The Historical Background
On August 13, 1961, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) built the Berlin Wall, a representation of the split between East and West during the Cold War. Following World War II, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union—the victorious Allies—divided Germany into four distinct areas of occupation. The capital, Berlin, was split into four sectors as well.
The Political Situation
East Germany, which was ruled by the Soviet Union, and West Germany, which was influenced by the Western Allies, developed distinct political systems as a result of the growing conflict between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies. As a threat to its existence, the GDR sought to stop its residents from emigrating to West Germany.
The Building
Overnight, the Berlin Wall’s construction got underway in secrecy. The two areas of Berlin were first divided by barbed wire barriers until a concrete wall was built in the centre of the city. The wall, which surrounded West Berlin and essentially divided it from East Germany, was roughly 155 km long. The wall was 3.6 meters high at its highest point.
The Effect
The lives of Berliners, families, and the global world were all significantly impacted by the construction of the Berlin Wall. Friends, families, and towns were physically divided by the wall and suddenly cut off from one another. It successfully stopped the movement of people, resulting in a conspicuous Cold War icon.
The Crucial Figures
Although the German Democratic Republic decided to build the Berlin Wall, a number of influential people contributed to its development. Walter Ulbricht, the leader of East Germany and the general secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, was one notable individual. Ulbricht pushed for the wall’s construction in an effort to keep the GDR in power and stop more defections.
Nikita Khrushchev, the then-leader of the Soviet Union, was another significant individual. Khrushchev backed Ulbricht’s policies and believed the wall would help keep East Germany under control and avoid the political humiliation that would come from widespread defections.
The Berlin Wall’s collapse
The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, as a result of huge protests and political reforms in East Germany following years of separation. Leipzig was the birthplace of the first movement, when nonviolent protests calling for political changes gathered steam. After internal pressure and a strong desire for change, the East German authorities finally gave in and permitted East Germans to travel freely.
Germany’s Reunification
A momentous event was the fall of the Berlin Wall. It cleared the path for Germany’s reunification and represented the end of the split between East and West Germany. The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic reunited as a single nation on October 3, 1990.
In conclusion
The construction of the Berlin Wall exposed the profound political divisions of the Cold War era while stifling the freedom of the German people. It served as a metaphor for the conflict between democracy and communism, dividing friends, family, and loved ones. But the reunification of Germany and the end of the Cold War were made possible by the fall of the Berlin Wall, which gave rise to fresh hope.
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