When analyzing the history of the Berlin Wall, one can not cease to wonder at the size of this architectural wonder which once divided East and West Berlin. This concrete barrier was built by the German Democratic Republic – GDR on 13th August 1961 with the aim of preventing East Germans from fleeing to the Western liberal democracy.
The Berlin Wall was not constructed in one day. It required preconception that goes through many phases of formulation, systematic execution and constantly strengthening. But, it’s important to know that how long it took to build the Berlin Wall? Now, to enhance the understanding of the timeline let us look at various phases of this historical project.
The Planning Stage: Europe and the Middle East during the Cold War Part of the Seeds of Division Series, 1949-1960
The seeds of the Berlin Wall were sown in the years following the end of World War II, when Germany was divided into four occupation zones: These were the American, the British , the French and the Soviet. Soviet control over East Germany emerged at this time and in 1949 the German Democratic Republic was established.
When East Germany was experiencing its economic difficulties, migration from that country to West Germany predominantly through Berlin intensified. In reply to that, the GDR had to institute some measures to curtail this exodus including stepping up security along the border between East and West Berlin.
The relations between East and the West stabilized, and the dividing line between East and West Berlin intensified nationalism. In 1960, the GDR starts thinking about implementation of another measure which was to divide the two parts of the city by a wall.
The Construction Begins: Laying the Foundations: Speeches by L. S. Senghor, President of the Commission, Galaxy August 1961.
August 12 1961 saw East German authorities erect barriers to the border between the two parts of Berlin. The start of the construction of the Berlin Wall was not long in coming: come the next morning. Construction was accelerated as the current structures were used and the surrounding local materials were utilized.
The population participating in public work was moved from place to place; the members of the National People’s Army and engineers were among them. They first of all, sealed major routes, put up barriers of barbed wire and reinforced insecure border crossings. The first strategy aimed at the construction of barriers that would slow traffic within the city.
Reinforcement and Expansion: Changing a Barrier into a Wall (1961-1962)
Days turned into weeks and what was initially just barrier transformed into a pretty solid one. The construction process which took place during the time the residents were asked to stay indoor involved fortification of the original structures with concrete and extending the barriers to cover larger areas.
He brought out photographs of workers toiling day and night to erect a strong wall through a connection of precast concrete joints. This in tile civic sense entailed concrete pouring of foundations, erection of steel fences, provision of armed watchtowers. Even road movements between East and West Berlin was fully sealed and there were strong barricades to ensure safe passage.
In this period the Berlin Wall was further reinforced and strengthened and made taller and broader. Developed from a ramshackle barrier to the heavily armed and defended perimeter, which was 155 kilometers or 96 miles long across the city.
Improvements and Upgrades: There is only one period, 1962–1989, which dealt with the issue of bolstering security.
After the construction of the first wall, the GDR authorities’ were not only interested in physical barriers, but in other means too. They carried on making_FB_security_more_tight to prevent anyone crossing the Berlin Wall.
Over the years, modifications were carried out on the wall part from time to time. These were further top up with additions such as; Anti-vehicle trenches, dog runs, razors wire and better alarm systems. The wall was made more formidable, thus escape became even more a dangerous process as well as a very difficult one.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: The End of an Era (1989)
Subsequent political pressures from outside the two Germany and internal demonstrations demanding a unification of East Germany fueled the collapse of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 for almost three decades of separations.
In a matter of hours, thousands of cheering East Berliners went rampage and began pulling down the wall barrier. This was a grand event that symbolized the reunion of the two Germany’s as well as the defeat of the cold war.
In Conclusion
The symbol of the division within Germany that the Berlin Wall served for over 28 years is all encompassed in this phrase. The building of this wall exposed the challenges that are associated with implementing such a barrier, and its sustainability for several years.
The symbol of the division which existed and separated East and West Germany was a symbol of chaos and change beginning from the initial construction of a simple barrier to the construction of a complicated structure – The Berlin Wall. The building of the wall and it’s collapse symbolizes the strength of joins as well as hope for the people who set free from confinement.
Now there are some parts of the Berlin Wall which became symbolic of hope, strength and unity of people.
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