Of all the signs of the Cold War, the most famous barrier was the Berlin Wall that divided two cities, East and West Berlin, for twenty-eight years from 1961 to 1989. This evil wall can be considered the collapse of one epoch and the start of another in the history of the entire world. Wikipedia might change the answer to this question and, thus, visit: So, when did the Berlin Wall finally come down? Why not reveal the nitty gritty about this event that happened in our beautiful history?.
Berlins Construction of the Wall
In the aftermath of World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones, each controlled by a different Allied power: including USA, USSR, France, and UK. However, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union began to rise, culminating in the formation of two separate German states in 1949: the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany henceforth referred to as Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany henceforth referred to as DDR).
Since the beginning of the 1980s East Germany faced many problems in the fields of economy and politics and many of the East Germans wished to move to the rich West Germany. This mass migration results in a loss of population which cause the East German authorities to implement measures to retain their people and effectively preventing any further loss of their asset – human resource.
On 13 ^{th} August 1961, the socialist East German regime aided by the Soviet Union began construction of a barrier in Berlin that would divide the city into two halves. Within a day, wire barriers were put up, and shortly, a high wall constructed from reinforced concrete appeared.
Purposes and Characteristics of the Berlin Wall
The ‘objective of the Berlin Wall was therefore simple – to halt East Germans from crossing over to West Germany. The wall featured various elements that made escape extremely difficult:
1. Of the Berlin Wall, Its Height and Construction
The construction of the Berlin Wall comprised 155 kilometers of fence and approximately 3.6 meters of height. They contained many barriers such as walls without numbers, peripheral towers and no man’s lands to avoid attempted escapes.
2. The watchers of frontiers, border guards, and death strip.
The borders of East Germany were guarded by border guards who walked alongside the wall, The guards had watch towers and other instruments of observation. The area between the two walls called ‘death strip’ was covered with automatic shooting devices, booby traps, anti-vehicle trenches – another additional barrier.
3. Check-points and Border Control Stations
However, there were only a few legalize control points which allowed certain legal ways of crossing the border. Some of the milestones highlighted included the checkpoint charlie and the brandenburg gate- which later became symbol of the cold war.
This paper aims to look at the event that led to the planning and eventual fall of the events.
The Berlin Wall looked and felt very real but over time there were many factors that weakened the wall and finally brought about its collapse. Let’s explore the crucial events that marked this significant turning point in history:
1. The movement in the Soviet Union identified as the Reformist Wave
By mid 1980s glasnost and perestroika spear headed by then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev started a process of easing the tension between the two sides. As it was seen on previous B, the policies which were introduced by Gorbachev activated feelings of hope and raised expectations in all countries of Europe, including East Germany.
2. Civil uprising and Non-violent Rebellion
When change started to happen throughout the Eastern Bloc, East Germans became more and more dissatisfied with their government regime. Those pictures of people going to the streets to demand more freedoms and better living standards became a norm in East Germany. People’s protest finally became a threat to the government and demanded a change and unification.
3. Population displacement, the Iron Curtain and the Opening of Hungary’s Border
The situation changed in September 1989 when Hungary decided to throw breach across the Austrian border. This put in action essentially dismantled a crucial section of the Iron Curtain making it easy for East Germans to escape to the West through Hungary. The opening of this “escape hatch” became a starting signal that would give impulse to the «final countdown» leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
4. What it means to Experience a New Political Culture: Mass Demonstrations and Political Transition
Following this up, hundreds of thousands of East Germans poured into the street in order to protest against the nondemocratic politics and the division. The peaceful protest in large numbers continued unabated : Leipzig became one of the crucial cities of this kind of protest. This political pressure build up and culminating in the ousting of Erich Honecker – the some-time leader of the GDR.
5. The Surprising Announcement
As late as November the 9th in the year nineteen eighty nine, the citizens of the world were taken by surprise by an announcement made by the East Germany government. Günter Schabowski, a member of the Politburo, said in a press conference that no restrictions for foreign travel would be imposed.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Word got round and many East Germans ran to the frontier so that they could get into the western part of the city. These border guards could not resist the pressure of the mass and having unclear idea of the new policy, they had to open the checkpoints. In TV scenes of joyful reunions showing East and West Germans coming together symbolized the end of one epoch and the beginning of another in Germany.
After the downfall of the Berlin wall, the reunification ultimately stepped up, and finally Germany was reunited on October 3, 1990. The wall turned into a part of history, into the monument which testifies a struggle and which people delleterized in order to freedom.
Conclusion
Today we must remember the difference between the two walls, and remember that the testament of human spirit and civilization’s ability to overcome adversity is embodied in the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. This event did not only signal the unification of Germany as a single country but also has a massive impact for structuring of the world. This show that even barriers in the real and the ideological sense, as the Berlin wall for instance, can be demolished to open a way to a new, better world.
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