The Berlin Wall was one of the most powerful and unvarying those elements ever saw during the Cold War and division of East and West Germany. Its construction in 1961 and its total collapse in 1989 is considered to be a major milestone in the history of the world. Here, in this article, we will discuss the Berlin Wall in terms of its background, aims, and effects – information suitable for those new to the topic.

1. What Was the Berlin Wall?

Berlin Wall was concrete barricade built by the GDR to sealing off East and West Berlin. It was walls, guard towers, and fences that together formed a complex that was 155 kilometers (96 miles) in length.

Its main aim was to stop a tidal of flood of those from East Germany from moving to West Berlin which was part of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG commonly known as West Germany).

2. A less detailed timeline, however, is provided in relation to the history of the Berlin Wall.

Trimming of Germany into two began after the Second World War; this was when the four Allied powers participated in the war, which included the Soviet Union, France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, demarcated Germany into four sections. East Germany came to be under the rule of the Soviet Union and later a socialist country while West Germany grew into a liberal, free-market economy country.

With political strife continuing between the two German states, waves of desire filled East Germans yearned to escape to freedom of the western side. To avoid such loss of population, the government of GDR in conjunction with Soviet Union to resolved to put up a wall which was initially referred to as the ‘Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart’ on August 13, 1961.

In one night Berlin was divided, families were separated and thousands of people were left locked behind this wall. The GDR government saw a need for it by arguing that the construction would help shield the people from ‘fascist agents,’ and would avert ‘the penetration of spies and saboteurs’ from the west.

2.1 The Structure of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall consisted of several components:

• Concrete Walls: The main kind of barrier was one of concrete segments of 3.6 meters (12 feet) in height.
• Guard Towers: Present on this elevated stands were placed along the wall and acted as watchtowers for the border patrol.
• Barbed Wire: Since some of the inmates tried to escape, the SS placed another layer of barbed wire on top of the fences.
• Death Strip: The region between two concentric circles of walls was called the Death Strip. It had all security measures that any high-security facility would posses such as electrified fence, dogs, and trenches that discouraged any form of vehicle access.

3. Life under the Berlin Wall

Construction of the Berlin Wall was a powerful factor that influenced the lives of the people of both sides. People were divided by their relatives and close ones, and the possibility to travel between East and West was an option of the past.

East German community lived in an environment where their actions were closely monitored they could not travel wherever they wanted, their media was fully controlled and they received little or no information of the west.

On the other hand West Berlin was presented as the symbol of freedom and prosperity. The city turned economically strong and also became more liberal at the same time it was highly attractive to artists, intellectuals and dissidents who were fleeing the oppression of the GDR.

4. The Fall of the Berlin Wall

It took many years of cautious hostility as well as the heated up expectancy for the Berlin Wall to collapse on November 9, 1989. This event started just like a slow emergence of political and economic instability of the East Bloc that was fueled by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev initiating changes under the policy known as glasnost( openness) and Perestroika (restructuring).

Gatherings of thousands of citizens emerged in East Germany, people calling for the right to travel and seeking the overthrow of the government. To meet such pressure the government of the GDR made an announcement that it eased the restrictions on all the borders. Many people crossed into West Germany and border between East and West Berlin was finally breached due to hard pressure which was made by the inhabitants of East Germany.

5. The Legacy of the Berlin Wall

The demolition of the Berlin Wall signified the bringing together of the two Germany’s and represented the breaking of the Cold War. It was constantly used as an image of liberty, solidarity or the victory of spirit over the flesh.

Berlin is still filled with sections of the wall that separated the east and west side and the struggle for liberation from communism. From the Forward Operating Base, the area has become the Berlin Wall Memorial where people can recall the victims and contemplate.

5.1 The case of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall is a symbol of the divided nation and the lessons people should know about protection of individuals’ rights. It was a lesson of oneness, of understanding and the importance of a group of people with one common belief in a society.

Often people do not know about the history of the construction of the wall and its importance to make progress in opposition to division and for the cooperation of nations across the world. And it continues to fill people with a hope to see a world where people with disabilities will not be seen as severely impaired.

Importantly, history has lots to teach us how the past influenced present and future. Using the discoveries from history, people can learn from the past cases, such as the story of the Berlin Wall.