A chilling reminder of an ideological divide of the cold war, the Berlin Wall is a potent reminder of a world which was in many ways deeply fragmented. Its erection, which marked a huge event in the history of the 20 th century, is usually generalized to one story. But the truth about the builder of the wall can be revealed only with a more thorough immersion in the realities of geopolitics of the era, showing the sophistication of interaction between the East German leadership, the Soviet support, and the attempts to do anything to preserve the status quo.
The East German Regime: Motivation of the Construction of the Wall
Although it is a fact that the Soviet Union was instrumental in facilitating the building of the wall, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) or East Germany had the biggest responsibility in building and sustaining the wall. East Germany Walter Ulbricht and then Erich Honecker leadership viewed the wall not as a sign of repression, but as a means of preserving their socialist state against what they felt was Western capitalist encroachment and the potential at any time of a mass exodus.

The constant escape of East Germans into West Berlin, so-called brain drain, posed a great economical and political threat to the economy of East Germany, which was already on its knees. The emigration of experienced employees, specialists, and intellectuals impaired the infrastructure of the GDR and destroyed its legitimation. This continuous flow of the citizenship was one of the reasons why the East Germany government was so persistent in stopping the emigration at all costs. The wall wasconceived as the final, yet savage solution.
The Importance of East German Army and Construction Workers
The actual building of the Berlin Wall required a great effort of East German mobilization. The East German military, the Volksarmee (National People s Army), was also pivotal in ensuring that the construction sites were secure, in supplying security officials, and in generally seeing that the operation went on well. The huge project used thousands of regular construction laborers, many of them conscripted or forced.
The construction of the wall and its speed and efficiency was impressive, a feat of the coordination of the East German state apparatus. Between the first barbed wire and the subsequent, more impressive concrete barrier, the process of their construction passed through several stages of its development, each of which revealed the changing approaches of the regime in the border control and the oppression of any dissent.

Soviet Political Influence and Material assistance: A Non-negotiable Ally
The construction and the maintenance of the wall was led by the East Germans, but one cannot overlofixed the role of the Soviet Union. Soviet Union played the key role in the logistics and technical knowledge, but did not control the construction itself. This was in terms of provision of materials, equipments and most important of all, tacit approval, and possibly even encouragement, of the project.
The Soviets were also interested in the stability of their satellite states in East Europe and the Berlin wall was a strong symbol of the partition of Germany and Europe at large. The wall strengthened the Iron Curtain and assisted in cementing the Soviet sphere of influence. Thus, their assistance, even indirect, was a key to the success of the project.
Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Ideological Justification Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Ideological Justification
Soviet discourse on the Berlin Wall, similarly to the East German government, did not discuss the Wall as a form of oppression, but of protection. The wall was the subject of propaganda, which declared it a barrier against the Western aggression, the evil necessary to save the socialistic ideas of the GDR. This ideological rationale served to make the wall seem legitimate to the many East Germans, at least in the first place.
It was an important element of the propaganda campaign, which helped to form the opinion of people in the Soviet sphere of influence. Following this strategy of stressing the anti-fascist character of the GDR and the alleged danger of West Germany and the West in general, the Soviets were able to create a discourse, which downplayed the repressive character of the wall.
The Legacy of The Wall and its Continued Relevance today
The creation of the Berlin Wall can serve as a dramatic example of the destructive effects of the ideological confrontation and the price of the totalitarian system in human lives. Its dismantling in 1989 was one of the most important events in history as it meant the culmination of the Cold War and the start of the new era of (relatively) bigger freedom and openness.

The falling down of the wall did not only represent the crumbling of the communist regime in the Eastern part of Europe but also it showed the weakness of repressive system that was founded on fear and intimidation. The legacy of the wall remains as a warning and as a remark to the strength that lies in human spirit and the fight of liberation.
commemoration of the victims: an essential part of the history of the Wall
One must not forget the human price of the Berlin Wall. Hundreds of lives have been claimed trying to cross the heavily guarded border, which is a bitter reminder of the wall reality. In many ways these forgotten stories help to illuminate the human cost of the division and the persecution caused by both the East German government and the Soviet Union itself.
The memory of the victims of the Berlin Wall is not just a way of honoring their sacrifice but a reminder of the evils of unmonitored power and the sustenance of a system that deprives people of their basic rights as human beings. They should always remember the cost of freedom and the value of human dignity through their stories.
Conclusively, although the building of the Berlin Wall can be termed as a monument to the cold war, the building of the wall by one party oversimplifies a multifaceted historical process. The chief participants in the project were the East German government, motivated by an ideological zeal and practical considerations alike. Nevertheless, implicit encouragement and material support of the Soviet Union also played a vital role in its actualization. The history of the wall must consider the East German regime as the actor but also concede the crucial role of its mighty Soviet ally.

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