The Berlin Wall constructed on 13Th August 1961 was one of the most famous structures of World War II. They have been standing for 28 years in the middle of the capital city of Berlin, separating it physically and spiritually before collapsing on November 9, 1989. The change in divides Germany and influenced the end of Cold War greatly due to the fall of the berlin wall. Studying this article, the reader will learn why the wall was built, its role and influence on the aggravation and, finally, termination of the Cold War.
Berlin Wall Construction
Following World War II, Germany was divided into four occupied zones controlled by the Allied powers: the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. The fact was that the city of Berlin situated as the center of the Soviet zone was divided into four sectors as well. During the cold war when the US and the soviet union were feuding, under soviet influence, east Germany faced a mass exodus to west Germany.
To counter this drain of workforce, East German government approved construction of the infamous Berlin Wall. At first, it resembled a metallic barrier in the form of a barbed wire; however, the wall soon developed into a concrete one, 96 miles in length, and encircling the city. Barbed wire fencing, watch towers, and towers surrounding and a very large death strip made it impossible for anyone to escape.
The Specific Significance of the Berlin Wall in the Cold War
The Berlin Wall proved to be a manifestation of main conflict of the Cold War – the division of the world into the capitalist West and the communistic East. It strengthened the barrier of the East along with the Iron Curtain and symbolized the idea both the releases had to offer. The wall was seen to symbolise oppression and the domination of the soviet union over eastern Europe.
In addition, having the Berlin Wall contributed to heightening of tension between America and the USSR. The latter viewed the wall as hostility towards its power and as violation of rights and liberties of the people in East Germany. The Cold war continued escalating in intensity because both camps began a war of words and ideas.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The following are the common reasons as to why the Berlin Wall came down; internal change in East Germany, leadership change in Soviet, and the world events. Until the late eighties, the inhabitants of the east zone started to feel uncomfortable with their existence and the authorities. Russia’s neighbors were demanding democracy and other changes, brought down various other communist regimes like Poland and Hungary.
A government official speaking inlerle made a public statement on the misconception of People in East Germans being permitted to go West. Many thousands of East Germans gathered at the crossing points insisting their freedom of movement. The border guards were overcome with the number of people and then opened the gates and large numbers of East Germans entered West Berlin.
The Berlin Wall and Its Impact to End the Cold War
The creation of the wall was the last nail in the coffin of the Cold War, so it is not surprising that its destruction had a large impact on the process. It signified the break up of communism societal structure and the victory of democracy and capitalist economy. The reunification that took place after the Wall’s construction in 1989 again accelerated a relocation of power in Europe that was bewitching noticeable in that it found handsome devotion to the status quo.
However, the collapse of the Berlin Wall covered another domino effect that resulted into the disintegration of the Soviet Union as well as the end of the cold war. For one, it offered hope to all those who were under communism rule and sparked the move towards democracy in eastern Europe. The processes associated with the Berlin Wall contributed to the rise of a new period of interaction, negotiation and tore down of the divided cold war walls that had characteristic Cold war for many years.
Conclusion
It was a part of iron curtain not only a structure but it also represented concrete demarcation lines of Cold War. Its construction was used to play a significant part in world history and its fall is equally instrumental in history. Thus analyzing the ideas which precipitated its erection, its effect on Cold War, and its demises provide the rationale into how the Wall of Berlin played a vital role in the resolution of Cold War.