The Cold War, a period of intense geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, had a significant impact on Berlin. As a city divided by ideology, East Berlin emerged as the capital of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and was under the control of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In this article, we will explore the historical context and elaborate on who exactly controlled East Berlin during this tumultuous time.
The Division of Berlin
Following World War II, Germany was divided into four zones controlled by the victorious Allied powers: these countries were identified as the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Just as with other cities across Germany, Berlin was not spared the sharp-end of this division as it was split into four sectors with each being situated deep inside the Soviet zone. This division immediately produced political and ideological differences that caused this construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.
The Soviet Control
Soviet influence was most dominant in East Berlin to which the GDR later confined the political and economic power. The GDR was a Soviet marshalled state, created with the aim of spreading communism on the Soviet pattern. The Soviet domination was made by Socialist Unity Party (SED) with Walter Ulbricht and the GDR secret police force, the Stasi.
In the decision, the Socialist Unity Party (SED)
The SED was the governing party of the GDR it wasformed in 1946 out of the amalgamation of the German communists party and the social democracy party. The SED apart from its policies adhered to Marxist Leninist philosophy and acted as the link to the Soviet Union in East Germany. The party had a detailed influence on politics, economy and the society of East Berlin.
The Stasi
Stasi or the Ministry for State Security was in fact the state’s police force of East Germany. As an organization established in what was then East Berlin, the Stasi was charged with the domestic security tasks of surveillance of citizens and institutionalized repression of dissenting or oppositional forces in society in the interests of the ruling/nominally socialist SED party-state and the USSR. The Stasi is popularly remembered by its large number of informants, and strictly regulated society in East Berlin.
Life in East Berlin
East Berlin during the Cold War was very much unlike what life was in West Berlin or in any other developed democracy. The Russians that supported the Soviets had very little freedom of speech since their economy and media were highly regulated along with their education systems.
Restricted Travel
The Bernstein wall which was built in 1961 also severed the free communication between East Berlin and West Berlin. People were moved around, and families had to be split apart. It was proving almost impossible for individuals to desert one side and join the other or cross a border without the permission of military authorities. This division was until the collapse of the Berlin wall in 1989 Though.
Economic Challenges
The East Berlin culture served under a planned socialist economy system where all the economical assets were owned by the state. Although gross economic development was attainable in the beginning by the GDR especially through sectors of heavy industry, the state could not challenge for economic supremacy against the liberal and affluent economically liberated West Germany. This led to two consequences; namely, scarcity, limited availability/consumption of consumer goods, and the general degradation of the standard living of citizens in East Berlin.
Political Propaganda
As a part of political propaganda the government used different techniques to influence the people in the Soviet Union. Both the media and education in GDR were state controlled and so people were fed with communism, admiring the achievements of the GDR and hating the western part. Basically, opposition and protest against the regime was cut short without much ado.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The cold war also ended and the Berlin wall that divided east and west Berlin was pulled down on the 9th of November in 1989. Next the reunification of Germany began which symbolised the end of the Soviet empire in East Berlin and the dismantling of the GDR.
Conclusion
During the Cold War, East Berlin was completely dominated by the Soviet Union. It was the capital of the recently defunct East Germany ruled by the Socialist Unity Party and the Secret State Police – Stasi. The life in East Berlin was characterised by limited mobility, economic hardship and dominance of political posters. But the year 1989 saw the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent loss of control from the Soviets paving way for actual reunification itself.