Before proceeding to the main topic it is only fitting that we give you a warm welcome to our special topic on the Berlin Wall and Cold War era. So if you are interested in the history of this country or even if you are only interested in this particular historical period you are covered. This article aims at explaining the history, build up, consequences of and the demolition of the black Berlin Wall. Let’s dive in!

1. Part one of ‘The Rise of the Berlin Wall’

The Berlin Wall was built at the pinnacle of the Cold War era between the super powers; the America and the Soviet Union. After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation administered by the victorious Allied powers: the United States, the soviet Union, Great Britain and France.

Classic scholarly literature associates the division of Germany with political differences existing between the Allied powers; that resulted in the formation of East Germany also known as German Democratic Republic, GDR and West Germany also known as Federal Republic of Germany, FRG in 1949. Berlin itself was situated well within the Soviet dominated East Germany and was also split into East and West Berlin.

2. Like many capital cities, East Berlin boasted a wall that divided the city, known as the Berlin Wall and its construction was in August 1961.

The barrier construction was initiated on August 13, 1961. The East German government, with consent from the Soviet Union intended on the wall as tool which would stop people from fleeing from East Germany to West Germany which was relatively rich. It was a wall of barbed wire, concrete sections and surrounded by armed soldiers.

The Berlin Wall effectively reduced West Berlin to an island within East Germany which citizens were now cut off from loved ones. The wall itself was a mere structure and in addition to it was being a landmark between communism and capitalism.

3. Impact of the Berlin Wall

The operation of constructing the Berlin Wall had had sever impacts on both East and west Germany and on the global society.

3.1 Isolation and Disruption

For the people of East Berlin the wall represented division, limitation of freedom of movement as well as limited opportunities. People were separated with families, and most East Germans ventured to try and cross into the West as a staking their lives.

The wall also had some economic effects because it severed west Berlin from its source of most of its supply from east Germany. However, they made large financial contributions in order to develop West Berlin in order to continue to occupy its role as a symbol against communism.

3.2 New tendencies of Cold War escalation

The Berlin Wall even increased tension between America and Soviet more compared to the existing tension in the world at that time. This made it into an emblem to the divided east and west and the breakdown of diplomacy in the period of the cold world.

4. The Fall of the Berlin Wall

November, 4th 1989 was a black and historical moment in history because it is the day the Berlin Wall began coming down. When people of East Germany demanded democracy and freedom, the power was transferred, protests began, as well as opening of borders.

On the 9th of November, 1989, East Germany declared to the world that their people could travel to the western side of the Berlin Wall. Thus, thousands of joyful East and West Berlin citizens set into the destruction of the wall, using picks and crowbars. This event triggered the reunification of Germany which actually occurred on October 3, 1990.

5. The Legacy of the Berlin Wall

The top event significantly changing Europe and the word was the fall of the Berlin wall which marked the end of Cold War. The unification of Germany write a new history of Germany and symbolized triumph of democracy and freedom in the capitalist world.

It is about the Cold War and its impacts – the division and the unification of Germany and the Wall as its symbolic mark. Now only parts of the wall are standing as symbols and landmarks; people can still think about the trials and achievements of the sufferers.

5.1 Lessons Learned

The raise and the collapse of the Berlin Wall imposed useful lessons in terms of liberty and human rights. Thus it reminds to vindicate and embody the notion of democracy, togetherness and ability to bring change without the violence aspect.

5.2 Uniting a Nation

Also the disintegration of Germany following the collapse of the Berlin Wall was not without some significant problems. This process involved integrating two different political, social and economic structures. But the German people proved that they can rise up from the failures and create a new, powerful and united country.

Conclusion

The Berlin Wall is a perfect example of division, oppression and unity and freedom. The successful completion of its construction and the subsequent decline tell a story in human history worth emulating, particularly in destruction.

When thinking about the Berlin Wall and Cold War, let’s not forget the lessons that have been taught for peace, kindness, and equal opportunities to be free. Education makes it possible for us to manage this volatile world and wire the world for future generations.