences and checkpoints that
It spanned the length of Berlin.
The Construction Process
On August 12, 1961 the East German authorities began construction on the Berlin Wall. It
The erection of barbed wire obstacles began and quickly turned into a more sizeable obstacle.
consisting of concrete walls; guard towers; and a wide no man’s land called the “death strip.” The
It is a construction that lasted several years and because of division of Berlin, until finally it lost its glory in 1989.
The Impact and Significance
The Berlin Wall had lasting consequences on people of Berlin and the rest of the world. It
This was the division between East and West, between a country under communist regime and democracy. Families were torn apart,
It also served to limit economic opportunities and in effect become a physical manifestation of the Cold War.
Conclusion
Nikita Khrushchev and Walter made the decisions which were most responsible for the Berlin Wall, built in 1961.
Ulbricht. The wall itself, a reminder of the is that the border guards were the physical builders.
An ideological divide between East and West. It remained in place pretty much for nearly three decades as
that until 1989, when it was torn down, had fulfilled for many a powerful symbol of the Cold War era, a reunification of Germany.
It is a moment and an end of an era of division and conflict.
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