The partition of Germany with East Berlin representative of the cold war was created in 1961. It became a physical barrier that effectively symbolized the political-ideological cleavage of the real world communism and the free world capitalist systems. Knowledge of the role of the Berlin Wall within the confrontation of the Cold War is instrumental when defining the interactions of this period in history.

The Origins of the Cold War

The cold war started immediately after the World War II as Soviet Union and The United States rivaling in power and with a difference in beliefs systems. American and its allies fought keenly for democracy and capitalism while the communists led by the Soviet Union aggressively promoted communism. These different political systems provided a backdrop for the developing of ideological conflicts which formed the basis for the emergence of two global blocs, the Eastern Bloc headed by the Soviet Union, and the Western Bloc headed by the USA.

The Division of Germany

Germany, as the defeated country in World War II, was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allies: and the United States, Soviet Union, Britain and France respectively. The situation deteriorated when the Soviet Union wanted to spread communism in Eastern Europe.

In 1949, through the instrumentality of the western allies, Germany was split into the Federal Republic of Germany locally called West Germany while the Soviet Union formed the German Democratic Republic locally dubbed East Germany. This city was also split into two: the East and the West Berlin since it was situated within the deep confines of East Germany.

It started with East Germany building the Berlin Wall in 1961; that barrier was designed to remain permanent.

There was nothing like a product defense for the East Germans, the Berlin Wall was erected to ensure that the people could not escape to West Berlin. It was officially constructed for people of East Germany and for the sake of avoiding corrupting influences from the West as well as to maintain socialism. Nevertheless, its was mainly aimed at preventing population of the East Germany to flee to the more liberal and economically developed part of the country – West Germany.

It was constructed on the 13th of August 1961, included concrete walls, barbed wires, watch towers and anti-car trenches. It was about 155 kilometers long and split not only the city of Berlin, but people too.

Impact of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall had significant social, political, and economic impacts for both East and West Germany:

• Suppression of Freedom: By limiting the body’s mobility the wall severed close ties separating families and friends of the East Germans .
• Economic Differences: West Germany had relatively fast economical and social rise, while the East Germany had a problem with communism.
• Propaganda and Ideological Divide: The wall signified the East and West switch between capitalist America and the communism of Russia.
• Tensions between Superpowers: The construction of the wall brought about more tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, which aggravated the cold war.
• Escape Attempts: East Germans tried to flee to the West over or under the wall, and many of them perished while doing so.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The demolition of the Berlin Wall on the November 9, 1989 marked the breaking of the up of the cold war. This was due to large public pressure, demonstrations, and political transformations in Eastern Europe. The reunification of East and West Germany came hard on the heels of this and was followed by the break up of Soviet Union and the cold war.

Legacy of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall symbolises the price of the divided belief systems and the longing of people looking for liberty. Present, people have installed some parts of the division as memorials to mark the history and Cold War period.

Conclusion

The Berlin Wall was a big icon of the Cold war as the separation between eastern and western block nations. It is considered one of the greatest manmade structures in the history of Germany and the world, and was its construction and its collapse to shape the geopolitical clues that put an end to the Cold War. It is thus important for students to appreciate the characteristics of the Berlin Wall when studying the post-war period and in particular the nature of that part of the twentieth century known as the Cold War.