Few events can be counted as as important to turn the course of history as the fall of the Berlin Wall. For Germany, but for the whole world, this monumental event took place on November 9th, 1989. With this article, we are likely to analyse the various factors that shifted the Berlin Wall down, the colossal impact it made at the Cold War and the reincorporation of Germany.
The Creation of the Berlin Wall
In order to fully comprehend how the Berlin Wall fell, we must take a moment to understand for which reason it was built in the first place. Following World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allied Powers: The United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Even though Berlin lay deep within the Soviet controlled territory, the capital was also divided into its four sectors.
Absolute differences were differences in governance and ideologies which led in time to tensions between Soviet Union and the Western Allies. Under Soviet control, east Germany lost a majority of his skilled labor and professionals to the more affluent west. Therefore, on August 13th, 1961, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) communist government built the Berlin Wall to slow the flow of its people out of the country.
The Catalysts for Change
Throughout these three decades, the division of Germany had become fait accompli, but during the late 1980s several factors arose that had prepared the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall. These catalysts included:
1. Economic Struggles:
The GDR faced an economy that was coming to a stop, under penalised production, standards of goods shortfalls and widespread corruption. West Germany, having a free market economy that was thriving, by contrast, was prospering. Living standards for East Germans were so different to those of West Germans, it simply angered them, and they desperately wanted change.
2. Political Reforms:
Beset by a series of political and economic reforms, sometimes called “perestroika” (restructuring) and “glasnost” (openness), the leader of the Soviet Union was Mikhail Gorbachev. As part of a wave that saw calls for political reforms in the GDR, these policies unwittingly sparked a wave a call for the modernity of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev’s reforms emboldened East Germans who wanted more freedom, and an end to the oppressing regime.
3. Peaceful Protests:
Citizens of East Germany demanded democratic reforms, the freedom of expression, and the right to travel and sparked massive brutal protests. On October 9, 1989 about 70,000 people filled the streets in non-violent demonstrations in Leipzig. The fear that a violent crackdown could soon ensue did not curb the people’s protests, which brought these exiles home, and caught the world’s attention in international media.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
On the morning of November 9th, 1989, a simple bureaucratic announcement, would change the course of history. At a press conference in the German Democratic Republic, East German official Günter Schabowski misread that travel restrictions to the West had been lifted, “immediately.” This sudden revelation rocketed around the globe, and east Germans rushed to Berlin’s wall checkpoints seeking passage.
The border guards gave up under mounting pressure and at midnight they opened the checkpoints. The guards were ill prepared to handle such an influx of East Germans and they were overwhelmed by throngs of East Germans streaming through the checkpoints. Freed by the explosive silence behind the wall, ecstatic crowds on both sides of the barrier celebrated the new freedom, wooding down part of the wall in joy and euphoria.
The Aftermath and Unification
Now, the Berlin Wall crumbled to make way for East and West Germany when they finally were reunited, on October 3rd 1990. The wall fell and with it went the symbol of man’s inhumanity to his neighbour, the triumph of the human spirit and the power of peaceful revolution. There were extreme economic disparities on one side, and stark differences on the other side of integration.
The process of reunification was not easy or frictionless: Unification meant essentially pumping money into the former East to spur development. Privatization, unemployment, social division were complex and to the transformation of a socialist to a capitalist system. Of course these difficulties were formidable, but increment by increment the scars of division healed, and eventually came to be a united and prosperous Germany.
The Enduring Legacy
The power of unity, and the human spirit’s unparalleled desire for freedom: those are two things that we will always remember in the fall of the Berlin Wall. More than that it ended the Cold War, saw the reunification of Germany, and heralded a new era in global politics. It was an inspiration for those all around the world who are fighting for freedom and democracy.
Remnants of the Berlin Wall itself stands to this day as a reminder of both the struggle, the sacrifice and the triumph that marked its fall. Resting as a powerful instrument to the human will to survive from adversity is The East Side Gallery, a part of the original wall covered with multiple colorful murals as a testimony to humanity.
Conclusion
Speaking of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a defining moment on the human story marking a victory of freedom over oppression. This is the end result of economic struggles, political reforms and peaceful protests. It is a poignant reminder of the collective action and hope, and our quest for a different future, that made the Berlin Wall such a fixture of that dark age.
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