The Cold War and Political Tensions
The Berlin Wall, concrete barrier and icon of division running through the middle of Germany’s capital, was built in 1961 by the government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It is only necessary to look at the geopolitics of the time to decipher why the wall was constructed.
Following the Second World War, the country was split into four occupied zones occupied by four allied forces; America, Russia, Britain, and France. These four powers had contrasting political ideas and motives and their rivalry politically grew to what was termed the Cold war.
- Escape and Brain Drain
It is for this reason that the communists constructed the Berlin Wall in order to check East Germany from flooding into West Germany. The common characteristic for people in East Germany was that they wanted to have a life in freedom, with more money and more options. This tended to cause a loss of skilled labor and professionals especially due to lack of ability by East Germany to retain it.
The construction of the wall was an effort to stop the drain of its citizens from the East to the West; those who remained would be of value to the regime and improve its economy.
- Ideological War and Publicity
However, East Germany, the country of the socialist reformed communists wished to make it represent the battle between communism and the western democracy. When the Soviets erected the Wall in-between East and West Berlin they sought to cement division between socialism and capitalism.
Moreover, the wall also had propaganda significance; the regime made sure that its citizens believed that such separation from ‘the west’ was necessary, in order to guard against imperialism and Capitalism. Therefore, the government turned the wall into something that paints the West as an enemy and portrays the wall as something both systems need for their own safety.
- Economic Problems in the German Democratic Republic
Thus East Germany was economically way behind when compared to the west Germany. West Germany had tremendous economical growth and more over was regarded as one of the most successful countries economically. On the other hand, the East Germany Stag nated besides having limited resources than West Germany.
Construction of the wall was undertaken in bid to reverse economic divide between East and West Germany. With the help of the tight border policies, East Germany was trying to preserve socialist system in its economy and to avoid such consequences of Brain drain and capital flight to the west as was observed before 1961.
- They are Political Control and Repression.
The other reason for the construction of the Berlin Wall was to cement the SED enforced control over its people. This wall proved the physical reinforcement of state authority with the help of people’s fear and isolation.
With the wall constructed the East German government struck down various political measures which limited political freedom and quenched anyone showing the least hint of rebellion. The wall was symbolical in that it was feared it made it nearly impossible for people to free themselves from the regime or flee to the West.
The Legacy of the Berlin Wall
For 28 years the Berlin wall, in a very literal way separated families in Germany, as well as symbolizing the division between east and west. Its fall in 1989 was one of the biggest shifts in world history, it signified the dying of the Cold war, and the joining of the two Germanys.
Today it demonstrate the remnants of the wall that Germans had to endure during the Cold War epoch. It has become a symbol that showcases the ability of human spirit and it enlighten people and those fighting for freedom and re-unification of a divided world.
Conclusion
The East German regime had several reasons to build the Berlin Wall which split east and west. Its goal was to mitigate the drain of human capital, maintain ideological cleavage, solve socio-economic issues, and impose political authority. The wall became one of the most symbolic features in German history, feeling its presence and responding what it did to Germany and the rest of the world.
