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Did the Berlin Wall Fall During the Cold War?

by | Mar 7, 2024 | Cold War Tour Berlin

The Wall was built in Berlin during cold war period to separate between east Germany and West Germany. It was established in 1960 and it lasted for more than a 28 years before it was dismantled in 1989. In this article the reader will learn more about the background the construction of the Berlin Wall, its function and why and how the Wall finally came down.

The following paper focuses on the historical occurrences and building of the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by the GDR- German Democratic Republic to secede east Berlin from West Berlin. The main objective was to stop the flood of people’s exodus to the western part of Germany because this part was more developed economically and politically. The facility was formed by a wall made disaggregate concrete segments, watchtowers, and a network of fences and pathways in between that created an enclosed lethal zone known as the “death strip.”

Life under the Berlin Wall

To the people residing at East Berlin the Wall acted as a constant reminder that their freedom was limited or less compared to that found in West. People were locked up in their houses and could only move out in groups to get food and supplies from the streets’ barracks, and anyone who tried to escape through the wall was shot, arrested or locked up in jail.

The life on the western side of Berlin especially west Berlin was more comfortable and well off. The city itself equated with the free world was attracting countless tourists who wished to compare the two sides of the divided wall. It was a World that prodded into consciousness the fascist oppression in the East as nothing else could.

A key section that deals with the events that lead to the eventual fall of the company is another section that any good case should not miss.

Over the years the following events marked major changes leading to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

1. Peaceful Protests

In the course of the 1980s the movement for combined, non-violent action against the system of the GDR began. Some Europeans expected a political switch from gloom to light, immediately they could talk without the wall restricting them. Among them one of the largest protest was in Leipzig in that same year, 1989, where people arrived in thousands protesting for democracy.

2. Hungary Opens Its Borders

Lifting of borders was took place in august 1989 when Hungary decided to open border with Austria. This enabled East Germans to journey to the West via Hungary without coming to the much more closely monitored borders. It was an opportunity; many thousands journeyed west and made it a symbol of freedom and an escape from East Germany .

3. Mass Demonstrations

Towards the final few months of the year in the Eastern Germany, public protests filled the streets. Several tens of thousands of people demonstrating in east Germany cities such as Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin called for democratization and the abolition of restrictions on movement across the country.

4. Such was the press conference that seemingly changed everything.

Finally on the 9th off November 1989 the East German government publicized some new changes in the regulation pertaining to travelling. However, due to misunderstanding a statement as of enabling the immediate operations of the border checkpoint. Others flocked to the wall and with immense pressure the border patrols throws open the barriers and people could cross the border for the first time in three decades.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The collapse of the Berlin Wall was one of the greatest liberating victories for any people who had been living under oppression. When the gates were opened several thousands of East Germans rushed into West Berlin rejoicing their freedom of movement. They scaled over the wall in order to have a closer look, they hammered and chiselled the wall and watched the demolition of that part of Mphatheleni cottage.

Conclusion

This direct business-to-consumer barter is most illustrative with key historic incidences such as the Cold War Berlin Wall. This one was symbolic for people, for it marked the end of division and repression. History that took place before the fall of this empire was a clear indication of the struggles that people yearning to be liberated went through. Today the scraps of the wall are seen as a memoir of so many painful experiences and the triumph of people coming together.

Did the Berlin Wall Fall During the Cold War?