Introduction
The Berlin Wall is a massive wall erection that divides East Germany from the western Germany and it was built during the cold war. This was constructed to thwart the none-too-popular flight of East Germans to West with a significant effect on people’s lives. In the following sections of this article, the reader will be able to discover when the building of the Berlin Wall began, when the construction occurred and finally when it fell down.
The Birth of Divide
In the years leading up to the Cold War with tensions rising between the Soviet Union and its Allies the United States, France and the United Kingdom conflict arisen in Berlin. On the conclusion of the Second World War, Germany was split into four occupation zones. Berlin is also situated in the Soviet zone, yet it was divided into four sectors and governed each of them by an Allied power.
Concerning immigration policies of the socialist Eastern countries for the Western states, ideological polarizations between two regions escalated, and the demand for the emigration from East expanded, Soviet Union worried. Thus, in the same year August 13th, 1961, the construction of the wall began. This was the beginning to split a city and a nation.
The Construction
Phase 1: Barbed Wire and Temporary Obstacles
In the first stage, barbs wire fencing was constructed to deter East Germans from moving to West Berlin. This was quite easier to carry out than the usual construction because all that was needed was to stretch barbed wire across the border checkpoints. But it was not enough to prevent people for trying to escape if they wanted it badly enough.
Phase 2: The Wall Rises
Feeling the inefficiency of barbed wire fences the construction of a wall was started in 1961. This second phase involved the use of concrete blocks, the wall was then slowly being constructed.
The concrete wall which was at least 12 meters high was accompanied by guard towers, ditches designed to prevent the passage of vehicles and a row of ramps. Construction was done hastily, with the purpose of stopping the mass emigration.
Phase 3: Reinforcing the Wall
With those running away from the dehumanizing conditions constantly searching for chances to cross the border, more measures were put in place. This phase included applying the enhanced features on the original wall and this the features involved ranged from the mesh fencing cognate alarm systems and minefields. These additions made it more difficult for people to decode this barrier.
Phase 4: Continuous Improvements
Gradually it also became possible to enhance the wall’s design in order to avoid its flaws and attempts to escape. Even further the concrete blocks were enhanced on this to the extent that any attempt at breaking through was considered out of the question. The authorities also tried to use improved methods of surveillance, such as dogs, motion sensors and bright light to prevent escapees.
The Duration: 1961 to 1989
What is more, construction of the Berlin Wall took several years to be finished as a complex process. Even though there is no specific year available that construction was completed, for all intents and purposes the wall was mostly built by mid 1960s.
Barb wire fencing from the first deployment, to the subsequent reinforcements that have been periodically casing for 28 years and improvements have been made The Berlin Wall as an icon of the ideological divide with families and communities segregated.
The Fall and Legacy
As the Cold War finally started to come to an end in the late 1980s and political orientation changed, demands to the East German authorities increased. For several years, August 2, 1961 – November 9, 1989 was a period of demonstrations that led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall and a reunification of Germany. It was even becoming a symbol of liberation from oppression and divide and order’s failure and collapse was seen to be a historical shift.
The Berlin Wall gives the brief history of division by political ideologies as well as people’s desire to be free. Albeit, it may not have remained standing for as long as other historical structures that can still be seen today its affect on millions of lives and the history lesson it provided will forever be remembered.
Conclusion
The construction of the Berlin Wall happened gradually and took approximately twenty nine years. Clement, the barbed wire barricade symbolized the Cold War through the physical appearance being converted from a rudimentary barrier to a concrete wall. By familiarizing ourselves with the construction timeline of the Berlin Wall, we get a key to understanding one of the most challenging epochs of human history affecting many people.
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