The Cold war was political and military rivalry between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet socialist Republics that started after the second World war, around year 1947 to early nineties. The most powerful icon was the Berlin Wall, a barrier that divided Berlin into the American-French-British-controlled West Berlin and the Soviet-controlled East Berlin and West and East Germany. In this blog post we will take a closer look at the Cold War and give you an insight on the work and construction of the Berlin Wall.

1. Origins of the Cold War

It is true that the earliest roots of the cold war might be seen from the immediate post war period. Soviet Union and the United States stood as fully-fledged super powers but due to the social political systems’ difference the two powers vied bitterly. USA stood for Capitalism and Democracy; USSR supported communism. They established the ground on which the ideological conflict of the Cold War was fought.

2. Divided Berlin

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Berlin was divided into four zones, each controlled by one of the victorious Allied powers: and the major powers of the Cold War era including the United States, The Soviet Union, United Kingdom and France. As time went by, there was increasing rivalry between the western Allies and the Soviet Union, thus dividing Berlin into two part; western and eastern.

2.1 West Berlin

West Berlin was regarded as symbol of freedom and principles of the western world so represented by Allies. It was a pointed city with a sound economy where headed people made their ways from east zone in search of a better life. The western Allies were supporting West Berlin in various ways such as dropping supplies by airlifting during the 1948-1949 sieges by the Soviet Union.

2.2 East Berlin

In contrast, East Berlin was governed under the soviet Union and communism rule hence was considered a different city. The economy was not very good, people’s freedom was curbed and the opportunities were few. A number of people in East Germany could not agree with this and therefore tried their very best to escape to West Berlin.

3. For building of Berlin Wall

The construction of Berlin Wall started on the 13th of Aug 1961. This barbed wire and concrete barrier politically and physically cracked the city, people’s movement was restricted between East and West. The wall was erected shortly to curtail the _flucht_waves of East Germans fleeing to the West, as well as to ensure a grip of the Soviets over East Berlin.

4. Berlin Wall Period of the Lives

The construction of Berlin Wall affected the lives of many population in both sides of wall. Many families were divided, friends were separated. The residents of East Germany could hardly move around, and they had no idea when they were being followed or when they were in the prohibited zones. Many attempts have been made to escape from concentration camps and despite the success some of them ended up disastrous.

4.1 Border Crossings

There were specified places where people could move from one area to the other always after searches had been conducted on them. Some of the well known checkpoints are Checkpoint Charlie and Brandenburg Gates.

4.2 Escapes and Tragedies

Nevertheless, many East German citizens tried to cross the wall in order to come into the West. Some attempted to burrow through the wall, some attempted to fly over it using Coventry-style hot air balloons or apples or hide under it in vehicles. However, there are those that were sequenced by tragedy and living was lost as the people searched for freedom.

5. Fall of the Berlin Wall

At the stage of early detente nuclear arms build-up continued while political transformations began in the Soviet Union and its satellites at the stage of the decline of the Cold War. In 1989 the Hungarian Government opened the frontier for East Germans to travel to West Germany. This led to a protest and demonstration across East Germany calling for change to a democracy and freedom of movement.

For the last point, it is important to mention that after series of events the Berlin Wall was knocked down and people were free to go back and forth between East and West Berlin on the 9th of November in 1989. This is what effectively signalled the decline of the cold war and led to the reunification of Germany.

6. Legacy of the Berlin Wall

The apartheid wall which now surrounds Palestinian territories symbolizes the historical divide between East and West, Cold War oppression and Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Now, people are able to visit the site and recall the problem that people of Berlin had to face in the past. The process of Germany’s reunification and the breakdown of the Soviet Union also give people desire for improvement and better future.