The Wall that Divided a City

Breaking Down the Fall: The End of the Berlin Wall

The Wall that Divided a City

The Berlin Wall, Cold War monument, was a barrier that separated the city of Berlin in Germany from 1961 to 1989. Begot by the German Democratic Republic, popularly referred to as East Germany, the wall separated families, friends and neighbours for almost thirty years.

Origins of the Berlin Wall

The erection of the Berlin Wall was due to the Given the Cold War tensions that had been experienced all over the world. Thus, after World War II Germany has been divided into four parts in occupation zones occupied by the United States, Great Britain, France and USSR.

Mostly, this division started with the essence of political differences between the Soviet Union and the western allies. In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany, also known as West Germany, was formed, and in 1949 the German Democratic Republic also know as East Germany both claimed legitimacy of the German government.

The migration policy problem 1: The mass emigration from the east to the west because it affected the Soviet Union and East Germany so much, that they experienced an issue with an intellectual exodus and many economic problems. In response to these developments the East German rulers, headed by Walter Ulbricht, started to look for ways to contain this exits.

The Construction of the Wall

Finally, on August 12 of 1961, during the working night walls were started to be constructed. It must be said that up to that time, it has been comparatively easy to cross between the East and Western sectors of Berlin. However the sudden erection of what came to be referred to as the Wall was looked at by many as a shocker.

The Wall itself was not a single monolithic entity but rather it formed solid concrete segments, barbed wire and watch towers. This wall was to bar East Berliners from visiting West Berlin and it had a perimeter of 155 kilometers around West Berlin.

As the Wall was being constructed families were divided, and people were eliminated from their neighborhoods. A surprising number of people were left in that sector without means of getting to their jobs, offices, schools or even their relatives.

The Catalysts for Change

A Catalyst of Diplomacy: President Reagan’s Speech

Symbol of the result of the Cold War, the division between the two ideologies Freedo and Oppression, the Berlin Wall came to represent all these and more. But that was a process of gradually becoming weaker because of an accumulation of events that were triggered by certain people.

The first key event apply was a speech given by President Ronald Reagan on June 12th, 1987 unto West Berlin. For instance, in his speech delivered on the Brandenburg Gate, the then US president Ronald Reagan rather boldly said; “Mr. Gorbachev, if you would, bring down this wall!”

This powerful statement warmed people around the world and stressed the need for freedom and everyone to be one. What Reagan’s words really did was challenge Gorbachev to tear down the Wall and together with awakening the public’s conscience at least to the existent of the Berlin Wall.

The Push for Reforms: Gorbachev’s Policies

The leader who got more involved in bringing down of the wall was Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Glasnost The two policies put forth by Mikhail Gorbachev –glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring) were geared towards restructuring the Soviet Union and bringing the society under the political framework into a new political and economical age.

These policies triggered a series of events that affected most of the Eastern European countries, including the East Germany. A close examination shows that indirectly Gorbachev played the leading role in the deregistration for the freedom needs in East Germany – due to diplomatic relations and political transformation.

The Fall of the Wall

The Peaceful Protest: The Leipzig Demonstrations

In October 1989, in the beginning of the following year a wave of non violent protests began in East-Germany unifying for political reforms and the right to free speech. One of the main protest activities was the demonstration in Leipzig, where thousands of people drove stating all their dissatisfaction.

The East Germans called these demonstrations in Leipzig as the Mondays of the Peaceful Revolution. Even though demonstrators faced the imminent possibility of violent crackdown, the very fact of the nonviolent nature of the protests showed people’s desire for the change that won’t require blood.

The Open Border: A Historic Announcement

Gunter Schabowski addressing a press conference on the night of November 9, 1989, made a spur of the moment statement. He declared that, beginning immediately, citizens of East Germany could come and go as they pleased through the border.

It quickly became a hot topic so thousands of people headed to the checkpoints dividing East from West Berlin. Faced with such a tide of refugees, many of which were sick, border guards could only open the gates to let people through. The wall that had separated the city of Berlin for 28 years was no longer there.

Unity and the Era After

German Reunification: A Nation United

This event sparked a process that paved way to German reunification, through the demolition of the physical barrier worth talking about – the Berlin Wall. I am happy to recall that on the third of October in the year 1990, East and West Germany joined together to become one country.

He noted that with reunification, there were problems since the difference in economies between east and west was vast. However, recent years have witnessed Germany making a lot of progress organizing the former East Germany hence uniting the nation.

The Impact of the Fall

The effects of the socialism when the Berlin Wall collapsed were enormous with relation to the region and the entire global world. Thus it marked the end of Cold war and shift in powers from western to eastern countries.

Moreover, breaking down of the Berlin Wall erupted as a powerful statement of possibility and healing. It made the world realize that even some barriers are unbreakable people can still work for the change.

Today those pieces of the Berlin Wall can be seen as sculptures and reminders of the gap that existed before, and people who are interested in the subject can reflect on the messages of liberty, tolerance and search for a better future.