The Construction and Purpose of the Berlin Wall
In 1961, East Germany built the wall known as the Berlin Wall, that physically divided the city of Berlin into two halves. Its main purpose was as a physical barrier whereas east bloc citizens could not emigrate to the western society. Thus the wall was intended to keep people inside it and also got embodying the tyrannical regime of east Germany and in general the infamous “Iron curtain” that was in Europe during the cold war period.
The wall was in existence for nearly three decades and was a very powerful symbol of political and ideological differences that dominated Germany as well as most parts of the world then. It not only separated families, friends and communities physically; for millions of people stranded on the east side of the wall had a highly symbolic meaning too.
Today, the Berlin Wall is a symbol of tyranny as well as the struggle to be free and one nation.
The Negative Effects of the Berlin Wall
By and large it could be said that the net consequence of the Berlin Wall was largely inimical, especially for the population of East Germany. Here are some key reasons why the wall was considered a dark aspect in history:
1. Torture and Lacking of Freedom and Human Rights
The Berlin Wall actually put East Germany in a position where it could house its own people. Those in the east part of the city had the reductions of their mobility, domestic and foreign. The rights of families were trampled on in that some of the family members were taken away from their counterparts and the individuals were hardly given their basic freedom with most of the time they were under close watch. The wall represented threat, loneliness, and no freedom for every person.
2. Economic Disparity
The given facility also divided people apart and diminishes economic development of East Germany in contrast to West Germany. Having benefited hugely from the free-market economy, west Germany witnessed the effects of socialism in East Germany whose economy lagged far behind the west. By erecting the wall it cut off flow of equals sharing ideas, resources and opportunities hence economic resultant to restricted growth on the eastern sector of Berlin.
3. Loss of Cultural Exchange
Lack of exchange of cultures East and West Germany due to the creation of Berlin Wall division. Many young people, students, intellectuals, artists, and professionals, who could and should have rise to the mutual enrichment of the two sides, stayed in East Germany or emigrated to the west. As we can see, the lack of cultural exchange continued to limit the creativity and fresh ideas for the continual development of Eastern part of the city.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wall was undeniably a blot on human civilization or a monument of tyranny and secession. It negatively defined the freedom of East Germans, stifled economic liberties, and froze out culture interactions. However the wall broke in 1989 After that there was reunification of Germany and ultimately the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. Nowadays the memories of the Wall, as well as many other totalitarianisms’ outcomes, are preserved to remind everyone that people, who dared to bring freedom to societies deprived of it, have no analogs in the human history.
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