Introduction
There is no better symbol associated with the 20th century than the Berlin Wall, is there? Historical as it stands this structure that separated the German capital for almost three decades is a sight to behold. Referring up to 155 kilometers, it developed into a segregating structure between the Eastern and the Western bloc during the Cold War period. In this article, the authors will discuss different significance of the Berlin Wall using political economy approach and social implications.
The Rise and Construction of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall construction started in August 1961, and nobody expected it. It was a direct reaction to the increased migration of the East Germans to west Germany this was a situation that worried the su and their allies in the GDR. The wall started to go up overnight, determining a split of the city in two, East Berlin which was under the Soviets alongside East Germany and West Berlin which was under the Americans, British and French.
It seems that the wall was huge physically. It was made of a number of concrete slabs with barbed wire and watch towers on top of them. Its purpose was twofold: to keep East Germans from crossing the border to West and to depict the spirit of communism and that of capitalism.
Political Symbolism and Superpower Conflict
Berlin Wall was not just a wall separating east and west berlin; it was chilly war between United states and soviet union. At the same time it was evident sign of the world split between capitalistic and communistic regimes, between the West and the East.
Considerably the wall established itself as an efficient propaganda instrument for Cold war rivals. The East German government and their Soviet benefactors justified the building of the wall in order to shield their people from the dangers of the ‘decadent’ West involved in the young capitalist impulse. At the same time, the USA and other Western countries interpreted the wall as the sign of repression and the non-efficiency of communism.
Impact on East and West Berlin
The people of Berlin experienced changes and challenges with the help of the wall or as a result of it. Everyone staying with their family members and friends could not visit those on the other side nor was there any form of communication allowed for the night. Normal tasks that people engage in to go to school or work all became complex and limited. The wall caused a physical and an emotional division between the East and West Berliners.
In the east Berlin the wall was used as means of control and seclusion was necessary. The communist government used different approaches to ensure that the flow of ideas and values from the both the East and the West, was checked through different measures, including shutting down the flow of goods at the border and propagating its political view to the people. The wall as well created resentment and dissatisfaction among the populations of East Berlin despite all these efforts.
On the other hand West Berlin ligated freedom and hope for the people stuck in East Berlin. The city turned into a symbol of the capitalist order into which prospering personalities including artists, intellectuals and refugees from the East flocked. West Berliners had every opportunity to become freely developed people, voting for their representatives in parliament, and receiving better living conditions guaranteed by the state. It was timely to have a separative geography dividing the city into two halves that would always remind the two systems’ incompatibility.
Global Significance and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Thus, the division of Germany by the Berlin Wall made an enduring impact within the worldwide theatre. It turned into a representation of the world divide and the conflicts of the cold war network. In turn, the wall’s construct indeed closed a door over the Soviet’s Eastern Europe dominion and opened it to the freedom embracing western world.
However, as the decade progressed they started to see decline in the communist regimes of Eastern Europe. Economic slow down, political instability, and proliferation of the pro-democracy campaigns saw changes across the area. This change process could be explained by opening up of Berlin Wall on the 9th of November 1989.
When the wall finally came down, it signified the first crack in the East German government, let alone and the world. Men, women and children from both sides of the Berlin wall had to go to the wall to actually see the historical landmark and the wall bust down. They said that the event signified liberty and freedom as the ultimate victories over and supremacy over oppression as well as tyranny.
The Legacy of the Berlin Wall
Today the Berlin Wall can still be attributed to the sphere of historical and cultural monuments despite the fact that it was demolished dozens of years ago. Today, international visitors come to Berlin to take a stroll on the remains of the wall and examines its past. The existence of the Wall symbolizes the price that paid as long as ideologies clashed and the honor of the people who stood up for liberty.
In addition, many niceties of the real political world: The wall had fallen and with that many geopolitical alliances were turned upside down. 1990 was the year of German reunification and hence signifying the era of post Cold war period in Europe. The break down of the Berlin Wall was a sign of the decline of the Soviet Union as well as the beginning of the end of the Eastern block nation’s.
Conclusion
Taken outside of the historical site, the Berlin Wall is worth to be viewed as a memorial of a divided world and the price for ideological confrontation. It was created and destroyed during pre-sent days that define it as one of the Cold War icons. The wall thus forms part of human history that reflect on the strength of the human being , and struggle to attain freedom and hence cross this barrier symbolizes crossing and overcoming barriers and hence offers hope of healing for all the divided worlds.
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