The Change of East Berlin to a communist state was gradual and can be divided into three major stages in the course of the three post-war decades. It is also important to understand the key events which led to this particular result in order to be able to evaluate the path, through which East Berlin came to communism.

The Division of Germany

After the World War II ends, the Germany was split into four zones which was controlled by the allied countries the United States of America, the Soviet Union ,Great Britain and France. East Berlin, having been situated in the Soviet zone of occupation, was made the capital of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) founded in October 1949.

The Role of the Soviet Union

It is for this reason that the political map of East Berlin largely depends on the Soviet Union. They wanted to impose socialism in East Germany and rigorously pushed for communism all around the area.

The Berlin Blockade

In June 1948, the Soviet Union started the Berlin Blockade that was a one-year severs of all road, rail, and water connections to West Berlin in an effort to force out the Western Allies. This event aggravated the conflict between the East and the West, and intensified the separation of East Berlin, a communistic nation, and West Berlin, a democratic nation.

This paper focuses on providing information about the Construction of the Berlin Wall.

In 1961, the building of the wall that would split East and West Berlin physically occurred. The wall was also an emblem of the mental and actual separation between communism and the free world.

Repression and Indoctrination

Of course, under the SED leadership, East Berlin has become the totalitarian state. Here are some of the ways by which the SED muted the opposition, managed information and remoulded its subjects.

The Secret Police (Stasi)

The Ministry for State Security also known as the Stasi was one of the most successful and tyrannical secret police force in history. The Stasi was massive and only concern itself with keeping the East German people in check with special units operating in all sectors of the community.

Propaganda and Censorship

The East German government censored top media and spread information that would instill loyalty to the rule this way. The movie, books, television programs, artworks etc. were heavily censored promotion communism and painting the capitalistic societies as evil.

East Berlin standard of living

It is interesting to note that whereas the regime in East Berlin sought to create equality amongst it’s population; the quality of life in East Berlin was notably lower than West Berlin. Economic stagnation shortage of products and limited freedom for individuals were features of life in communistic East Berlin.

Rationing and Shortages

While young people could find jobs relatively easily, basic goods, food and consumer products were an endemic problem in East Berlin. To regulate the use of tight supplies, rationing programs were put in place hence formal queue systems were common, and important stock items were scarce.

Quarantine and Travel Ban

The inhabitants of East Berlin very much felt the restrictions on their freedom of movement within Germany and abroad. The regime had a strict policy on his country’s borders and put up the Berlin Wall, thus sealing off East Berlin from the rest of the world.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Germany’s dividing line, known as the Berlin Wall, came crumbling down on November 9, 1989 after mass protests and ever growing pressure from the East Germans . Interestingly this marks the beginning of the collapse of communism in East Berlin.

German Reunification

Subsequent to the brought down of the Berlin Wall, Germany was reunited on 3rd of October in 1990. Reunification was an economic, political, and social process of becoming a united Germany after theunion of the two states from East and West.

Transition to Democracy

The two united Germany opted to practice a liberal democracy alongside freedom and free market economy. East Berlin has brilliantly changed its face from the city of division to the capital of the reunified Germany.

Legacy and Reflection

East Berlin in particular’s past still affects the present Germany. There are today numerous historical sites, museums, and Memorials which show and explain the history of division in the city and the hardship of its people.

Conclusion

The Soviet function, repression, indoctrination and other restricted living conditions all played a role in the process of turning east Berlin a communist state. Former political barrier such as the Berlin Wall came falling down and German reunification sever(ed) the reign of communism in East Berlin and has setup a democracy in Germany. To appreciate the importance of the journey of East Berlin and also the place of East Berlin within the context of the whole of Germany, it is important to look at this history