If you’re only vaguely familiar with the Berlin Wall story, you’re probably wondering which side was ‘free.’ In this blog, we’ll take you on a walk through the East and West sides of the Berlin wall to have a look at how contrasting ideologies and political systems were on either side of the Berlin wall. At the end you will better know how freedom is subject to the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall: A Brief History

So before I go into whether or not the Berlin Wall is a good metaphor for freedom, let me just turn and define what the Berlin Wall was. It was the Berlin Wall, built by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1961, a physical and ideological barrier. It was meant to keep East Berliners from escaping to West Berlin, under the control of West Germany (and its allies).

The East Side: The Communist Regime

The German Democratic Republic (GDR) were on the East side of the Berlin Wall. To the GDR government, this was the “free” side of their state, the socialist vision of it, and the side people were living under their regime.

Yet, East German freedom was primarily propaganda. In reality, East German citizens didn’t have their personal liberties and they were greatly restricted to travel, getting information and expression and the right to protest. Crossing the wall to the West was a no no, and dissent was harshly suppressed.

The West Side: Democracy and Capitalism

The other side of the Berlin Wall, meanwhile, was the side of the democratic and capitalist system of West Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), literally meaning. At least half of West Germany’s Post War reconstruction was helped by the Western Allies and West Germany flourished economically and politically.

West Germany placed a high degree of value on individual freedom, and its citizens possessed many rights: the right to freedom of movement, expression and political participation. You had better opportunities, you had access to a wider range of consumable goods and you had a better standard of living on the West side.

Consequences of the Berlin Wall

In the meantime, to divide two competing ideologies, the Berlin Wall was a symbol. It was an immense source of pain and suffering to families who were separated, and things just broke time after time with tragic events like people being killed trying to get to the West.

Lucky for us though the Berlin Wall began to come down in 1989, remunitifying Germany once more and marking the end of the Cold War. West Germany’s democracy, and its values of freedom, equality, and human rights eventually spread through the whole of the united Germany.

In Conclusion

The East German government claimed the East side of the Berlin Wall free for the East german people, but the West side had true freedom in personal liberties, opportunities and living standard. The fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent reunification of Germany gave us the triumph of democracy and therefore a greater embracing of freedom by the Germans.