The famous symbol of the Cold War the Berlin Wall divided East and West Berlin between 1961 and 1989. This building, constructed and destroyed at different periods in world history was significant. So now, let’s take a closer look at the history of this massive building.

Popular Culture and History: Some observations from the West |The fall of the Berlin Wall

After the Second World War the country was being divided into four Military districts of the Allied and these were United States, United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. Strains of the allied powers started building up which culminated in the formation of the East Germany and West Germany in 1949 respectively.

The government of East Germany realizes realizing that a significant number of its population is fleeing to the West in search of better economic and political returns; it constructed a physical barrier. So when it came at night on August 13, 1961, the construction of the Berlin wall started. Old barbed wire barriers were quickly substituted for concrete walls and towers, and slick anti-vehicle furrows.

Living on the either side of the wall

In essence, the wall turned into the symbol of two completely opposite systems opposing each other. In East Berlin, the soviet imposed all-round authority over all aspects of life, including freedom of speech, movement and economic as well as social reforms. For another, West Berlin rose to become a sign of freedom and affluence while East Berlin became the order and symbol.

Many families were split in a day, and trying to get out of their home meant losing their lives. Any persons trying to escape to the West was to be shot by the border guards of East Germany. It was shocking to suddenly stand in front of the wall knowing that so many lost their lives trying to escape the iron hand of the regime and find a better life elsewhere.

The Most Important Aspect of the Berlin Wall

The division of Germany into East and West created the Berlin Wall which became a major symbol of the Cold War – The East / West ideological split. It was not just a line on a map, that marked a separation between the two philosophies that the two sides stood for.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

During the 1980s, political liberalization started occurring in Eastern Europe it twenty four. They are the measures of Soviet leadership Mikhail Gorbachev and increased demands for change in East Germany’s socialist system peaceful protest for freedom and democracy.

The day chosen was the 9th of November 1989, and something nobody could have predicted, occurred. The East Germans said, and without any hindrance, that people were allowed to travel to the West. Tens of thousands of people, though happy, crowded the checkpoints to climb over the wall, hug their dear ones and rejoice the unification of the two parts after almost 90 years of separation. This was the point in time many use to indicate the start of the reunification of Germany and the decline of the cold war.

The Legacy of the Berlin Wall

Beneath the Bridge of the Berlin Wall also explored different emotions and experiences that people had at the time when the symbol of division disappeared in Germany but also awoke spirits of freedom and democracy in other world countries. It was a symbol of strength and reward for freedom.

The remaining sight of the Berlin Wall is today as memorial sites, museums and preserved sections. It offers people definite examples of the division in society and shows that we need to study history.

In Conclusion

The idea of the Berlin Wall was a symbol of the leading views that contributed to the society during the period of the Cold War. It symbolized East and West during its construction and became a symbol of victories of freedom and democracy with its fall. As the toils of the Berlin Wall Teach us, the world cannot be divided, and people are very strong.