It is probably quite rare to meet people who know that Adolf Hitler has anything to do with the Berlin Wall, though he was known to have led Germany during World War II. But one should bear in mind that the Berlin Wall was constructed not by Adolf Hitler. However, the construction of the wall that he ordered never got started, it occurred decades after his death. Now let’s turn to examine the history and implication of the Berlin Wall in further detail.
The Berlin Wall: Its Beginning
The Berlin Wall was built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) or better still called East Germany. It was constructed on August 13, 1961 and had a function of a wall that separated people from East Berlin from people from West Berlin for twenty-nine years.
What was the cause of the Berlin Wall?
The main cause of building the wall was to stop more people from East Germany from going to West Germany. It is a period that East Germany more or less had a lot of problems economical and otherwise and many East Germans could only dream of the comfort that was in West Germany. The GDR directly feared for the loss of people, the so-called brain drain and therefore built the wall to prevent the people from fleeing westward.
The main facts about the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall consisted of several key features that made it a formidable physical barrier:
Concrete Wall: It was constructed of reinforced concrete extending approximately twelve feet in height and four feet in width. It operated for approximately 153 kilometres, which surrounded West Berlin.
Border Area: On the East German side there was a “death strip” featuring a border with barbed wire, small towers and anti-vehicles trenches. This fortified area also proved to be a factor against would-be escapees, as O’Brien demonstrates.
Checkpoints: However, in response to the strict rules of division a couple of the control posts for civil traffic were set up for border crossing between East and West sharitenburg and Charley).
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The year 1989 is the significant year in history where the unfolding culture of the division wall has been removed on 9th November. The reunion of Germany was not solely due to the destruction of the physical wall, it was brought about by other factors such as demonstrations, changes in political system, and less impact of the soviet union.
Legal Actions and Pressures and civil protest
The situation in the mid 1980s gave the people of East Germany an ever growing dislike towards the government and their policies so protests for change and more freedom began to occur. These protests increased incessantly and reached their peak, leading to the opening of the borders crossing. Outpowered by mass demonstrations and external pressure the GDR government succumbed to the call for reunification.
The Policies of The Soviet Union
During this time the USSR, the superpower which had supported the building of the Berlin Wall, was in a process of serious transformations with the appearance of the new leadership and Mikhail Gorbachev. Gleason argues that while Gorbachev explicitly did not plan for the fall of the Berlin Wall, his policies of openness (glasnost) and restructuring (perestroika) played an indirect role in the events that caused that event. Though the Soviet Union accepted the reunification process wholeheartedly, its interference was comparatively less than before and it was more observant on the facts that its Eastern Bloc countries were eager to go in their new path.
The Legacy of the Berlin Wall
After the breakup of the Berlin Wall, Germany underwent a period of reunification. The wall, therefore, became a subject of the Cold War and the falling of it marked a given period. Today you can see the remnants of the Wall in many countries, which tell of victories and failures of mankind.
Tourism Sites and Memorials
Today we can observe concrete marks of the Berlin Wall: parts of the structure remain; different memorials and museums are built. For instance, the East Side Gallery is as long as a mile long wall covered in colors murals that capture the set up of unity and freedom.
Lessons Learned from History
La Muralla de Berlín puede señalar un repaso de cómo pueden ser perjudiciales las dos caras y cómo puede ser ventajoso la unificación. For it remains today one of the most evocative symbol of resistance, courage and goal achievement in defiance of authority and tyranny. The broken down of the Berlin wall showed that the change can occur despite the impossibility of the situation.
Although it is significant to note that Adolf Hitler himself did not build the Berlin Wall — the historical events that he set into motion as a result of the Second World War paved the way for the division of the city… In order to grasp the liberties we have and earns value of the past, the history and why the wall was built must be understood so as to make sure divisions like that will not take place in the future.