Introduction
The Berlin Wall, which was raised in 1961 by East Germany (that’s the German Democratic Republic), was the product of the Cold War and divided Germany. It was a wall designed to stop the mass exodus of East Germans to West Germany, and it had profound effects on families on opposing sides. In this article, we will pay tribute to the heart wrenching stories and the lasting effect the Berlin Wall had on so many families.
Families Caught in the Divide
Within hours, overnight, the Berlin Wall, stretching well over 96 miles, separated families, friends, and — through much of the city, anyway — loved ones. Streets became walls, neighborhoods became cut, and walls could be anything up and down the line separating those on each side.
What if, one day, a family woke up to find their living room on the other side of the wall? There was no warning, and no chance to say goodbye, brothers and sisters were torn apart, mothers and fathers, grandchildren and grandparents.
The Emotional Toll
The Berlin Wall was another heavy one in terms of emotional damage. Suddenly, families were severed, individuals having to deal with separated and severed families. Grandparents were isolated from their grandchildren; the parents were torn away from their children; and couples were split apart.
Because the wall separated families, some families were able to manage a few brief contacts over the wall, shouting or writing letters, but these contacts were sporadic and heavily supervised by East German officials. That constant fear of being caught talking to someone on the other side simply increased the stress already put on already frail relationships.
Strained Bonds
The long term effect of the Berlin wall on family dynamics was great. The more time passes, the further this wall came to distance family relations and the more strained such relationships became between family members ‘on this side of the wall’ and family members ‘on that side of the wall’. Only the wounds grew deeper as I could not be there for all of the important life events, like birthdays, funerals and weddings.
One or both of a child’s parents were absent growing up, giving rise to feelings of abandonment, longing, and resentment. Growing up, siblings who used to clasp on to each other had to separate, with one of them ending up missing out on some of the most important experiences that come when one is growing up with the other.
The Painful Reunion Process
Not long after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, hope spread among families long estranged. But the process of reuniting wasn’t without its work. Navigating a medley of bureaucratic procedures, long and at times grueling queues, and grueling East German and West German scrutiny of background checks, families found themselves constantly drawing back to begin the process again.
But for many families, the reunion did not happen until after the wall came down, and the dismantling of physical and emotional detente—a long reunification process.
The Long-lasting Effects
Over three decades ago, the Berlin Wall stopped making an impact on families, but even that impact lingers. The unresolved trauma, emotional scars and lost sense of belonging still continues as many families live with these issues.
Children who grew up on either side of the wall now have a difficult time connecting the gap between backgrounds, languages and cultures. It has left scars on the affected families, and on all generations to follow, scars from the separation, both seen and unseen.
Conclusion
So the Berlin Wall is a haunting reminder of what happened to families during the Cold War. The impact was both immediate and long lasting, on both sides of those caught between. The wall shattered families, parts of families straining and producing emotional trauma and struggle in the reunion process.
We can understand the costs of political conflict only by understanding how the experiences of those affected were different. This can only be achieved by recognizing these stories and writing that any future divisions can be prevented and that no family should ever again have to go through the pain of arbitrary separation.
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