Select Page

Berlin Self Guided Walking Tour: Exploring the City’s Hidden Gems

by | Mar 7, 2024 | Cold War Tour Berlin

Analysis of the Historical Background of World War II

Second World War was an international war which took place in 1939 to 1945. Germany and its capital, Berlin, were in a critical focal point during such a time. Studying the history of the Berlin during the Second World War allows providing an understanding of the certain period of the war and its results.

Pre-War Berlin

Subsequently, before the occurrence of the Second World War Berlin was the capital city in the Nazi Germany ruled by Adolf Hitler. The city became a military, political and cultural facility and represented the might and the theories of the Nazi party.

The Berlin Wall

In August 1961, a concrete barrier was built between East and West Berlin, separating the city and moving the border between East Germany, under Soviet control and West Germany, allied with the West. The wall was an embodiment of the Iron Curtain which physically and metaphorically divided East from West. Berliner is a city that was divided right across the middle by the Berlin Wall, which separated the east and west from 13 August 1961 to November 1989, the two parts of Berlin were reunified.

The Consequences of World War II in Berlin

in Berlin was indirectly shaped by the changes that were brought by the Second World War as a large portions of the city were destroyed in the course of the war. Here are some key aspects to consider:

Bombing Campaigns

In the course of the war, simply because it was the final window of the Axis makes in Europe, Berlin appeared to encounter the max bombarding by means of forces of the Allied international. These bombings were used to demoralise the German people and destroy German strategic infrastructure including military and industrial post. Worse of all the bombing raid was during the battle of Berlin in 1945 that culminated into near total obliteration of the city.

Final Battle of Berlin

The battle which took place in April-May of 1945 for the city of Berlin represented the last stage of World War II in Europe. Soviet forces struck deeply to encircle and capture Berlin from the east thus extensive fighting in the street. The conflict that occurred culminated in the surrender of Nazi Germany and the consequently partition of Berlin.

Soviet Occupation

Even as Nazi Germany surrendered, the Soviet Union took over the city of Berlin. After the war situation in the city became divided into four zones, each occupied by a respective power of the Allies – Soviet Union, United States, United Kingdom and France. Spreading of the Soviet area grew into what is today known as East Berlin while the left behind areas became West Berlin.

Post-War Berlin

The post-war years in Berlin witnessed a divided city caught in the midst of the Cold War:

The Berlin Airlift

In 1948 all the road and rails into West Berlin were closed by the Soviet Union in their effort to subdue the entire city. To counter this the Allies began the Berlin Airlift that delivered food and other essentials to West Berlin in what was the world’s largest ever air-landing. It was removed in 1949 showing the unwillingness of the West to relinquish West Berlin.

Berlin Wall Construction

The division of Berlin started in 1961 through the building of a wall so as to separate families, friends, and in some cases neighbors. The wall was of course guarded and was specially designed; many attempts that were made at escaping proved rather fatal. It separates the East Germany from the West Germany and other countries and knocking them down in 1989 facilitated the reunion of Germany in 1990.

Conclusion

Es gibt viele Erkenntnisse über die Auswirkungen des Zweiten Weltkriegs in Berlin und so ist es wichtig und nützlich zu verstehen einem der größten und wichtigsten Zeitabschnitte in der Geschichte. History proved to tell the transformation of a city from being controlled by the Nazis up to becoming a divided metro, giving people the lessons they should learn from this kind of unfortunate event. Today when you are in Berlin it is possible to see some signs of those days and understand how the city evolved towards the reunification.

Berlin Self Guided Walking Tour: Exploring the City’s Hidden Gems