Introduction
In Berlin for 28 years until the Cold War came to an end, stood the Berlin Wall, an iconic symbol of the split of the city. On August 13, 1961 construction of the wall started, and 1 year and 2 months later on November 9, 1989 the world was treated to an outstanding performance – the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was the end of an era, and changes ran far and wide in Europe, and further as well.
The Context: The Cold War and Division of Berlin
After World War II, Germany was divided by the occupation of the unified nation into four zones, each controlled by the United States, Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France. An equal partition split the city of Berlin off into four sectors, including the city in the Soviet zone. The contrast wasn’t so much of opposing camps: the West prospered and the West adopted democracy; the East contrarily fell under the iron grip of the Soviet Union.
During the Cold War, tensions between East and the West rose as the break down of ideologies between the United States and the Soviet Union grew stronger. The government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) sealed the borders of East Germany, in an effort to stem the flood of East Germans fleeing to the democratic West. Yet for the East Germans seeking freedom, Berlin was still accessible as a kind of isolated city.
Construction of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall building is the result from a series of failed attempts to stabilize the situation. On August 12 1961 barbed wire barricades were put up along called Germany’s border, dividing East and West Germany. The next day construction started on the concrete wall and the once free city became a divided metropolis.
There was a concrete wall, backed by the “death strip,” which stretched 96 miles in total. Their strip included trenches, fences, guard towers and a no man’s land patrolled by armed soldiers with shoot-to-kill orders. The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the split between capitalism and communism, which divided families and symbolised the similar iron curtain across Europe.
Conditions in Divided Berlin
Living in divided Berlin was very different depending upon if you were on the East or West side of the wall. Citizens in West Berlin lived freely and prosperously and in most cases had access to consumer goods, higher salary and more liberal way of life.
Life in East Berlin, on the other hand, was similar to what you would find in a highly monitored country today; strict control and surveillance, few travel opportunities, a struggling economy. East Germans had little supplies, few career opportunities and limited freedom of expression. But the Berlin Wall was a physical symbol of this great difference, and a constant reminder of what the GDR would not allow.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall: A Peaceful Revolution
Dividing and controlling through the Berlin Wall was impenetrable, but forces were in play which eventually would bring the wall down. In the late 1980s a wave of changes engulfed the Soviet Union and its Socialist satellites. A more liberal approach emerged in new leadership, and hopes of reform were increased and individual freedoms more limited.
In East Germany, the government official making the premature announcement of the travel regulations took place on November 9, 1989. East Germans would be able to freely cross the border, he told East Germans, an unprecedented flood of people towards the crossing points. The guards became overwhelmed by the sheer number of citizens wanting to pass, and finally opened the checkpoints. People climbed over, chipped away at, and celebrated the fall of that physical and ideological Berlin Wall.
The Aftermath and Reunification
Berliners, and the world, rejoiced as the Berlin Wall fell. From then on, there was no more unreality in the possibility of the reunification of Germany. The destruction of the wall had been a painful reminder of the division and suppression felt by the German people — the end of that wall had brought hope for a more hopeful future.
After the wall fell, and as the years passed, Germany negotiated and prepared for its reunification of East and West Germany. In October 1990 the German Democratic Republic was absorbed officially by the Federal Republic of Germany and the process of reconstruction began. This represented the end of an era and that most pivotal moment in history.
Conclusion
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a great event marking an end of Cold War period and it was a day when global politics was shaped. That was a symbol of a democratic victory, victory of freedom, victory of human resilience over oppression, over revolt. -positive changes for the German people and the prospect of political changes elsewhere.
The Berlin Wall reminds us about how the power of unity can drive freedom. That shows the strength and determination of people who fought for the basic rights we sometime take for granted. The lesson: once human rights are championed, open dialogue encouraged and a world of without barriers is sought, that wall can fall.
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